Abstract:
In a pneumatic conveyor comprising multiple, assembled conveyor sections, a conveyor section provides a curved conveyor path with a plenum through which pressurized air is delivered. The conveyor section includes a top plate including a series of apertures extending therethrough for delivering pressurized air from the plenum to an upper surface of the top plate. The apertures are arranged and configured to direct the pressurized air to move an article along the top plate in a conveying direction. A bottom plate is located beneath the top plate. A first stack of vertically aligned, individual strips are clamped together between the top plate and the bottom plate to define a first sidewall of the plenum. A second stack of vertically aligned, individual strips are clamped together between the top plate and the bottom plate to define a second sidewall of the plenum.

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
   The present application relates to pneumatic conveyors and more particularly to a pneumatic conveyor with a conveyor section having a curved conveyor path. 
   BACKGROUND 
   Air or pneumatic conveyors are frequently employed to move objects, such as container caps, along a conveyor path. The conveyor path may be formed by numerous conveyor sections that are connected to each other to form a plenum structure which extends along the conveyor path. The conveyor sections may include an upper wall along which the objects move that includes a series of louvers or apertures thereby providing communication with the plenum so that air can escape therethrough to move the objects. 
   In many instances, the conveyor sections include turns (e.g., horizontally and/or vertically-oriented turns). The turn conveyor sections may be formed using a welding process during which metal side plates are carefully welded to upper and lower plates thereby forming the plenum. The welded areas are then ground to achieve a smooth finish and acceptable appearance. Such welding processes can take time and require welding skill to minimize any deformation of the material forming the conveyor sections. 
   SUMMARY 
   In an aspect, in a pneumatic conveyor comprising multiple, assembled conveyor sections, a conveyor section provides a curved conveyor path with a plenum through which pressurized air is delivered. The conveyor section includes a top plate including a series of apertures extending therethrough for delivering pressurized air from the plenum to an upper surface of the top plate. The apertures are arranged and configured to direct the pressurized air to move an article along the top plate in a conveying direction. A bottom plate is located beneath the top plate. A first stack of vertically aligned, individual strips are clamped together between the top plate and the bottom plate to define a first sidewall of the plenum. A second stack of vertically aligned, individual strips are clamped together between the top plate and the bottom plate to define a second sidewall of the plenum. 
   In another aspect, a method of assembling a pneumatic conveyor including multiple, assembled conveyor sections is provided. The method includes forming a conveyor section providing a curved conveyor path without any welding by stacking multiple plastic strips one on top of the other to form a first stack of plastic strips and stacking multiple plastic strips one on top of the other to form a second stack of plastic strips. The first and second stacks of plastic strips are clamped between an upper plate and a lower plate using only mechanical fasteners such that the first and second stacks form spaced-apart sidewalls of a plenum extending along the conveyor path for delivering pressurized air to apertures extending through the upper plate. The apertures are arranged and configured for directing the pressurized air for moving an article along the top plate in a conveying direction. The conveyor section is connected to an adjacent conveyor section. 
   In another aspect, in a pneumatic conveyor comprising multiple, assembled conveyor sections, a conveyor section is provided with a plenum through which pressurized air is delivered. The conveyor section includes a first side plate including a series of apertures extending therethrough for delivering pressurized air from the plenum to an outer surface of the side plate. The apertures are arranged and configured to direct the pressurized air to move an article along the side plate in a conveying direction. A second side plate is opposite the first side plate and spaced-apart therefrom. A first stack of aligned, individual strips are clamped together between the first and second side plates to define a top wall of the plenum. A second stack of aligned, individual strips are clamped together between the first and second side plates to define a bottom wall of the plenum. 
   The details of one or more embodiments are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features, objects, and advantages will be apparent from the description and drawings, and from the claims. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an embodiment of a conveyor section for a pneumatic conveyor system; 
       FIG. 2  is an exploded view of the conveyor section of  FIG. 1 ; 
       FIG. 3  is an exploded view of another embodiment of a conveyor section for a pneumatic conveyor system; 
       FIG. 4  is a side view of the conveyor section of  FIG. 3 ; 
       FIG. 5  is a perspective view of an embodiment of a conveyor section for a pneumatic conveyor system; 
       FIG. 6  is an exploded view of the conveyor section of  FIG. 5 ; 
       FIG. 7  is a front view of an embodiment of a conveyor section for a pneumatic conveyor system; 
       FIG. 8  is an exploded view of the conveyor section of  FIG. 7 ; 
       FIG. 9  is a perspective, partial view of another embodiment of a conveyor section for a pneumatic conveyor system; and 
       FIG. 10  is a perspective, partial view of an embodiment of a conveyor section for a pneumatic conveyor system. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
   Referring to  FIG. 1 , a conveyor section  10  is for use in a pneumatic conveyor system to convey objects, such as caps for use in closing/sealing containers. The conveyor section  10  is a horizontal turn section for providing a bend in the conveyor path thereby changing the direction of travel of an object traveling therealong. The conveyor section  10  includes an infeed end  12 , an outfeed end  14  and the conveyor path P that extends from the infeed to the outfeed side. A plenum  16  is provided, which is formed between an upper plate  18 , a lower plate  20  and sidewalls  22  and  24  extending between the upper and lower plates. The plenum  16  provides a passageway for directing pressurized fluid such as air to louvers or apertures  26  formed through the upper plate  18 . While apertures  26  are shown terminating near the infeed end  12 , the apertures  26  actually continue along the conveyor path P to the outfeed end  14  (as an example, see  FIG. 5 ). The apertures  26  are shaped and arranged to direct the pressurized air flowing therethrough in such a fashion as to move the object along the conveyor path P. In the illustrated embodiment, the apertures  26  are triangle-shaped, however, other shapes are possible. Guide rails  28  and  30  (represented by dotted lines) are provided for use in guiding the objects along the conveyor path P. 
   As can be seen, the upper plate  18  and the lower plate  20  are similarly shaped, both forming a U-shape that somewhat follows the conveyor path P. Lower plate  20  is narrower, however, along a mid-portion of its length and includes T-shaped ends  25  and  27  for use in connecting to the upper plate  18  using brackets  28 . 
   An exploded view of the conveyor section  10  is shown by  FIG. 2 . The sidewalls  22  and  24  are formed by respective stacks of strips  32  that are aligned vertically and stacked one on top of another. In the illustrated example, each sidewall  22  and  24  includes four strips  32 , however, any suitable number of strips may be used. Each strip  32  is also U-shaped, somewhat following the conveyor path P. The strips  32  include openings  34  that can be aligned with openings  34  of adjacent strips and with openings  36  formed in the upper plate  18  and openings  38  formed in the lower plate  20 . Fasteners may be inserted through the aligned openings  34 ,  36  and  38  to fasten the assembly together. The lower plate  20  may include a clean-out opening for clearing debris from the plenum  16 . The clean-out opening may be closed by a door  40  having closed and open configurations. In the illustrated embodiment, the door  40  is completely removable from the lower plate  20 . Alternatively, the door  40  may be hinged to the lower plate  20 , or any other suitable connection may be used. 
   Referring still to  FIG. 2 , the uppermost strip  32 ′ and the lowermost strip  32 ″ of each sidewall  22  and  24  each include a notch  42  at their respective ends. The notches  42  of the uppermost strips  32 ′ face upwardly toward the upper plate  18  and the notches  42  of the lowermost strips  32 ″ face downwardly toward the lower plate  20 . Once assembled, the notches  42  provide a gap between the upper plate  18  and the uppermost strips  32 ′ and the lower plate  20  and the lowermost strips  32 ″. Splicer plates  44  and  46  are sized to be located in the gaps formed by the notches (see  FIG. 1 ). The splicer plates  44  and  46  are also sized to fit within similar gaps of an adjacent conveyor section to connect the two sections together end-to-end. U-shaped brackets  28  are also used to connect the upper and lower plates  18 ,  20  together. The U-shaped brackets  28  also include side openings  50  for use in connecting to U-shaped brackets of an adjacent conveyor section to connect the two sections together end-to-end. As can be best seen from  FIG. 1 , once assembled, the sidewalls  22  and  24  are located internally of the U-shaped brackets  28 , which can allow operator access to the openings to facilitate assembly and disassembly of adjacent conveyor sections. 
   Referring to  FIG. 3 , a dual-lane conveyor section  51  includes a pair of side-by-side lanes  52  and  54 , each lane accommodating objects (e.g., caps) being moved along substantially parallel conveyor paths P 1  and P 2 . Guide rails  56  (represented by dotted lines) are used to guide the objects along their respective conveyor paths P 1  and P 2  and keep the objects in their respective lanes. The dual-lane conveyor section  51  includes features similar to those described above including upper plate  58  with apertures  60 , lower plate  62  and strips  64  with notches  65  that form sidewalls  66  and  68  of a plenum  70 . The upper and lower plates  58  and  62  are wider than the plates  18  and  20  of  FIGS. 1 and 2  to accommodate the two lanes  52  and  54 . As above, the lower plate  62  includes a clean-out opening  70  with associated door  72 . 
   Referring also to  FIG. 4 , the dual-lane conveyor section  51  includes an end plate  74 . The end plate  74  can be used to cap an end of the plenum  70  to inhibit pressurized air from escaping thereby and maintain a pressurized condition within the plenum during operation. The end plate  74  may be connected to an adjacent conveyor section, such as a chute or other type of section. 
   Referring now to  FIG. 5 , a connector conveyor section  76  is shown for merging two parallel, single-lane conveyor sections into a single, dual-lane conveyor section. The connector conveyor section  76  is Y-shaped and includes a first portion  78  that connects to a first adjacent conveyor section (not shown) and a second portion  80  that connects to a second adjacent conveyor section (not shown). The first and second portions  78  and  80  merge together into a third portion  82  where the first and second portions have their own conveyor paths P 1  and P 2  (and associated apertures  85 ) that merge onto the third portion. 
   In the depicted embodiment, conveyor path P 1  is relatively straight as it extends from the first portion  78  through the third portion  82 . By contrast, conveyor path P 2  curves and merges into the third portion  82  thereby decreasing a cross-conveying direction distance between the conveyor paths P 1  and P 2  at the third portion. An end  88  of the third portion  82  connects to an adjacent, dual lane conveyor section in a fashion similar to that described above, for example with reference to  FIGS. 1 and 2 . Guide rails  87 ,  89 ,  91  and  93  (represented by dotted lines) are provided for guiding objects along their respective paths P 1  and P 2 . 
   An exploded view of the conveyor section  76  is shown by  FIG. 6 . As above, sidewalls  90  and  92  (see  FIG. 5 ) are formed by respective stacks of strips  94  that are aligned vertically and stacked one on top of another. Each strip  94  is shaped to somewhat follow their nearest conveyor paths P 1  and P 2 . The strips  94  include openings  95  that can be aligned with openings  95  of adjacent strips and with openings  96  formed in an upper plate  98  (shown in phantom) and openings (not shown) formed in a lower plate  102 . Fasteners may be inserted through the aligned openings to fasten the assembly together. Spacers  104  may also be used. The lower plate  102  may include clean-out openings  106  for clearing debris from plenum  108  (see  FIG. 5 ). The clean-out openings  106  may be closed by respective doors  110  having closed and open configurations. The conveyor section  76  includes splicer plates  112  and  114  and U-shaped brackets  116  for connecting to adjacent conveyor sections in a fashion similar to that described above with reference to  FIGS. 1 and 2 . 
   Referring to  FIG. 7 , another conveyor section embodiment  120  is a vertical turn section for conveying objects, such as caps for use in closing/sealing containers. The conveyor section  120  provides a bend in the conveyor path thereby changing the direction of travel of an object traveling therealong from a more vertical direction of travel to a more horizontal direction of travel. The conveyor section  120  includes an infeed end  124 , an outfeed end  126  and a conveyor path P that extends from the infeed to the outfeed side. A plenum  128  is provided, which is formed between an upper plate  130 , a lower plate  132  and sidewalls  134  and  136  extending between the upper and lower plates. As above, the plenum  128  provides a passageway for directing pressurized fluid such as air to louvers or apertures  138  formed through the upper plate  130 . Guide rails  140  and  142  (represented by dotted lines) are provided for use in guiding the objects along the conveyor path P. 
   An exploded view of the conveyor section  120  is shown by  FIG. 8  with the upper plate  130  shown in phantom. The sidewalls  134  and  136  are formed by respective strips  143 . In the illustrated example, each sidewall  134  and  136  includes one strip  143 , however, any suitable number of strips may be used, such as four stacked strips. Each strip  143  is also U-shaped, somewhat following the conveyor path P. The strips  143  include slots  145  that can be aligned with openings  147  formed in the upper plate  130  and openings  149  formed in the lower plate  132 . Fasteners may be inserted through the aligned slots  145  and openings  147 ,  149  to fasten the assembly together. 
   The strips  143  of each sidewall  22  and  24  each include upper and lower notches  148  and  151 , respectively, at their respective ends. The notches  148  face upwardly toward the upper plate  130  and the notches  151  face downwardly toward the lower plate  132 . Once assembled, the notches  148  and  151  provide gaps between the strips  143  and the upper and lower plates  130  and  132 . Splicer plates  150  and  152  are sized to be located in the gaps formed by the notches  146  and  148 . The splicer plates  150  and  152  are also sized to fit within similar gaps of an adjacent conveyor section to connect the two sections together end-to-end. As above, U-shaped brackets  28  are also used to connect the upper and lower plates  130  and  132  together and also include side openings  50  for use in connecting to U-shaped brackets of an adjacent conveyor section. 
   The upper and lower plates described above may be made of any suitable material, such as metal (e.g., stainless steel) and formed by any suitable process, such as stamping, cutting, etc. In some embodiments, the upper surface of the upper plates may be finished (e.g., by brushing, polishing, etc.) to provide a smooth, low-friction surface along which the objects can travel. 
   While the above description focuses on various conveyor sections where the cap is conveyed along the top plate, other configurations are possible. For example, referring to  FIG. 9 , a side conveyor embodiment  160  is shown where caps  162  are conveyed on their sides as shown. A track  164  is formed adjacent side plate  166  that includes the openings  168  that are used to deliver the pressurized air that moves the caps  162  therealong. An outer guide wall  170  extends substantially parallel to the side plate  166  and is spaced-apart therefrom to provide a gap through which the caps  162  can pass. In this embodiment, upper wall and lower wall are formed by horizontally aligned stacks of plastic strips  172  in a fashion similar to that described above with the plenum located therebetween. The assembly is fastened together using brackets  174 . A curved side conveyor section embodiment  180  is shown by  FIG. 10 . In another embodiment, a bottom conveyor embodiment (not shown) may be used. The bottom conveyor embodiment may be similar to the embodiment  160  of  FIG. 9  rotated 90 degrees so the side plate  166  faces downward. 
   The above-described conveyor sections can be advantageously formed without any welding process using only mechanical fasteners, which can reduce the time and cost associated with assembling the conveyor system. 
   It is to be clearly understood that the above description is intended by way of illustration and example only and is not intended to be taken by way of limitation, and that changes and modifications are possible. Accordingly, other embodiments are within the scope of the following claims.