US2558370A

US2558370A - Automatic oiler for slat conveyers

Info

Publication number: US2558370A
Application number: US757247A
Authority: US
Inventors: Charles R Miller
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1947-06-26
Filing date: 1947-06-26
Publication date: 1951-06-26
Anticipated expiration: 1968-06-26

Description

June 26, 1951 c. R. MILLER 2,558,370

AUTOMATIC OILER FOR SLAT CONVEYERS Filed June 26', 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

ll i: 7 BY 35 i imam 6).

June 26, 1951 c. R. MILLER AUTOMATIC OILERFOR SLAT CONVEYERS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 26, 1947 Patented June 26, 1 951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE AUTOMATIC OILER FOR SLAT CONVEYERS Charles R. Miller, Tujunga, Calif.

Application June 26, 1947, Serial No. 757,247

2 Claims. 1

' The present invention relates to a device for automatically lubricating the bearings of conveyors, particularly of the type referred to as slat conveyors. Such conveyors are used in sugar or flour mills to carry bags of the products handled over considerable distances, and the work of lubricating the bearings of such conveyors is both slow and expensive. It is for these reasons, the general object of my invention to provide a lubricant dispensing device which may be mounted in such position relative to the conveyor that it becomes actuated thereby automatically to lubricate all bearings thereof during the continued movement of the conveyor. 3 Another object of the invention is to provide a device of the type referred to which may readily be disconnected and as readily reconnected for lubricating purposes.

The object of the invention, as well as the many important features thereof, will be better understood from the following detailed description and reference is invited to the accompanying drawings, of which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of one end of aconveyor showing the relation to the conveyor taken by the device of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary plan view of the lower reach of the conveyor and of the lubricating device associated therewith.

Fig. 3 is an end view of the combination shown in Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a side elevational view of the invention on a, larger scale as it appears when removed from the conveyor;

Fig. 5 is a substantially corresponding plan view of one side of the device and Fig. 6 is an end view taken in the direction of the arrow 6 of Fig. 4.

Conveyors of the type herein considered may be variously constructed and it is for this reason thought sufiicient in the drawings merely to indicate such conveyor, diagrammatically. As illustrated, it comprises a pair of chains consisting of links I, 2, 3 and 4, which are journaled on shafts 5, and rollers 6, I are mounted to rotate on these shafts adjacent the said links. These rollers are proportioned to ride in grooves 8 of sprocket wheels 9 which latter are mounted to rotate with a shaft 10. It is to be understood that a shaft ill and a pair of sprocket wheels thereon are provided at each end of the conveyor in the usual conventional manner.

An endless series of slats H are provided with hinge members l2, 13, which ride on the shafts 5 and are so positioned as to permit the slats freedom of swinging movement on the shafts as required during the passage of the conveyor around the pulleys 9.

The lubricant dispensing device of the invention in the form illustrated in the drawings is made in two parts, one of which is mounted at one side of the conveyor and the other at the other side thereof substantially as indicated in Figs. 2 and 3. As these two devices may be exactly alike except that one is right and the other left, it is thought sufficient to describe in detail only one of them and it is to be understood this description pertains equally to the other.

A frame l5 rises from the floor or other supporting surface for the conveyor and the shaft I8 is seated to rotate in this frame. As best shown in Fig 3, this shaft extends across the conveyor and it is similarly journaled in the frame on the other side thereof. A disc I! is rigidly mounted on this shaft and it is made with a series of circular grooves l8 of a size to ride on the periphery of the rollers I. When the disc I! is correctly positioned relative to the roller, substantially as indicated in Fig. 1, it is seen that rotation is imparted to this disc as the lower reach of the chain passes thereunder during the operation of the conveyor. A second disc 20 is rigidly secured to the shaft a distance off from said disc I1 and this second disc is grooved to form an equidistant series of cams on which a plunger 22 is seated to ride. As better shown in Figs. 4 and 5, this plunger forms the rod of a piston 23, which is mounted to operate within a cylinder 24 and a spring 25 urges this rod against the surface of the cam wheel. The rod 22 is for this purpose made with a series of perforations 26 through one of which is inserted a cotter pin 21 and a washer 28 is seated behind this cotter pin to form a better bearing for the spring 25.

The piston head 23 is fitted pivotally to support a gate 29 and this gate operates during reciprocations of the piston to force lubricant to the bearings of the conveyor in the manner which will now be described.

Below the conveyor reach is placed a tank 33 into which extends a tube 34, which latter is in communication with the rear end of the cylinder 24. A conduit 35 extends downward from the front end of the cylinder and it terminates at the bottom in a short lateral extension 36 from the bottom of which projects nozzles 31, 3B. As shown in the drawings, these nozzles straddle the rollers l and are positioned to deliver a stream 3 of oil to the bearings on each side of each roller during the time that it moves past these nozzles.

It should be clear to anyone familiar with the art that the piston rod is moved by the cam disc to reciprocate the piston within the cylinder and that rearward movement thereof causes gate 29 to open and to admit lubricant into the space 39 in front of the gate. Continued movement of the conveyor causes the cam again to advance the piston rod against the tension of the spring thereby to cause the gate 29 to close and to force the lubricant through an aperture 40 at the front end of the cylinder and through the

conduits

35 and 36, causing the lubricant to become ejected through the nozzles 31 on to the bearings of the conveyor. During this forward movement of the piston it is seen that a vacuum is created behindthe gate causing lubricant to rise through the conduit 34 into the cylinder. A ball valve 4| is placed at the bottom of the conduit 34 to prevent return flow of the lubricant into the tank 33. The passage 40 through the front end of the cylinder is similarly controlled by'the ball valve 42 which is retained in position against displacement therefrom by means of a foraminous guard 43.

It is seen from the brief foregoing description that the device of the invention will automatically lubricate the bearings of the conveyor. Since, however, it may not be found necessary continuously to perform such lubricating operation, it is necessary to provide means for .disconnecting the mechanism from the conveyor and this may be done in various ways. Illustrative of such disconnection, I have shown the disc I! clamped in position on the shaft l6 by means of a set screw [4 which, when it is desired to disconnect the mechanism, may be loosened sufiiciently to move the wheel inward on the shaft sufficiently to clear the roller I. It should be understood, of course, that the disc I! at the other side of the conveyor would be similarly moved at the same time. In addition, it is advisable and may be found necessary to lock the piston rod in advanced position and this may be done by extending therethrough an additional perforation 36 through which the pin 27 may be inserted after the piston rod has been manually advanced to bring this perforation beyond the front surface of the bearing 3|.

It was above stated that a series of perforations 26 were made through the piston rod 22 and it is seen that the pin 21 may be inserted through any one of these perforations thereby to Vary the length of the stroke of the piston and in turn, the amount of lubricant applied to the bearings.

It is seen from the foregoing description that I have provided a very simple and efficient device for hearing lubrication, but While I have herein merely made mention of the most essential elements of such device, I wish it understood that the drawings are merely illustrative and it is for the engineer competent to design such machine to embody therein suchv devices as are required by modern engineering practice. It will, for example, be found necessary to provide suitable packing 32 at the rear end of the cylinder in order to prevent waste of lubricant. While I have described a preferred form of the invention, I do not intend to be limited to the sizes,

4 shapes and combinations illustrated, but retain the right to embody modifications therein such as will fall within the scope of the claims hereto appended. It may, for example, be found sufficient, instead of having one conveyor driven dispensing device on each side of the slats, merely to combine the two lateral conduits 36 into a single conduit. Such single conduit would receive lubricant from a dispensing device at one side of the conveyor only, making it possible entirely to leave out the other.

I claim:

1. The combination with a conveyor including parallel chains hung on sprocket wheels and transverse rods forming pivots on which the links of the chains are rotatably hung, or rollers hung on said rods adjacent the links of the chains, a stationary frame rising above and straddling the\ lower reach of the conveyor, a transverse shaft hung for rotation in said frame, discs secured to said shaft, said discs having equidistantly spaced peripheral grooves for engagement with the passing conveyor rollers, to rotate the shaft, cams secured to the shaft, said cams being made with equidistantly spaced shallow peripheral grooves corresponding in number to the grooves of the discs, a lubricant dispensing mechanism on the frame having downwardly projecting nozzles directly above the path of travel of the rollers, and plunger-s in said dispensing mechanism operable by said cams to expel lubricant on to each passing roller of the chain.

2. The combination with a conveyor including parallel chains hung on sprocket wheels and transverse rods forming pivots on which the links of the chains are rotatably hung, of rollers hung on said rods adjacent the links of the chains, a stationary frame rising above and straddling the lower reach of the conveyor, a transverse shaft hung for rotation in said frame, discs secured to said shaft, said discs having equidistantly spaced peripheral grooves for engagement with the passing conveyor rollers to rotate the shaft, cams secured to the shaft, said cams being made with equidistantly spaced shallow peripheral grooves corresponding in number to the grooves of the discs, lubricant dispensing mechanisms hung on the frame above the chain and havin each a nozzle directly above thepath of travel of the rollers, spring-held plungers in said mechanisms engaging the cams for operation by the cams to expel lubricant on to each passing roller of the chain. 7

CHARLES R. MILLER.

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

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 570,549 Gregory Nov. 3, 1896 881,896 Brown Mar. 17, 1908 1,902,601 Warner Mar. 21, 1933 1,933,464 1 West Oct. 31, 1933 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 368,068 Great Britain Mar. 3, 1932 457,899 Great Britain Dec. 8, 1936