Transfer mechanism

A device for removing or sending an article from a conveyor of a transport system to and from work stations located therealong comprising platforms capable of being raised or lowered so that an article being carried by the conveyor can be taken out of physical contact with the conveyor at various work station locations. Once the article has been raised out of contact with the central conveyor, a closed loop belt driven by a fluid actuated cylinder causes the article to be conveyed onto or away from the central conveyor.

TECHNICAL FIELD OF INVENTION 
This invention relates generally to a device for use in conjunction with 
material transporters, and more particularly, transporters for moving 
workpieces among various work stations in an assembly line production 
system. The invention is capable of deflecting moving workpieces or 
articles from a central conveying means without the use of motors, complex 
gearing or deflector arms. 
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
A popular transporter for work stations utilizes an elongated belt that 
moves at a continuous high rate of speed for moving articles or baskets of 
articles from an end of the belt to an appropriate work station. When that 
particular work station has completed its operation on the article or 
articles, they are returned to the beginning of the belt or transported to 
a different work station for the next succeeding operation to be performed 
on them. The article or articles are placed on the belt at each station, 
and they are removed from the belt to a succeeding work station by various 
means such as by an arm that extends across the belt at an intercepting 
angle to divert the article from the belt to the work station. Diverting 
arms, however, suffer certain inherent disadvantages such as their 
inability to power an article back onto a central moving belt from the 
work station surface, as well as the fact that swing arms require a 
substantial free area to enable the arm to make its necessary arc of 
travel during the removal cycle. 
There have been attempts made in the past to provide deflectors or removal 
devices, while eliminating the diverting arm concept. For example, Bosch 
and Rapistan teach powered deflector devices but in each instance, motors 
and various actuating means are incorporated in the deflector devices to 
move the transported articles. Such devices simply add to the complexity 
of an already complex system and when multiple work stations are provided 
in a typical transporter assembly, it is not unreasonable to assume that 
motor failure and a resultant system shut-down would be a common 
experience. 
It is thus an object of the present invention to provide an improved 
article deflector or removal device which eliminates the need of a swing 
arm assembly and yet does not unnecessarily add to the complexity of the 
overall system. 
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide an article 
deflector or removal device which is capable of moving the article to and 
from a work station as well as between moving conveyors which does not 
require the use of any motors or complex gearing.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
In its broadest terms, the present invention is intended to be used with a 
transporter system which incorporates a conveying means for carrying 
thereon an article from at least one location therealong to at least a 
second location therealong. The invention comprises an improved device for 
removing an article from the conveying means and onto an adjacent work 
station and sending the article back onto the conveying means after work 
has been done thereon. 
The device comprises a first platform located below the conveying means and 
means for raising the first platform a vertical height sufficient to raise 
an article resting on the first platform above and out of contact with the 
conveying means. At least one additional platform is then located adjacent 
the first platform and, in its broadest terms, the second platform is 
located between the first platform and the work station surface. In one 
embodiment, means are provided for raising the second platform a vertical 
height approximately equal to the vertical height of the first platform 
when the first platform is in a raised position. Belt means are provided 
forming a closed loop around the first and second platforms so that the 
top of the loop is above the platforms and the bottom of the loop is below 
the same. When the platforms are raised, the belt means is situated so 
that the upper surface of each platform is in contact with the belt, which 
is in further contact with the article to be conveyed. Below the platforms 
is situated a fluid driven cylinder which is functionally connected to the 
belt such that when the first and second platforms are raised, the belt 
means moves the article toward or away from an adjacent work station in a 
direction substantially opposite to the direction of travel of the fluid 
driven cylinder. 
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
Turning to FIG. 1, a typical application of the device of the present 
invention is shown in which production line 40 is shown having a plurality 
of individual work stations 35, 36, etc. that are positioned along both 
sides of a central conveying means, in this instance, comprising 
individual lengths 5 and 6 such as standard conveyor belting, V-belts, 
polyurethane belting, steel cable, steel link chain, plastic link chain, 
plastic table top chain, etc. Articles to be moved along the belt are 
illustrated as tote or basket 45 that contains small parts being 
manufactured. An example of such parts is small semiconductor components 
or printed circuit boards wherein each work station or groups of work 
stations perform one manufacturing step, the next group of work stations 
performing the next manufacturing step, and so forth. Central conveyor 
belting 5 and 6 thus have the purpose of moving the article from one 
station to another for performing different assembly or other operations 
on the articles. 
A first embodiment of the present invention for the transfer of articles 
from the central conveyor section bounded by individual belting 5 and 6 to 
and from processing stations such as 35 and 36 is shown in FIG. 2. In 
considering the operation of this device, it must first be recognized that 
article 3 generally comprising a basket or tote containing items to be 
worked upon at the various stations is caused to pass down the central 
conveying means while being supported by belts 5 and 6. At the proper 
point along the transporter system, certain things occur which will result 
in removal of article 3 to a position shown by article 4 in FIG. 2 and to 
support bands 39 for final transfer to the appended work station surface, 
such as station 35 (FIG. 1). Although this operation is dictated by a 
controller, the operational logic of which will be discussed with 
reference to FIG. 7, at this point it is only the physical device which 
need be addressed in visualizing the present invention. 
Turning again to FIG. 2, once the proper location has been addressed for 
removal of article 3 from the central conveyor, a signal is received by 
vertical raising and lowering means 18 which in turn extends support shaft 
19 which in turn supports first platform 17. The vertical raising means 
can comprise any device which those skilled in the art would recognize as 
being capable of performing a height adjustment function. Typical of such 
devices are air bags, air cylinders and electric solenoids. One such ideal 
commercially available product for acting as a height raising means is the 
AIR STROKE actuator available from the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company. 
It is to be noted that prior to actuation of vertical height raising means 
18, tote 3 is in a lowered position as shown by cut-away section 3A, and 
thus resides upon the top surface of central conveyor elements 1 and 2 on 
moving belting 5 and 6. 
Below and throughout substantially the entire width of the transport 
mechanism is located fluid driven cylinder 24 having movable projection 25 
which is capable of traveling along the length of the cylinder in response 
to the fluid pressure exerted therein. Appended to element 25 is connector 
26 which is fixedly attached to belting 23. The belting, which in turn can 
comprise single or multiple loops of such things as conveyor belting, 
V-belts, polyurethane belting, steel cable, steel link chain, plastic link 
chain and plastic table top chain, is caused to form a closed loop around 
idler rollers 7 through 16. It is noted that belt means 23 forms a closed 
loop located both above and below platforms 17 and 20 and comes into 
frictional contact with the top surfaces of platforms 17 and 20, as well 
as the bottom surface of totes 3 and 4 only when vertical height raising 
means 18 and 21 extend platforms 17 and 20 via support shafts 19 and 22. 
In operation, when the appropriate signal is received and tote 3 resides 
above platform 17 on the central conveyor, vertical rising means 18 is 
actuated and platform 17 rises which removes tote 3 from contact with 
belting 5 and 6. This would immediately stop the downstream progress of 
tote 3 substantially above first platform 17. At substantially the same 
time, second vertical height raising means 21 is actuated which extends 
shaft 22 and raises second platform 20 to substantially the same vertical 
height as the height of the first platform. 
After the above has been accomplished, fluid driven cylinder 24 is actuated 
causing element 25 to proceed toward the left in FIG. 2 which, in turn, 
would move tote 3 to the position shown as tote 4 above the second 
platform onto support bands 39 and, continuing the progress, the tote 
would eventually slide onto the adjacent work station 35. 
In returning the tote to the central conveying means, the process would 
simply be reversed. More specifically, the operator would engage tote 4 
with belt 23 by simply nudging the tote from the surface of the work 
station onto the support bands. Support platforms 20 and 17 would again be 
raised to lift the tote from bands 39. Fluid driven cylinder 24 would then 
be actuated which would move projection 25 from the left to the right for 
a distance sufficient to center the tote above the central conveying means 
in a position depicted generally by cut-away tote 3B. Vertical raising 
means 18 and 21 would then be caused to lower first and second platforms 
17 and 20 until tote 3 would reside entirely upon belting 5 and 6 at which 
point the tote would continue its downstream travel until the appropriate 
signal was received that another work station was desirous of receiving 
the tote for further processing. 
A further understanding of the present invention can be derived from 
consideration of the logic flow diagram depicted in FIG. 7 with specific 
reference to the mechanical structure of FIG. 2. Turning first to the 
logic cycle labelled "receiving", the operator depresses a start button 
which would trigger the transfer mechanism to engage the next tote moving 
down the central conveying means. Photo eye 31, upon "seeing" an article 
on the conveying means would experience a slight time delay to enable the 
tote to reach a position centered above first platform 17 at which time 
vertical raising means 18 would be actuated, which would in turn raise 
platform 17 and tote 3. At approximately the same point in time, photo eye 
30 could then read whether an article was above second platform 20. If the 
indication was made that a tote did not then reside over second platform 
20, the second platform would be raised via vertical height raising means 
21 and projection 25 indexed left along fluid driven cylinder 24. When the 
end of the stroke was reached, a switch (not shown) would terminate the 
stroke of protrusion 25 and thus stop the movement of belt 23 causing the 
tote to stop its path of travel. The right hand photo eye 30 would then 
again be actuated to determine whether a tote resided over second platform 
20. If nothing were read by the photo eye, an alarm would sound and the 
process cycle would end--that is, the transfer mechanism would recognize 
that no tote was transferred. However, if the photo eye contacted an 
object, the first and second platforms would then be lowered and the 
object, such as tote 4 in FIG. 2, would then reside upon support bands 39 
and would remain in position awaiting removal by an operator at work 
station 35. The fluid driven cylinder 24 would then index center to remain 
in position to accept the next tote coming down the conveying means. 
In again referring to FIG. 7, it must be noted that at the "right trans" 
decision point the above example assumed that the tote would be proceeding 
to the right which made reference to FIG. 2 most convenient. If the 
controller was pre-programmed to transfer the tote to the left rather than 
the right, a two platform device which was the mirror image of FIG. 2 
could be used or a more universally functional device, such as that shown 
in FIG. 3, could be employed. In this instance, rollers 7 and 8 have been 
extended to the left so that belt means 23 completely encircles above and 
below newly recited third platform 47, which is in turn supported by 
vertical height raising means 48 and support member 49. It is further 
noted that in this embodiment, fluid driven cylinder 50 is longer in 
length than cylinder 24 of FIG. 2 as it must now be long enough to provide 
for a linear track for projection 51 to enable movement of belt 23 
sufficient to move tote 3 all the way from the far right (position of tote 
4) to the far left (position of tote 64). 
Referring again to FIGS. 3 and 7, if the decision were made to transfer the 
tote to the left, third platform 47 would be raised as well as platform 17 
to raise tote 3 from contact with conveying belts 5 and 6. The fluid 
driven cylinder would then index to the right which would cause belt 23 to 
move tote 3 into the position shown by tote 64. At this point, the 
platforms would lower and the tote would reside upon support bands 39. If 
no tote existed in the position of tote 64, the left photo eye 60 would 
see nothing, an alarm would sound and the cycle would end. However, if the 
photo eye did indicate a positive response, i.e., that a tote existed 
above the photo eye, third platform 47 and first platform 17 would lower 
and the fluid driven cylinder 50 would index protrusion 51 back to its 
center position to await a command to receive yet another tote. 
FIG. 4 illustrates yet a further embodiment of the present invention. It 
differs from the embodiment of FIG. 3 in the use of platforms 83 and 84 
which are inclined with respect to first platform 17 which, itself, 
remains unchanged from the previous embodiments. In other respects, the 
embodiment of FIG. 4 works quite similarly to the previously discussed 
embodiments of the present invention. For instance, when the tote is to be 
removed to the right, both the first platform 17 and second platform 84 
are raised via vertical raising means 18 and 21, respectively. At that 
point, fluid driven cylinder 80 indexes protrusion 81 to the left which 
moves belt 82 to power tote 3 to the right to take the position of tote 
78. When powering to the left, tote 3 would assume the position of tote 
79, while protrusion 81 was indexed to the right. It is noted in this 
example that idler rollers 70 through 77 are employed which enables one to 
eliminate two rollers from the embodiment shown in FIG. 3. A more 
significant advantage of the embodiment shown in FIG. 4 is that the final 
transferred position of the tote as either tote 78 or 79 is in an incline 
toward work station 35 or 85 respectively. The tote can then be caused to 
simply slide from the second or third platforms 83 or 84, respectively, 
toward the work stations. The use of support bands would be optionally 
provided to facilitate the removal of the totes. 
Yet a further embodiment is depicted in FIG. 5 where but a single platform 
17 and vertical raising means 18 are provided. In this instance, idler 
rollers 90 through 97 are employed, however, belt 104 and fluid driven 
cylinder 102 have been shortened. As with FIG. 2, the embodiment shown in 
FIG. 5 depicts the transfer of tote 3 only to the right, however, a mirror 
image of this device could be prepared showing removal to the left and a 
composite structure paralleling the embodiment of FIG. 3 could also be 
depicted in this instance. 
Referring again to FIG. 5, once the decision was made to remove tote 3 to 
the right, first platform 17 would be raised via vertical raising means 18 
at which time fluid driven cylinder 102 would index protrusion 103 to the 
left moving the tote to the right through the influence of belt 104. As 
article 3 is powered onto incline roller section 100, the article would 
roll upon idler rollers 101 and gravitationally proceed toward the 
accepting work station. When applying the article back to the central 
conveying means 5 and 6, one could simply push the tote back up incline 
roller section 100 or an automated pusher means 102 which could, for 
example, be hydraulically actuated with pusher arm 103 could be employed 
such as the pusher mechanism disclosed and claimed in U.S. application 
Ser. No. 291,497, filed on Aug. 10, 1981, now abandoned, the disclosure of 
which is incorporated herein by reference. 
As a means of illustrating yet a further advantage inherent in the practice 
of the present invention which is not enjoyed by prior art configurations 
is the ability to transfer articles between central conveying belts moving 
in opposite directions. For example, reference is made to FIG. 6 which 
shows the basic structure of a conveying system similar to FIG. 1 but with 
two centrally located conveying lines 110 and 115 moving in opposite 
directions. As shown, article 45 resides upon central conveyor 110, 
however by employing a transfer mechanism such as that shown in FIG. 3 
within transport system 200, one could transfer tote 45 between lines 110 
and 115 at will. Thus, tote 45 could be processed at station 35, could 
then proceed to station 137 downstream along central conveyor line 110 and 
then be shifted over to conveyor line 115 for transfer to station 85 for 
further processing. Flexibility of this nature is virtually impossible 
through the use of swing arm structures and, when using such prior art 
devices, rather elaborate turnabouts would be incorporated in the 
transport system to enable the tote to assume positioning on conveying 
lines having different directionality. 
It is a critically important aspect of the present invention to provide a 
transport mechanism which is capable of performing as provided above and 
yet which does not employ motors or other complex devices therein. In 
practicing the present invention, after the platform(s) have been raised, 
the tote or article to be transferred is moved via a belt without the 
intervention of any motor device. Generically, the driving force for the 
moving belt used for transferring the article has been described as a 
fluid driven cylinder. Ideally, the present invention should employ a 
rodless cylinder, such as those available from Fletch/Air sold under the 
trademark "ORIGA". As an alternative, the present invention can be 
practiced through the use of a cable cylinder. 
While the present invention has been particularly described in terms of 
specific embodiments thereof, it will be evident in view of the present 
disclosure that numerous variations upon the invention are enabled thereby 
without yet departing from the teaching thereof. Accordingly, the 
invention is to be broadly constructed and limited only by the scope and 
spirit of the claims now appended hereto.