US3550534A - Indexer - Google Patents

Description

United States Patent Inventor Jack Rooklyn Northridge, Calif. Appl. No. 780,363 Filed Dec. 2, 1968 Patented Dec. 29, 1970 Assignee Republic Corporation Beverly Hills, Calif. a corporation of California INDEXER 7 Claims, 3 Drawing Figs.

U.S. Cl. 104/103, 104/130 Int. Cl B61b 13/12; B61 j 3/08 Field of Search 104/88, 89, 90, 91,93,94,96, 103, 162, 172, 187; 198/38, 177; 214/] l, 38

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,356,040 12/1967 Fonden 104/172 3,357,368 12/1967 Fonden 104/172 3,397,800 8/1968 Shaw 214/11 Primary Examiner Arthur L. LaPoint Assistant Examiner-D. W. Keen Attorney-Lindenberg and F reilich ABSTRACT: Apparatus for use with a track transportation system wherein product-supporting glides move along a track, to smoothly move onto a siding a pair of glides that support a long or heavy product. The apparatus comprises two siding tracks which intersect the main track at positions spaced a predetermined distance along the main track. A track switch allows the first glide to pass and then switches the second glide onto the second siding track, and a pusher assembly then moves both glides a limited distance along the siding.

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fl-rTOEJES S INDEXER BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention This invention relates to transportation systems.

2. Description of the Prior Art Conveyor systems are utilized extensively in manufacturing plants to carry heavy goods. One system of this type is described in application Ser. No. 685,561 by Jack Rooklyn filed Nov. 24, 1967, assigned to the same assignee as the present invention, and hereby incorporated by reference. That application describes a system which employs glides that roll along a pair of rails or a tube with a slot in it. Each glide supports a carrier bar which holds goods to be transported.

The glides are often power-driven along the track, as by a cable with members fastened to it that engage a glide and push it along the track. Siding areas may be provided where the glides with the goods thereon are stored, the members on the power cable disengaging from the glides as the glides enter a siding. As succeeding glides enter the siding, they must push the preceeding glides further into the siding. After several glides are thus stored, the force required to push the preceeding glides along may be so great that the system stops. The problem of entering glides into siding areas is especially great in the case of long or heavy goods carried by two or more glides.

OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide apparatus for facilitating the movement of vehicles from a powered track to a nonpowered track area.

Another object is to provide siding apparatus for the efficient movement onto a siding of two or more glides that are used together to support long or heavy goods.

In accordance with the present invention, apparatus is provided for moving vehicles from a powered main track onto an unpowered track. The apparatus comprises a switch that senses the entrance of the vehicle into the unpowered track area, for operating a vehicle pushing arm. The arm pushes the vehicle a substantial distancealong the unpowered track area so that the next vehicle does not have to push the first one along the unpowered area.

One embodiment of the invention is useful for moving into an unpowered area, a train of two vehicles which are used to carry long or heavy goods. The apparatus comprises two siding tracks which intersect the powered main track at positions spaced a predetermined distance along the main track. A track switch is provided which allows the first vehicle of the train to pass by the intersection of the main and first siding tracks, so the vehicle moves along the main track until it reaches a second siding track which it automatically enters. As soon as the first vehicle passes the switch, the switch is operated to direct the second vehicle into the first unpowered or siding track. As both vehicles enter their siding tracks, another switch is closed which activates a pusher arm. The pusher arm pushes both vehicles along their respective siding tracks.

The novel features of the invention are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The invention will be best understood from the following description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of apparatus constructed in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the apparatus of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a circuit for operating the apparatus of FIG. 1.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS As shown in the FIGS. long products such as stringers 10 which form the structure of airframes. may be carried by a train of two (or more) vehicles or glides 12 and 14. The glides include carrier bars l6, 18 that support an elongated frame 20 on which the stringers are supported. The glides have rolling members 22, 24 that roll along a main track 26, the glides being spaced from each other longitudinally along the main track. A power cable 28, driven by a wheel 30, and having engaging members 32 attached thereto, moves parallel to at least a portion of the main track. One of the engaging members 32A abuts a carrier bar 16 to move the train ofglides along the track.

When the products reach a predetermined area of the manufacturing plant, they enter an unpowered or siding area where they may be kept stationary while work is performed. In accordance with the invention, a pair of siding tracks 34 and 36 is provided at the siding area, which intersect the main track 26 at positions spaced longitudinally along it by a distance D equal to the separation of the glides l2 and 14 therealong. The siding track 36 is located uptrack from the other 34 along the main track. The apparatus is constructed so that the leading glide 12 moves onto the siding track34 while the trailing glide 14 moves onto the other 36. As a result, the frame 20 and others like it are spaced laterally from each other at the siding area, instead of longitudinally along a very long siding track, and many product-laden frames can be stored in a limited area.

In order to move the glide train properly into the siding area, the leading glide must continue on the main track past the intersection of the main track and siding track 36, while the next glide must enter the siding track 36. To accomplish this, a switch 38 of a type described in the earlier referred to patent application is employed. At the switch area, track bar 40 continues straight along the main track while track bar 42 curves into the siding track 36 to form part of it. Another pair of track bars 44 and 46 intersect at the switch to form the other parts of the siding track 36 and the down-track portion of the main track. A switch member 48 can be moved by a solenoid 50 to the position of FIG. 1 wherein it bridges the gap between bars 40 and 44 to direct a glide onto the siding 36, or alternatively to another position to bridge the gap between bars 42 and 46 to maintain a glide on the main track.

When a train of two glides approaches a switch area, the switch 38 is in a straight position, wherein the side 52 of switch member 48 bridges the gap between track bars 42 and 46 to maintain the first glide traveling straight along the main track. As soon as the glide rolls over a detector 54, the switch solenoid 50 operates the switch to the deflecting position as shown in FIG. 1, to deflect the next glide into the siding track 36. As soon as the second glide passes over another detector 56, the solenoid 50 again operates the switch to return it to its original straight position.

When the forward glide l2 begins to enter siding track 34 and the trailing glide 14 begins to enter siding 36, the engaging member 32A on the power cable disengages from the train and the train quickly stops moving. If the train is left in a position where it is just entering the siding tracks, it will tend to impede the next train that starts to enter. The next train has a limited ability to push the preceeding train because it is just disengaging from the power cable. A stoppage of the conveyor system is likely to occur if several trains are allowed to pile up at the intersection of the main and siding tracks.

In accordance with the invention, moving apparatus 58 is provided for automatically moving each train deep into the siding area as soon as it begins to enter. The moving apparatus comprises a pair of pusher arms 60 and 62 with glide engaging ends 64 and 66. The pusher arms can be moved simultaneously in a long stroke that causes their ends 64 and 66 to push the carrier bars 16 and 18 of the glides along the siding tracks. The pusher arms have long gear racks 68 and 70 thereon which are moved by drive pinions 72 and 74 on a drive shaft 76. The drive shaft is driven by a gear head motor 78. Bearings 80, 82, 84 and 86 support the pusher arms and drive shaft. In the case of overhead systems, these bearings and the housing of the gear head motor maybe mounted on a framework that is supported on the ceilingor on columns of the manufacturing plant. ln a similar manner, track supports 88 may be mounted on the ceiling structure of a plant. Of course other motor-coupling apparatuscan be used instead of a rack and pinion drive, such as hydraulic cylinders.

When a detector 90 on the siding track 34 senses the movement of the front glide thereon, it'activates the motor 78 of the moving apparatus. The motor'first turns in a forward direction to move the pusher arms down the siding tracks, and then reverses to move the pusherarms back to their original position. The end 64, 66 of each pusher arm has a curved or angled down-track portion 64A, 66A which engages a glide car rier bar to urge it around the curve into the siding track, for the usual case where the vehicle stops on the curved intersection. The motor 78 is provided with a low enough torque to prevent damage in case of severe binding. After the trains have been stored in thesiding, and any required work has been done onthe goods carried by them, they may be moved back onto another manual or powered track for progress through the plant. While the detector 90 can be mounted on the siding track 34, it can'also be mounted on the other siding track 36, or even on the main track, to detect a train near the intersection of the main and siding tracks.

Simple control apparatus can be used to control the opera tion of the gear head motor 78 that powers the pusher arms. FIG. 3 illustrates a simplified circuit which can be used to start, reverse, and stop the motor. The motor 78 is connected the second glide onto the second siding, it sends a pulse to relay coil 98 to cause it to close switch 94. The reversing switch 92 is assumed tobeinitially in a forward state, so the motor 78 then turns in a forward direction tomove out the pusher arms. When the pusher arms have been fully extended, a boss 100 (see FIG. I) on one of the pusher arms 60 contacts a switch 102, which sends a; pulse to thereverse input R of the reversing switch 92. The'motor 78 is then reversed so it retracts the pusher arms. When the pusher anns are fully retracted, another boss 104 on a pusher arm contacts another switch l06which sends a brief pulse to a relay coil 108 that turns off the on-off switch 94 to stop the motor. The pulse also enters the forward input F of the reversing switch 92 to operate it to the forward 'state'which readies it for the next glide train.

While the pusher armis useful for a train of more than one glide, it is also useful for single glides to move them into siding or unpowered areas. The placement of'siding tracks to intersect the main track at distances equal to the longitudinal spacing of glides in a train, is useful for trains of even more than two glides each, to enable compact storage in the siding areas.

Although particular embodiments of the invention have been described and illustrated herein, it is recognized that modifications and variations may readily occur to those skilled in the art, and consequently, it is intended that the claims be interpreted to cover such modifications and equivalents.

lclaim:

1. Apparatus for automatically moving vehicles from a powered track to an unpowered track comprising:

a main track for carrying vehicles;

a second track having a curved portion connected to said main track to receive vehicles therefrom and having a substantially straight portion downpath from said curved portion; 1

power means extending substantially parallel to said main track for moving vehicles therea'long up to said second track; i

a pusher arm having an end for engaging a vehicle to push it 1 a limited distance into said second track;

motor means for moving said pusher arm substantially parallel to said substantially straight portion of said second track; I

detector means for detecting a vehicle near the intersection of said main and second tracks; and

means coupling said detector means to said motor means to energize it, said end of said pusher arm including a first portion extending substantially perpendicular to said direction of arm movement for pushing a vehicle along said substantially straight-portion of said second track, and another portion which is angled from said first portion to push a vehicle along said curved portion of said I second track toward said substantially straight portion thereof.

2. Apparatus for automatically moving vehicles from a powered track to an unpowered track comprising:

a main track for carrying vehicles;

a second track connected to said main track to receive vehicles therefrom;

A third track connected to said main track at a position spaced a predetermined distance uptrack along said main track from said second track, said third track extending substantially parallel to said second track;

switch means positioned at the intersection of said main and third tracks for allowing one vehicle to pass along said main track toward said second track while diverting a following vehicle onto'said third track;

power means extending substantially parallel to said main track for moving vehicles therealong up to said second track; 1 1

am means for moving vehicles simultaneously along said second and third tracks; v

motor means for powering said arm means;

detector means for detecting a vehicle near the intersection of said main and second tracks; and I I means coupling said detector means to said motor means to energize it. j 3. Apparatus for moving vehicles, each of which includes a glide for rolling on a track and a carrier bar depending from the glide for supporting goods, comprising:

a first track; I 1

a second track including-a curved portion intersecting. said first track for receiving vehicles therefrom;

power means extending along said first track for moving vehicles along;

a pusher arm positioned to engage the carrier bar of a vehicle; means for moving said pusherarm substantially across said first track and a limited distance generally along said second track, and then back across said first track; and means for detecting a vehicle-near the intersection of said first and second tracks 'for initiating the operation of said means for moving.

4. Apparatus for moving onto a siding area, trains which iriclude two vehicles that are normally spaced longitudinally along a main track by ,apredetermined distance to carry a large load comprising:

first and second siding tracks extending substantially parallel to each other, and intersecting said main track at positions spaced longitudinally along said main track by said predetermined distance, and

switch means positioned at the intersection of said main and second siding tracks, for allowing the first vehicle of a train to pass alongsaid main track to said first siding track while diverting the second vehicle of a train onto said second siding track.

5. The apparatus'described in claim 4 wherein said switch means comprises:

a switch element movable between a first position wherein it directs vehicles to continue along said main track, and a second position wherein it directs vehicles from said main track to said second siding track;

means for operating said switch element between said first and second positions;

first detector means for detecting a vehicle entering onto a portion of said main track between the positions of said first and second siding tracks;

means for coupling said first detector means to said means for operating to operate said switch element to said second position;

second detector means for detecting a vehicle entering onto said second siding track; and

means for coupling said second detector means to said means for operating to operate said switch element to said first position.

6. The apparatus described in claim 4 including:

pusher means operable to push vehicles simultaneously along said first and second siding tracks; and

detector means for detecting the entrance of a vehicle onto at least one of said siding tracks for operating said pusher means.

7. The apparatus described in claim 4 including:

first and second pusher arms;

means for guiding said first and second pusher arms along said first and second siding tracks, respectively;

means for moving said pusher arms from an initial position in a forward direction, to move said vehicles away from said main track, and then back to said initial position; and

a detector responsive to-substantially the entrance of a vehi cle into a siding track for operating said means for movmg.

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