US3100041A

US3100041A - Endless conveyors

Info

Publication number: US3100041A
Application number: US122783A
Authority: US
Inventors: Sr Joseph E Sheehan
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1961-07-10
Filing date: 1961-07-10
Publication date: 1963-08-06
Anticipated expiration: 1980-08-06

Description

Aug. 6, 1963 J. E. SHEEHAN, sR

ENDLESS CONVEYORS 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July l0, 1961 IN VEN TOR.

llllll Juil IFC:

JOSEPH SHEEHA/V, Se. BY

ATTORNEY ug. 6, 1963 1 E, SHEEHAN, 5R 39100,()41

ENDLEss coNvEYoRs Filed July 1o. 1961 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN V EN TOR.

l .JOSEPH E. SHEEHAA/,s am da@ ATTORNEY ug. 6, l963 Filed July l0, 1961 J. E. SHEEHAN, sR 3,100,04E

ENDLEss coNvEYoRs 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTUR.

JOSEPH E. SHEEH/i/Vl Si?. l

ATTORNEY ug- 6, 963 J. E. SHEEHAN, sR 3,100,041

ENDLESvS CONVEYORS Filed July l0, 1961 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 /a/LSL4L fr INVENTOR.

JUSEPH E. SHEEHAN, Se.

BY ayu;

A T TORNE Y United States Patent M 3,iii41 ENDLESS CNVEYRS Ioseph E. Sheehan, Sr., lFiint, Mich., assigner to Mary Ann Sheehan, Detroit, Mich. Filed Enly 10, 1961, Ser. No. 122,755?, l0 Claims. (Cl. 1933-1558) This invention relates to endless conveyors, and particularly to suc-h conveyors as are adapted to maintain a load-carrying position of load-carriers relative to their path of travel, or to predeterminedly alter such position to an unloading position about an axis of rotation substantially transverse to said path of travel.

An object of the invention is to provide spaced, similar, parallel tracks, and at least one load-carrier unit adapted for travel along said tracks and rotatable about said axis to effect said change of position.

Another object is to rigidly mount on said unit a control element rotatable about said axis tto rotate said carrier thereabout to maintain or change said position, and to further provide an actuator to act upon and rotate said control element.

Another object is to provide a guideway, following a normal path, in association with at least one track and to provide means on said actuator to `follow the guideway; and to form said guideway with abnormal contours to position said means lto act on said control element and [to rotate said carrier, when said means passes through said abnormal contours.

Another object is to provide track-followers for the carrier unit and to adapt a sur-face of said track to act upon said track-follower to resist undesired rotation, and to adapt an extent of said track surface corresponding with an extent of said abnormal contour to aiford said desired rotation.

These and various other objects are attained by the construction hereinafter ydescribed and illustrated by the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a rear elevational view of my invention showing a carrier in a load-carrying position and a carrier in an unloading position.

FIG. 2 is a side elevational sectional view of the invention on line 2 2 of FIG. l, showing said carriers.

IFIG. 3 is a side elevational view in section on line 3 3 of IFIG. l, showing additional carriers to illustrate the governing effect of the guideway.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view on a langer scale on line 4 4 of FIG. 3 rotated 90 clockwise, showing details of the track-follower, control element, and actuator.

FIG. 5 is a partial sectional view on line 5 5 of FIG. 4, rotated 90 clockwise.

FIG. 6 is a partial sectional view on line 6 6 of FIG. 4, rotated 90 counter clockwise.

FIG. 7 is a pantial sectional View on the same line as FIGn 3, but showing a modification of the'carrier rotating means.

In these views, the reference character 1 designates a pair of vertically elongated, lateraliy spaced side members having vertical spans la and horizontal spans 1b. A brace 2 surmounts and rigidly interconnects the upper horizontal span, and a support 3 elevates and further interconnects the `device at the lower horizontal spans.

Each side member 1 is similarly formed with a track 4 and a :guideway 5, the purpose of which is hereinafter explained. The two

parts

6 and 7 `of each side member are joined by a plate 8, cut to the contour of said members (as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3), and which also serves to enclose the guideway.

Ribs 9 rigidly mount bearings 1li in which are journaled shafts 11 to rigidly carry sprockets 12, having hubs 12a. Said hubs are secured on the shafts as by set screws (not shown) to bear against the inner faces of the ribs Med-,504i Patented Aug. 6, 1963 ICC 9 and resist axial movement of the shafts 11. An endless chain 13 is mounted upon said sprockets. Power may be applied |to any one Vof said shafts and in any convenient conventional manner to rotatively drive such shaft, its sprockets, and the chains.

Dogs 14 are interspersed as required between links of the chain 13 to drive carrier units 15. Each unit comprises axially aligned shafts 16; each such shaft has `one end rigidly received in a respective lug 17, which lug is secured, as by welding, to a carrier plate 1S. Said shaft passes through said dog to be driven thereby, and has its other end rigidly mounting a trackafollower assembly. Said assembly includes a rectangular plate 19, on which are mounted wheels 20 journaled on axles 21 and rolling on the opposed surfaces of the track 4l. Said axles are equally spaced from and about the longitudinal axis of the shaft 16.

The axles mount a second rectangular plate 22, which in turn carries a short shaft 23 in permanent axial alignment with the shafts 16. A control element 24 is mounted on the shaft 23, the function of such elements being explained below. Said control element carries an actuator, including a trolley 25 received in a recessed runway 26 formed in the control element. Said trolley being provided with wheels 27 to facilitate travel longitudinally of said runway. A cover plate 28 secured to the control element retains the trolley in the runway, and is slotted at 29 to afford passage to an axle 30 of said actuator to mount a wheel 31 for travel in said :guideway 4, whereby, `as hereinafter explained, the actuator acts on the control element to rotate the carrier about the longitudinal axis of the shafts 16.

As best seen in IFIG. 3, the tguideway follows a path normally determined by the necessity to maintain the carrier plate 18 in a horizontal, load-carrying position. However, in the construction as illustrated, as the carrier idescends (on the right in FIGS. 2 and 3) it is desired to tip the carrier unit ninety degrees for the vpurpose of unloading the carrier plate L8.

To eifect such tipping, the entire unit is caused to rotate about the said longitudinal taxis of the shafts 16. The guideway 5 departs from its normal path to follow an abnormal contour 33, and the track is recessed, as at 35. Thus, the contour 33 tends to draw the guide wheel 31 toward the right, forcing it to follow a longer path than the track-

follower

19, 20, 21, 22, yas the chainv |13 drives said track-follower in a substantially rectilinear path of travel. 'Ihis longer rightwardly directed travel of the guidewheel causes the trolley to apply pressure upwardly and increasingly rightwardly within the contnol element to rotate said control element, and consequently the rigidly connected carrier unit, ninety degrees to empty the carrier plate 18 of its load. Once the wheels 20 engage the track surfaces again, and the guideway is aligned with the track, the actuator will normally drop until the trolley reaches the bottom of said runway as seen in FIG. 3.

The tactuator remains in this position, due to the respective paths followed by the track and guideway, until the guide wheel encounters the portion 43` of the guideway curving toward the lower horizontal span 1b. 'This curvature draws said guide wheel and trolley to uppermost position of the trolley before the track-follower fully emerges from ,the track in the vertical span. Thus, when the axle 30 passes through a point of alignment with the axis of rotation, the wheels 20 are still engaged with said track to resist undesired rotation of the carrier, which could occur at said point, if the wheels were free of the track. As said track-follower enters the track in the lower horizontal span 1b, fa downwardly inclined abnormal contour 34 draws the guide wheel downwardly to its lowest position, because the track surface at this point is not recessed, and thus restrains the wheels 2o against rotation.

The subsequent upwardly inclined portion of :the contour 34 imposes a longer path of travel on the guide wheel than is followed by fthe track-follower, and the track is here recessed at 36, which Aallows the control 'element to respond to a rearwardly `and increasingly upwardly directed pressure of the trolley to rotate said control element and the rigidly associated carrier unit until the carrier platte 18 is returned to a horizontal position for loading. Any type of reloading means that is practical may be employed with the construction.

Said rotation -to unload the plate may be accomplished more rapidly than `as :above described, by disposi-ng a xed cam 38 in the path of the control element at the point at which such rotation is desired (FIG. 7). Engagement with the cam forces Ithe control element to rotate in the desired direction. To afford such rotation, the track must be recessed, as at 36, and the guideway must align itself with the track, as seen in PIG. 7, so that the axle of the guide wheel is aligned with the axis of the shafts 16.

Otherwise, said guide wheel would be odset from theaxis of said shaft 16 as best shown in FIG. 6, and would tend to resist rotation.

The path of the guid'eway relative to that of the track is intended to subject the guide wheel as constantly as possible to .the drive of the chain, whereby control may be maintained over the position of the axle 30 relative rto the axis of the shaft 16. Thus, the upwardly inclined contour 37 (FIGS. 2 `and 3) draws the guide wheel to the left so that it will be drawn by the control element (responsive to the chains drive) across the upper horizontal span 1b. The only point in its travel Where the guide wheel cannot be subjected to said drive `and control is the aforesaid extent of travel from the point at which full rotation has yoccurred at track recess 35, to the curvature 43' lof the guidcway and the trolley may drop to the bottom of the runway as aforesaid.

As the track is omitted art the juncture of each vertical and horizontal span of the side members reliance is placed on an olfset relation of the axis of the shaft i6 and the axis of the guide wheel axles 30 -toprevent undesired rotation of the carrier unit. Such offset relation (best illustrated in FIG. 4) is induced, of course, by the guide- Way contours 41, y42, 43 and 44, which follow paths nonaligned with the paths of the tracks.

It may here be noted that if 4it is desired, the recess of the track may be extended appropriately, and the abnormal contour of fthe guideway, such as at 33, may return to a vertical course before it becomes aligned with the track as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. This would dispose the axle 30 in a higher plane than the shafts i6, and would tend to maintain the carrier, while such situation continued, at any desired angle, which yangle would be predetermined by the spacing of [the longitudinal center of the guideway from and parallel to that of the track. As said track would, in such case, not act to restrain rotation of the carrier, such restraint would be imposed by the juxtaposition of the shafts 116 as they pass through the dogs, and of the said axle 30 mounting said guide Wheel.

The aforesaid arrangement of the track-follower allows two of the wheels to engage each of :the opposed surfaces of the track, whereby said track surfaces impose said restraint against rotation or rocking of the carrier on the axis of the shafts 16. While four wheels are shown, the same result may be obtained with additional wheels on axles equally spaced from and about the axis of shafts 16.

The four wheel arrangement is suited :as seen above to rotation :of ninety degrees. With six wheels, suitably disposed, the angle of rotation could be reduced to sixty degrees, land still maintain two wheels in contact with the Itrack surfaces before and after each rotation of sixty degrees.

'Obvious-ly, the described construction may be employed for rnany purposes, and its proportions may be 'adapted to many environmental conditions. For example, it may serve to carry parts to production lines, or .to carry ores from mines, particularly up steep inclines, not suited for la belt type convey-or. The carrier .plate -18 would, of course, .be designed for the job it would have to do.

What I claim is:

l. In an endless conveyor, a pair of latenally spaced parallel tracks, one or more carrier units :adapted for travel along said tracks and rotatable between alternative carrying and unloading positions -about an axis extending through said carrier and substantially transverse to the direction of said travel, said unit including a carrying member, a support member disposed lbetween the tracks and rigidly supporting said carrying member, .track-followers mounted on the support member land respectively positioned for travel Ialo-ng the respective tracks, drive means acting on the carrier to effect such travel, a control element mounted fon the track follower and actuiable to rotate said carrier unit iabout said axis, said track follower including a plurality of wheels at least .two of which roll on a surface of the track, said surface acting on said wheels to resist said rotation of the carrier uni-t, mea-ns effective on said control element to induce desired rotation 'of the carrier unit about said axis between said positions, and said track being adapted to afford said rotation.

2. In an endless conveyor as set fonth in claim l, said last mentioned means being ra cam element disposed in the path of travel of lsaid control element dor engagement -by said `control element, whereby said element is camrned into desired rotation about said axis, land said 'track surface is recessed to remove said resistance to rotation.

3. ln an endless conveyor, a pair of laterally spaced panallel tnacks, one or more carrier units adapted for travel along said tracks and having an axis of rotation extending through the carrier and substantially transverse to the direction of said travel, said unit including a carrying member, zarsupp-ort member disposed between said tracks and rigidly supporting the carrying member, tnackforllowers mounted on ythe support member and respectively positioned for travel along lthe respective tracks, drive means 4acting on the carrier unit .to effect such travel, a control element mounted on a mack-follower and actu- -able to rotate said carrier .unit about said axis of rotation, a guideway associated with one of the tracks and normally following -a path parallel -to that of said tracks, an :actuator mounted on the :control element to tnavel in said guideway, said guideway being formed with an abnormal contour, whereby said actuator responds to its ltravel along said contour to tact on the control element to eect desired rotation of the :carrier unit ab out said yaxis between alternative load carrying and unloading positions.

4. In an endless conveyor 'as set forth in claim 3, a ftnack surface normally eng-aging said track-follower .'to resist undesired rotation [about said axis, and said suriace being formed with la recess to allord said desired rotation respons-ive to said actuator.

5. ln -an endless conveyor as set forth in claim 4, said control element being elongated, `and said actuator being mounted thereon for travel longitudinally thereof responsive to travel lof the actuator :along said abnormal con-tour to .position said actuator fto act on the control element to effect desired rotation, land said lrecess in the track `surface `being disposed to correspond to said position.

6. In `an endless conveyor as set forth in claim 5, said tnack follower including la plurality of wheel-s revolu-ble on faxes spaced from and about the axis of rotation of the carrier unit, said wheel-s rolling on said track surface and encountering said resistance.

7. In yan endless conveyor `as set forth in claim 5, said actuator including a shaft, and la wheel revoluble on said shaft to toll in said guideway.

8. In `an endless conveyor Ias yset forth in claim 7 the (last mentioned shaft mounting la trolley :spaced lfrom said guide Wheel, and said contnol element being `iomned with a longitudinally extending mlnway .to receive said trolley for said longitudinal travel.

9. In :an endless `conveyor `as set Jorth in :claim 8, means to restrain said trolley from escape `ifi-01:11 said mmway, said means being adapted tto afford said travel of the trolley Iand said last mentioned shaft.

l0. An endless conveyor as set forth iu claim 9, said drive means including an endless chain, means, including -ra idriven sprocket -to support said chlain, means fno drive said sprocket, land means interconnecting the chain with said cam'er unit to uansmit said idr-ive to lsaid carrier 5 unit.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 431,262 Hendenson July 1, 1890 1,769,348 Krummel July 1, 1930 1,871,372 James Aug. 9, 1932

Claims

1. IN AN ENDLESS CONVEYOR, A PAIR OF LATERALLY SPACED PARALLEL TRACKS, ONE OR MORE CARRIER UNITS ADAPTED FOR TRAVEL ALONG SAID TRACKS AND ROTATABLE BETWEEN ALTERNATIVE CARRYING AND UNLOADING POSITIONS ABOUT AN AXIS EXTENDING THROUGH SAID CARRIER AND SUBSTANTIALLY TRANSVERSE TO THE DIRECTION OF SAID TRAVEL, SAID UNIT INCLUDING A CARRYING MEMBER, A SUPPORT MEMBER DISPOSED BETWEEN THE TRACKS AND RIGIDLY SUPPORTING SAID CARRYING MEMBER, TRACK-FOLLOWERS MOUNTED ON THE SUPPORT MEMBER AND RESPECTIVELY POSITIONED FOR TRAVEL ALONG THE RESPECTIVE TRACKS, DRIVE MEANS ACTING ON THE CARRIER UNIT TO EFFECT SUCH TRAVEL, A