US3201062A - Carrier storage arrangement in a pneumatic tube system - Google Patents

Carrier storage arrangement in a pneumatic tube system Download PDF

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Publication number
US3201062A
US3201062A US307199A US30719963A US3201062A US 3201062 A US3201062 A US 3201062A US 307199 A US307199 A US 307199A US 30719963 A US30719963 A US 30719963A US 3201062 A US3201062 A US 3201062A
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US
United States
Prior art keywords
carriers
loop
tube
pneumatic tube
storage
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired - Lifetime
Application number
US307199A
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English (en)
Inventor
Mach Horst
Kudritzki Hans
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
International Standard Electric Corp
Original Assignee
International Standard Electric Corp
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Priority claimed from DEST19737A external-priority patent/DE1191298B/de
Application filed by International Standard Electric Corp filed Critical International Standard Electric Corp
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of US3201062A publication Critical patent/US3201062A/en
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Expired - Lifetime legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65G—TRANSPORT OR STORAGE DEVICES, e.g. CONVEYORS FOR LOADING OR TIPPING, SHOP CONVEYOR SYSTEMS OR PNEUMATIC TUBE CONVEYORS
    • B65G51/00—Conveying articles through pipes or tubes by fluid flow or pressure; Conveying articles over a flat surface, e.g. the base of a trough, by jets located in the surface
    • B65G51/04—Conveying the articles in carriers having a cross-section approximating that of the pipe or tube; Tube mail systems
    • B65G51/22—Arrangements for stopping the carriers en route in order to control carrier sequence; Blocking or separating devices

Definitions

  • This invention relates to pneumatic tube systems and more particularly to a carrier storage arrangement for a pneumatic tube system.
  • Such a storage system usually consists of a loop in the forwarding tube which can accommodate a large number of carriers.
  • the loop has a plurality of individually adjustable valves through which the systems compressed air can be applied to eject the forward portion of the carrier supply stored in the loop and direct it to the station requiring carriers.
  • the number of valves required increases with the capacity of the storage loop.
  • Tube contacts may be provided for indicating the number of carriers available. Obviously, the use of a large number of valves together with a like number of tube contacts and a complicated control arrangement is very expensive.
  • An object of our invention is, therefore, to provide an arrangement whereby one or more carriers stored in a loop of the system can be delivered on call to a receiving station, such an arrangement, however, being so simple in design that it eliminates the drawbacks mentioned above.
  • a feature of our invention is the provision in a tube loop of a one-way backing device or stop through which the carriers called for are passed and directed to the calling stations by means of controlled compressed air.
  • Storage loop D D is connected by means of tube segment E to the pneumatic tube system from which empty carriers are received.
  • the vacuum side of blower C is connected to tube segment E.
  • Tube segment E is also connected through lock S to the downward directed portion of loop segment D Backing device or stop R is located at approximately the middle of the entire loop section.
  • Segment D leads to the loop exit where there is another lock S Locks S and S pneumatically separate the storage loop from the main pneumatic tube system.
  • Past S the loop empties into a central position Z from which carriers are dispatched to the calling stations. Near the start of lower arc D at point B and in the vicinity of the end of upper arc D at point B tube segments C and C are connected respectively.
  • Each of segments C and C leads to the pressure andvacuum side of a special blower G
  • Each of segments C and C has a valve A or A respectively, which can apply the pressure or vacuum side respectively of blower G to the outer air.
  • contacts K K and K respectively. These contacts serve to control blower G and valves A and A Another contact K is located below backing device R r i
  • the arrangement operates as follows:
  • carriers are routed by the sending stations over tube segment E to the storage loop. Before entering the loop they are driven by the main pneumatic tube systems compressed air provided by blower G Due to their kinetic energy and weight, the carriers travel one by one through lock S into lower arc D of the storage loop. As soon as the latter is filled up enough for contact K to remain constantly closed an appropriate signal is sent to the sending stations that indicates this and/or that prevents further dispatching. In order to advance the carriers on the other side of the are up to about stop R and thus fill are D, completely, pressurized air is introduced into the tube loop from blower G over line C at point B This air cannot penetrate lock S and passes through line A to the outer air.
  • valve A on the vacuum side of blower G is open during this time while valve A on the pressure side remains closed.
  • contact K causes valve A to open thereby removing the driving pressure from the carriers in tube loop D
  • the carriers that are now above backing device R are retained, while the rest of the carrier train in D falls to the bottom of the loop.
  • valve A is closed.
  • blower G via lines C and A pulls the carriers above backing device R into the upper portion of D
  • tube contact K valve A is opened, with the result that the carrier train below the backing device returns to the tubes lower arc, while the carriers above the backing device, due to their momentum advance into central area Z through lock S said area providing for their further dispatching to the calling station.
  • Valve A is then closed and additional carriers are made ready at backing device R in anticipation of another call.
  • Contact K in combination with stacking contact K are used to ensure maximum utilization of storage area D
  • Contact K signals when carriers are present at that point. If cont act K is not actuated at the same time, valve A closes and the carrier train located in loop D is advanced to contact K4 to free contact K so that additional carriers can be brought up.
  • the storage arc itself has no valves and only four tube contacts are required for as many carriers as can be contained in the loop. This system can be easily maintained and the cost of production as well as operation is substantially lower than in the case of similar systems known.
  • An arrangement for storing and dispatching pneumatic tube carriers for delivery to and reception from the forwarding tube of a pneumatic tube system comprising a storage loop having a receiving and output end,
  • - 3 means for delivering carriers from the forwarding tube to said receiving end, means for positioning one or more carries in said storage loop for delivery to said forwarding tube, and means for conveyingonly said positioned carriers out of said output end to said forwarding tube.
  • said positioning means comprises a movable stop which permits carriers to pass in one direction only.
  • said positioning means further comprises an air outlet in the vicinity of said stop at which said loop is separated into two pneumatically separate sections.
  • said positioning means further comprises a blower, a tube connecting both the receiving and the output ends of said storage loop to said blower which cooperates with said air outlet to move one or more carriers through said stop and wherein said conveying means cooperates with said blower to move only the carriers which passes said stop to said forwarding tube.
  • An arrangement according to claim 4 further comprising means for pneumatically sealing both ends of said storage loop from said forwarding tube.
  • An arrangement according to claim 6 further'comprising means for sensing when the portion of said storage loop below said stop is filled with carriers.
  • An arrangement according to claim 7 further comprising means for sensing when a desired number of carriers pass said stop.
  • An arrangement according to claim 8 further comprising means for sensing when said positioned carriers are conveyed to said forwarding tube.
  • said elivering means comprises a portion of said forwarding tube connected to said receiving end of said storage loop.

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  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Fluid Mechanics (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Air Transport Of Granular Materials (AREA)
US307199A 1962-09-20 1963-09-06 Carrier storage arrangement in a pneumatic tube system Expired - Lifetime US3201062A (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
DEST19737A DE1191298B (de) 1962-09-20 1962-09-20 Anordnung bei einer Rohrpostanlage zum Speichern von Rohrpostbuechsen

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
US3201062A true US3201062A (en) 1965-08-17

Family

ID=7458329

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
US307199A Expired - Lifetime US3201062A (en) 1962-09-20 1963-09-06 Carrier storage arrangement in a pneumatic tube system

Country Status (3)

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US (1) US3201062A (en:Method)
CH (1) CH408779A (en:Method)
FI (1) FI40881B (en:Method)

Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3265325A (en) * 1963-10-31 1966-08-09 Int Standard Electric Corp Arrangement for controlled dispatch of stored pneumatic tube carriers

Non-Patent Citations (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Title
None *

Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3265325A (en) * 1963-10-31 1966-08-09 Int Standard Electric Corp Arrangement for controlled dispatch of stored pneumatic tube carriers

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
FI40881B (en:Method) 1969-02-28
CH408779A (de) 1966-02-28

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