Patent ID: 6607066
Filing Date: 2003-08-19
Classification: B65G

Abstract:
A conveyor for transporting articles, the conveyor comprisinga stationary guide track having curved track sections, at least one loading station for loading articles onto article supporting surfaces of the conveyor, at least one discharge station for receiving articles from article supporting surfaces of the conveyor, and a plurality of interconnected conveyor units which are mutually pivotally coupled, each conveyor unit comprising a frame part, an article supporting member mounted on and supported vertically by the frame part, the article supporting member having an article supporting surface, and means for discharging articles from said article supporting member at a predetermined discharge station, at least one of the plurality of conveyor units belonging to a first group of conveyor units, each of the conveyor units belonging to the first group of conveyor units comprising first means for aligning the conveyor unit with another immediately adjacent conveyor unit belonging to a second group of conveyor units, each of the conveyor units belonging to the second group of conveyor units comprising second means for aligning the conveyor unit with another immediately adjacent conveyor unit belonging to the first group of conveyor units, said first aligning means and said second aligning means being designed so that when a first conveyor unit belonging to the first group of conveyor units and an adjacent second conveyor unit belonging to the second group of conveyor units are aligned with each other by means of their respective first aligning means and second aligning means, the article supporting member of the first conveyor unit and the article supporting member of the second conveyor unit are substantially aligned in a projection on a horizontal plane so as to form a substantially common article supporting surface during all mutual pivotally movements in a horizontal plane of said first conveyor unit and said second conveyor unit.