Apparatus and methods for conveying materials

Conveying apparatus and methods employ a continuously vibrating element and a plurality of longitudinally aligned, overlapping, inclined conveyor pans, each of which has its own independently operable discharge gate. Material may be moved by the conveyor from a source to one or more material discharge destinations by selectively coupling and uncoupling predetermined conveyor pans to the continuously vibrating element. When not coupled to the continuously vibrating element, the conveyor pans are at rest in motionless isolation from the pans that are vibrating.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
This invention relates to vibrating conveyors, and more particularly to 
vibrating conveyor systems that distribute dry materials from a single 
source to multiple discharge locations. 
To maximize the productivity of food product packaging equipment, product 
must be delivered as quickly as possible to any packaging machine which 
signals that the machine needs more product. Such machines are set out in 
a line which is fed from above by a series of vibrating conveyors that are 
aligned end-to-end, with a drop gate installed at the end of each conveyor 
pan. The gate opens and discharges product to the packaging machine when 
needed. To assure instantaneous product delivery to any of the open gates, 
the conveyor pans are equipped with level sensing monitors which, along 
with the signals from the packaging machines, provide the input for a 
control circuit that decides when to open gates, and when to run conveyors 
in order to maintain full product levels in each conveyor pan and in each 
packaging machine. During the operation of the packaging equipment, new 
product is continuously introduced to the system. When a packaging machine 
signals for more product, all conveyor pans preceeding the conveyor pan 
feeding that particular machine must be activated to convey product along 
the chain of conveyor pans to the pan in need, which opens its discharge 
gate. When that particular machine' s demand for product is met, the 
conveyor pans feeding product to and toward it stop vibrating, and the 
gate of the pan feeding it closes. Each conveyor pan must operate 
independently of every other conveyor pan because only certain specific 
pans need to be operated to feed each specific machine. Prior art 
conveyors have employed a separate independent small motors and vibrating 
drive mechanism for each conveyor pan. The line of conveyor pans must 
operate with each pan starting and stopping quickly to satisfy changes in 
demand from the various packaging machines. This causes short cycles for 
the separate drive mechanisms and motors for the individual conveyor pans, 
which results in excessive wear of the machinery and maintenance cost, and 
increased down time of the packaging line. 
OBJECTIVES OF THE INVENTION 
It is an object of this invention to provide improved vibrating conveyor 
machinery and methods. 
Another object is to decrease the wear on vibrating conveyors that results 
from frequent stopping and starting of many motors and vibration producing 
mechanisms. 
A further object is to provide methods and apparatus for conveying in which 
one component vibrates continuously and the remaining components vibrate 
intermittently. 
Another object is to apply slow-advance, quick return vibration action to a 
conveyor through the use of a single driven member which can drive 
numerous individual pans on demand. 
Still another object is to provide vibrating conveyor apparatus and methods 
which can selectively deliver food products to predetermined spaced 
packaging machines. 
A still further object is to provide a line of tandem conveyor pans with a 
source of continuous vibrations that can be connected to and disconnected 
from one or more selected individual pans in the line with the 
disconnected pans being held motionless. 
Another object is to provide relatively simple, durable, easily maintained 
vibrating conveyors and methods for transporting dry materials from a 
source to numerous spaced locations that quickly respond to changes in the 
demand for such dry materials at any of the spaced locations, and which do 
not possess defects found in similar prior art conveyors and methods. 
Other objects and advantages of the invention will be found in the 
specification and claims, and the scope of the invention will be set forth 
in the claims.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
The drawing shows a vibrating conveyor 1 in accord with this invention for 
delivering a dry particulate material product 2 from a hopper 3 or other 
source to a plurality of longitudinally spaced material discharge 
locations 4 where the discharged material may be received in the hoppers 5 
of packaging or other machines 6. Conveyor 1 has a plurality of 
longitudinally aligned, overlapping, open-ended conveyor pans 9, and each 
pan has an upper surface 10 upon which the material being conveyed is 
deposited and lower surface 11 underneath the pan. The line of tandem pans 
9 is inclined slightly from the right to left side of the drawing so that 
material 2 will be conveyed from right to left in conventional manner. 
Each pan 9 has integral means such as a fin or member 12 centered on and 
extending away from its under surface 11. Fins 12 are separated and are 
aligned longitudinally of conveyor 1. Each pan 9 has an independently 
operable discharge gate 14 at its left end. Gates 14 are slidably mounted 
below pans 9 on slide rails 15 that are attached to the sides of the pans 
under tension from springs 16. Each gate 14 is moved from closed position 
in which no material is discharged from its pan (shown in full lines in 
FIG. 5) to open position in which material is discharged (shown in phantom 
in FIG. 5). A hydraulic or pneumatic cylinder 17 having a piston rod 18 
attached to each gate 14 moves the gate to its closed and open positions, 
and the operation of cylinders 17 may be controlled by leads 19 from a 
conventional control circuit. Each pan 9 is supported independently of the 
other pans by two pairs of identical struts 20 that have one of their ends 
attached adjacent one corner of the pan. The opposite end of each strut 20 
is secured to the outside of one of the longitudinal base frame members 21 
of the conveyor. Struts 20 are sufficiently stiff and are rigidly 
connected to pans 9 and frame members 21 so that the struts can hold any 
pan 9 motionless when the other pans are vibrating, but struts 20 are 
sufficiently flexible and resilient to permit the pans to vibrate when 
connected to a source of vibration energy. 
Conveyor 1 includes a source of vibration energy, such as a known type of 
reciprocating drive mechanism 23 equipped with rotating unbalances that 
provide an inertial force sufficient to continuously vibrate a single 
source of vibrating movement for all of the pans 9. An elongated, 
longitudinally extending vibrating member such as box beam 24 is connected 
at one end to vibrating mechanism 23. Pairs of bearings 25 are attached to 
opposite sides of beam 24 at longitudinally spaced locations and are 
connected by rods 26 to similar pairs of bearings 27 attached to the 
insides of frame member 21. Beam 24 does not cause pans 9 to vibrate until 
the pans and beam are connected to each other. A plurality of clamps 29 
are secured to beam 24 so that the clamps vibrate with the beam. Each 
clamp 29 has a pair of opposed jaws 30 located on opposite sides of one of 
the fins 12. Each pair of jaws 30 may be actuated by hydraulic or 
pneumatic cylinders 31 from an open position shown in FIG. 3 to a closed 
position shown in FIG. 4 where the pair of jaws grips one of the fins 12. 
Each pair of jaws may be selectively and independently controlled by a 
lead 32 from the previously mentioned control circuit. The control circuit 
also includes leads 33 connected to material level sensors 34 in each pan 
9 and leads 35 connected to material level sensors in each machine 6. 
Conveyor 1 selectively delivers particles of materials from their source 3 
to any one or combination of the spaced material discharge locations 4 by 
selectively coupling and uncoupling predetermined pans 9 to continuously 
vibrating beam 24. To convey material 2 from source 3 to a predetermined 
machine 6 at one of the locations 4, all of the pans 9 between source 3 
and such predetermined machine must be coupled to beam 24 by having the 
control circuit operating through leads 32, move the jaws 30 of the clamps 
29 beneath such pans to their closed position where they are clamped to 
their associated fins 12. This causes each such pan to vibrate with beam 
24, and since the open-ended pans 9 overlap and are aligned and inclined 
away from source 3, the material 2 will move across pans 9 away from 
source 3 toward the discharge location 4 for such predetermined machine. 
The control circuit will signal a lead 19 to actuate the cylinder 17 of a 
predetermined pan 9 to retract its gate 14, and material 2 will fall 
through the open gate into the hopper 5 for the particular machine 6 in 
need of the material. When that machine no longer needs material, its 
sensor will send a signal through its lead 35 to the control circuit, and 
the open gate 14 will be closed by its cylinder 17, jaws 30 will unclamp 
fins 12 which will uncouple pans 9 from beam 24. The uncoupled pans 9 will 
become motionless and movement of the material 2 will stop. The conveyor 
can supply material 2 to any number or all of the machines 6 by having all 
of the pans 9 between the material source 3 and the farthest machine 6 in 
need of material coupled to beam 24 and by opening the gates 14 of all 
pans 9 above the machines needing material 2. The pans 9 downstream from 
such farthest machine in need of material will not be coupled to beam 24 
and will remain at rest in motionless isolation from the vibrating pans. 
It is thus apparent that this invention includes methods of selectively 
delivering material 2 from source 3 to a plurality of spaced discharge 
locations 4 by aligning and inclining from source 3 toward locations 4 a 
plurality of overlapping conveyor pans 9. By supporting each pan 9 
independently of the other pans on struts 20, each pan 9 may vibrate 
independently of the others or may be at rest in motionless isolation. 
Beam member 24 is independently supported on rods 26 and vibrated 
continuously by mechanism 23. By selectively coupling and uncoupling 
predetermined pans 9 to beam 24 by opening and closing clamps 29 on the 
appropriate fins 12, material 2 will be made to move across those pans 
that are coupled to beam 24 to any predetermined discharge location or 
locations 4. 
While the invention has been described with reference to a particular 
embodiment, it is not intended to illustrate or describe herein all of the 
equivalent forms or ramifications thereof. Also, the words used, such as 
left and right, are words of description rather than limitation, and 
various changes may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of 
the invention disclosed herein. It is intended that the appended claims 
cover all such changes as fall within the true spirit and scope of the 
invention.