US3139973A - Conveyors - Google Patents

Description

July 7, 1964 c. F. RIVERS 3,139,973

CONVEYORS Filed Feb. 26, 196 2 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG-I H INVENTOR.

CHARLES E RIVERS BY W ATTORNEY.

July 7, 1964 Filed Feb. 26, 1962 C. F. RIVERS CONVEYORS 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 mvBNToR.

CHARLES E RIVERS ATTORNEW July 7, 1964 c. F. RIVERS CONVEYORS Filed Feb. 26, 1962 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR.

CHARLES E RIVERS ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,139,973 CONVEYORS Charles F. Rivers, 15375 Stahelin Blvd., Detroit 26, Mich. Filed Feb. 26, 1962, Ser. No. 175,499 3 Claims. (Cl. 198218) This invention relates to conveyors and particularly to conveyors employing a plurality of elevators to lift workpieces successively from one lever to another, while reciprocably travelling in an up and down direction.

An object of the invention is to provide a supporting structure, and a plurality of elevators, each supported by the structure for travel between a lower, loading position and an upper discharge position, and to further provide workpiece carriers for each elevator, and to adapt the structure to afford a gravitationally induced loading of said carriers on their respective lower positions, and discharge in their upper positions.

Another object of the invention is to provide a first carrier, with elongated side members, so confining the workpieces therebetween as to resist jamming of workpieces between the carrier and the structure.

Another object is to provide a second carrier in the form of an open-topped, open-ended receptacle, and to provide a pivot element about the axis of which the carrier swings to discharge workpieces when its elevator is in its upper position.

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

FIG. 1 is a partial side elevational view of the construction.

FIG. 2 is a view showing an upward continuation of the construction as seen in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional view of the construction on the line 33 of FIG. 6, the two elevators being shown in their lowermost position.

FIG. 4 is a view showing an upward continuation of the construction as seen in FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of the invention as seen on line 55 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view on line 6-6 of FIG. 3.

In these views, the reference character 1 designates the elongated supporting structure or frame generally. Such structure is inclined from front to rear in an upward direction at a substantial angle to the horizontal and includes elongated longitudinal members 2, joined by struts 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9. The longitudinal members are further, laterally interconnected by cross members 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, and 18. As may be seen by reference to the drawings, these members are illustrated as being formed of angle iron. Obviously, any other form may be used which will impart sufiicient strength and rigidity to the structure. The various members comprising the structure may be secured at appropriate points by any conventional method, such as welding.

Spaced apart within this framework, are parallel side walls 19 and 20, rigidly maintained in their positions by welding or otherwise securing them to the framework. Rails 21 and 22 are fixed to each sidewall to support and guide an elevator 23. Preferably the rails are mounted to each sidewall by bolts and nuts (not shown). This affords ready replacement of the rails if they become excessively worn.

The elevator 23 may be constructed of parallel elonice gated channel members 23a, joined in any suitable manner by ribs 25. A plate 26 is mounted to the frame thus formed. Said plate is preferably secured to the frame by nuts and bolts (not shown) or the like for more easy replacement when the plate becomes worn. At the sides of the elevator, runners 23b are secured as by welding to ride upon the rails 21, 22 in sliding travel. A rearwardly sloping lifting plate or platform 27 is rigidly mounted at the upper end of the elevator. From each side of the lifting plate a guard member 28 rigidly extends upwardly. When the elevator 23 is in its lower position, the guard members rest a substantial portion of their length on a plate 24. Rails formed by channel members 29 rigidly secured in any desired manner to each sidewall, support said guard members when the elevator 23 is in a raised position.

Ribs 30 extend rigidly transversely of the structure, and the plate 24 is preferably removably secured to said ribs as by nuts and bolts (not shown), to facilitate replacement of said plate when excessively worn by operation of the machine. The ribs also space from the plate 24 another plate 31, which may be rigidly secured to said ribs in any desired manner. The uppermost rib 33 is adapted to form a rearwardly sloping metering shelf or platform, the purpose of which is explained hereinafter.

Spaced rails 35, 36 are aflixed to sidewalls in a manner similar to the aforesaid rails 21, 22, and serve to support the second elevator 37. This elevator, too, has a plate 38 rigidly and removably secured to side members 37a and ribs 39, as by nuts and bolts (not shown). At its upper end the elevator 37 mounts a carrier on a pivot element 40. The carrier is formed with spaced sidewalls 41, back wall 42, and bottom wall 43, to create a receptacle which is open at the upper end and at the front. The bottom wall 43 provides a rearwardly sloping platform for the elevator 37. Elements 44 on the elevator and 45 on the carrier impose a positive limitation on the swing of the carrier toward the elevator. Runners 37b welded or otherwise fastened to the elevator 37 run on said rails 35, 36.

The back wall 42 of the carrier rests slidably upon a supporting plate 46, removably secured, as by nuts and bolts (not shown) to cross members 47 extending rigidly between the sidewalls in the upper portion of the structure. Elongated angle irons 48 welded to the sidewalls 19, 20, support the lateral edges of the plate 46. Welded or otherwise secured to the upper edge of the plate 46 an angle iron has a flange 49 beneath the plane of the bottom wall of a discharge chute 50 at the rear of the structure 1. Any form of supporting means, such as the illustrated uprights 51, may be used to uphold the structure.

A mounting plate 52 may be welded or otherwise affixed to the lower longitudinal members 2. Such plate is appropriately prepared to mount a reversible drive electric motor 53 to drive a speed reducer 54 of a conventional construction. Preferably these last two elements are removably mounted by nuts and bolts. (The elements described in this paragraph are omitted from FIG. 5, as to depict them in this view would serve no purpose.)

A shaft of the speed reducer carries a sprocket 55. A shaft 56 extends through the structure and has its end portions protruding from both sides thereof, and journaled in bearings 57. A sprocket 58 on one end of said shaft mounts a chain 59, jointly with the sprocket 55 of the speed reducer, whereby a drive is transmitted from the speed reducer to the shaft 56. Between the sidewalls rigidly mounted on the shaft, and axially spaced thereon, are pinions 60. The teeth of said pinions are in engagement with the teeth of rack gears 61. The rack gears are mounted to the elevator 37 as by nuts and bolts (not shown).

A sprocket 62 is mounted on the other end of the shaft 56. In the lower portion of the structure a second shaft 63 journaled in bearings 64 extends through the structure. Such shaft mounts, and is driven by, a sprocket 65. A chain 66 carried by sprockets 65 and 62 transmits such drive from shaft 56. Said drive is then transmitted by pinions fixed rigidly on shaft 63 through rack gears 68 to move the elevator 23. The rack gears are secured to said elevator 23 by means of nuts and bolts (not shown).

As best seen in FIG. 3, a hopper 69 at the front of the structure 1, or other means, may be used to supply workpieces to be conveyed upwardly by the conveyor. A downwardly bent extension 70 of the bottom wall of the hopper projects between the side walls, and has its edge in such close proximity to the surface of plate 26 of elevator 23 as to prevent downward escape of the hopper contents.

Operation A proposed method of operation is that both elevators shall rise and descend at the same time. Thus, with both elevators in their respective lower positions, part of the hopper contents may slide onto the lifting plate 27, such sliding being then stopped by plate 24 of the supporting structure. When the reversible motor 53 operates, and the elevators rise, the lifting plate 27 carries upwardly a quantity of the hopper contents deposited thereon. During such upward travel, the plate 24 restrains the workpieces from falling off the elevator in the direction of said plate. The upwardly extending guard members 28 confine the workpieces therebetween, and thus resist any tendency of such pieces to jam between the lifting plate 27 and the sidewalls of the structure 1. The plate 26 on the elevator 23 prevents any further sliding of the hopper contents until the elevators descend.

When the elevators reach their respective upper positions the workpieces lifted by the plate 27 are influenced by gravity to slide upon the platform 33. This sliding is halted by the plate 38 on elevator 37, until the elevators have descended.

In the construction as illustrated, elevator 37 moves approximately twice the distance of elevator 23. Therefore sprocket 65 is sufficiently larger than sprocket 62 to afford the required difference in speed of travel of the elevators.

When both elevators reach their lower positions, the lifting plate receives a gravitationally induced load of workpieces, as aforesaid, while the load previously carried up by said plate and left on the platform 33 slides into the receptacle 41, 42, 43. When the elevators are again in their upper positions, the receptacle has moved upwardly completely off the plate 46, which plate supports said receptacle in its travel. Thus the receptacle is allowed to swing about the axis of pivot element 40 to discharge its contents into the chute 50. The flange 49 and the bottom wall of the chute limit this downward swinging of the receptacle. From the chute the workpieces may be conducted as desired for whatever purpose required their elevation.

Obviously, the drive of the motor must be stopped as the elevators move into their upper and lower positions, and such drive must be reversed in order to move the elevators from one position to the other. A manually operated switch installed in the electrical circuit of the motor 53 could afford this desired control. However, a more practical and certain method, it is readily apparent, is the use of switches disposed in the path of one or both of the elevators to be mechanically operated by such elevators at opposite limits of their paths of travel to temporarily break the circuit of the motor.

It is proposed to incorporate a timing device to provide a desired halt of the drive, and leave the motor turned off for a predetermined period, to allow adequate time for loading and unloading of the carriers. Such device may preferably be adjustable, thus affording control over the number of loads delivered by the elevator during a given time period. Such control being effected by altering the period of inaction at each limit of elevator travel.

The angle of inclination of the structure of the elevators may differ considerably from that shown in the drawings. A vertical position may be used with plate 27 and platform 33 canted at an angle to induce gravitational discharge of workpieces. A substantially lesser degree of inclination may suffice to impart gravitationally induced sliding to the workpieces, to load the carriers. Thus a great measure of flexibility is afforded in the uses to which the device may be put. It should he noted, that the construction tends to cause the carriers to lift their loads, rather than merely shove or push them. To ensure that the receptacle 41, 42, 43 tips about its axis, a bar 71 is secured to a sidewall and extends outwardly sulficiently to engage the leading edge portion of a sidewall 41.

What I claim is:

1. A device for elevating workpieces comprising an elongated supporting frame extending upwardly at a substantial angle to the horizontal, said frame having a first guideway adjacent the front of said frame extending lengthwise thereof, said frame having a second guideway spaced rearwardly of and parallel to said first guideway, a first elevator movable in said first guideway from a lower charging position to an upper position, said first elevator having a rearwardly sloping lifting platform, a rearwardly sloping metering shelf fixed to said frame between said guideways in a position so as to be at the rear and approximately at the elevation of said lifting platform in the upper position of said first elevator to receive workpieces therefrom by gravity, a second elevator movable in said second guideway from a lower position to an upper discharging position, said second elevator having a rearwardly sloping lifting platform, the lifting platform of said second elevator, in the lower position of the latter, being at the rear and approximately at the elevation of said metering shelf to receive workpieces therefrom by gravity, means at the front of said frame for delivering workpieces to the lifting platform of said first elevator in the lower leading position of the later, means at the rear of said frame for conveying away workpieces discharging by the lifting platform of said second elevator in the upper discharging position of the latter, and means for moving said elevators between their respective upper and lower positions, said means for moving said elevators being operative to move said second elevator through a substantially greater stroke than said first elevator.

2. The device defined in claim 1, wherein said second elevator has a carrier, said carrier having a bottom wall providing the lifting platform of said second elevator and having a back wall, side walls, an open front and an open top, said carrier being pivoted to said second elevator about a transverse axis, guide means holding said carrier upright so that the lifting platform provided by said bottom wall of said carrier slopes rearwardly as aforesaid from the lower position of said second elevator to a point close to the upper discharge position thereof, said carrier being rearwardly swingable about said pivot by gravity in the upper position of said second elevator to a discharge position in which its back wall slopes rearwardly to effect a discharge of workpieces by gravity through the open top of said carrier.

3. The device defined in claim 1, wherein said second elevator has a carrier, said carrier having a bottom wall providing the lifting platform of said second elevator and having a back wall, side walls, an open front and an open top, said carrier being pivoted to said second elevator about a transverse axis, guide means holding said carrier upright so that the lifting platform provided by said bottom wall of said carrier slopes rearwardly as aforesaid from the lower position of said second elevator to a point close to the upper discharge position thereof, and means responsive to movement of said second elevator to its upper position for swinging said carrier rearwardly about said pivot to a discharge position in which the back wall of said carrier slopes rearwardly to effect a dis- References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Newman Apr. 2, 1895 Kevlin Sept. 5, 1922 Kronqvist Dec. 25, 1928 Lawlor Sept. 10, 1935 Kaufmann Jan. 2, 1962 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION July 7, 1964 Patent Noe 3,139,973

Charles Fe Rivers It is hereby certified that error appears in the above numbered patent requiring correction and that the said Letters Patent should read as corrected below.

Column 4, line 50, for "leading" read loading line 51 for "later" read latter line 52, for "discharging" read discharged Signed and sealed this 8th day of December 1964.

(SEAL) Attest:

EDWARD J. BRENNER ERNEST W. SWIDER' Commissioner of Patents Attesting Officer

Claims (1)

1. A DEVICE FOR ELEVATING WORKPIECES COMPRISING AN ELONGATED SUPPORTING FRAME EXTENDING UPWARDLY AT A SUBSTANTIAL ANGLE TO THE HORIZONTAL, SAID FRAME HAVING A FIRST GUIDEWAY ADJACENT THE FRONT OF SAID FRAME EXTENDING LENGTHWISE THEREOF, SAID FRAME HAVING A SECOND GUIDEWAY SPACED REARWARDLY OF AND PARALLEL TO SAID FIRST GUIDEWAY, A FIRST ELEVATOR MOVABLE IN SAID FIRST GUIDEWAY FROM A LOWER CHARGING POSITION TO AN UPPER POSITION, SAID FIRST ELEVATOR HAVING A REARWARDLY SLOPING LIFTING PLATFORM, A REARWARDLY SLOPING METERING SHELF FIXED TO SAID FRAME BETWEEN SAID GUIDEWAYS IN A POSITION SO AS TO BE AT THE REAR AND APPROXIMATELY AT THE ELEVATION OF SAID LIFTING PLATFORM IN THE UPPER POSITION OF SAID FIRST ELEVATOR TO RECEIVE WORKPIECES THEREFROM BY GRAVITY, A SECOND ELEVATOR MOVABLE IN SAID SECOND GUIDEWAY FROM A LOWER POSITION TO AN UPPER DISCHARGING POSITION, SAID SECOND ELEVATOR HAVING A REARWARDLY SLOPING LIFTING PLATFORM, THE LIFTING PLATFORM OF SAID SECOND ELEVATOR, IN THE LOWER POSITION OF THE LATTER, BEING AT THE REAR AND APPROXIMATELY AT THE ELEVATION OF SAID METERING SHELF TO RECEIVE WORKPIECES THEREFROM BY GRAVITY, MEANS AT THE FRONT OF SAID FRAME FOR DELIVERING WORKPIECES TO THE LIFTING PLATFORM OF SAID FIRST ELEVATOR IN THE LOWER LEADING POSITION OF THE LATER, MEANS AT THE REAR OF SAID FRAME FOR CONVEYING AWAY WORKPIECES DISCHARGING BY THE LIFTING PLATFORM OF SAID SECOND ELEVATOR IN THE UPPER DISCHARGING POSITION OF THE LATTER, AND MEANS FOR MOVING SAID ELEVATORS BETWEEN THEIR RESPECTIVE UPPER AND LOWER POSITIONS, SAID MEANS FOR MOVING SAID ELEVATORS BEING OPERATIVE TO MOVE SAID SECOND ELEVATOR THROUGH A SUBSTANTIALLY GREATER STROKE THAN SAID FIRST ELEVATOR.

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