Patent ID: 9637313
Date: 2017-05-02
CPC Classifications: B65G

Claim:
1. An apparatus for transporting successive workpieces in a flow direction, with the workpieces in a generally transverse orientation, the apparatus comprising: a plurality of conveyor modules arranged consecutively in the flow direction to form a continuous workpiece support surface, wherein each of the conveyor modules includes corresponding first and second endless conveyors spaced laterally apart across the flow direction and oriented substantially parallel to the flow direction, wherein a downstream end of a first one of the first endless conveyors overlaps an upstream end of a next consecutive one of the first endless conveyors in the flow direction, and said first one is laterally offset from said next consecutive one, and wherein one or more of the conveyor modules further includes a third endless conveyor spaced laterally apart from the corresponding first and second endless conveyors and oriented substantially parallel to the flow direction; and a drive system having a plurality of drives operatively coupled with corresponding ones of the endless conveyors, wherein the drive system is configured to drive each of the first and second endless conveyors independently of one another and independently of the endless conveyors of another one of the conveyor modules; wherein the drive system is selectively operable to drive the first and second endless conveyors to thereby adjust skew angles of the successive workpieces and gaps between the successive workpieces while transporting the workpieces in the flow direction on the plurality of conveyor modules.