Direction changing conveyor

A conveyor having [means for changing direction of conveyed articles in which there is] an input chain 20, output chain 24 at an angle with the input chain, inner and outer guide rails 30 and 44 and one or more supplemental discharge chains 50, 54 and 56 to assist in moving conveyed articles from the input chain to the output chain.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
The invention relates to conveyors in general and, more particularly, to 
conveyors having means for changing direction of conveyed articles while 
maintaining the articles in upright position without excessive tumbling or 
tipping. 
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
Virtually every modern plant or factory has one form or another of article 
conveying means which are substantially automatic and independent of 
operator control. Conveyors may be overhead carriers, pneumatic tubes, 
horizontal rollers, chairs or belts. The simplest conveyors were, and are, 
one piece, sewn, continuous leather or fabric belts. The present 
invention, however, relates to conveyors having flat, horizontal, narrow 
plates or links, hinged, one behind another and which are driven over 
pulleys. Being linked to one another, the conveyors, themselves, are 
frequently referred to as "chains" and will hereinafter be so called. 
There are essentially two types of flat, horizontal, articulated conveyor 
chains in use today. One conveyor is straight running, where the entire 
conveyor belt or chain is pulled in one straight line, over a pulley which 
is a drive sprocket, and then drawn back in a straight line to the 
starting point, which is an idler sprocket. Drive sprockets are arranged 
to pull the linked plates, as distinguished from pushing them. This type 
of chain will convey articles only in a linear path. 
Two straight running conveyors running essentially at right angles to each 
other is called a butt turn. 
A second type of articulated link conveyor is the side flexing chain, or, 
as it is also called, "flex chain". Each thin flat plate is not only 
articulated by being hinged to the adjacent plates, but is capable of 
pivoting or sideflexing relative to the straight path, such that the chain 
itself can go around a curve. Of necessity, the curves have large radii 
and require more space to make a right angle turn than two straight 
running conveyors arranged at right angles to each other. The flex chain 
needs a greater degree of maintenance and requires the use of lubricant 
because of the friction between the chain and wear strips which support it 
as well as the friction between the upper or supportive surface of each 
chain plate and the articles carried on them. In the flex chain system, 
the links are subject to arcing or pivotal motion relative to one another 
as the flex chain goes around a curve. 
Flex chains are more expensive, heavier, and have additional bulk on their 
bottom or non-article supporting surfaces to follow in a track in the 
conveyor frame. On the positive side, flex chains produce a smoother 
"ride" for articles conveyed at relatively high speed. One reason for this 
is that they go around large radius curves. 
The article engaging surfaces of both straight running and side flexing 
chains are generally thermoplastic material hinged with stainless steel 
pins. Many are nominally 71/2 inches wide. 
The present invention relates to single file chains which produce a butt 
turn or a dead turn, wherein two separate conveyor chains are arranged 
essentially at right angles to one another. Articles may be conveyed by 
such chains either single file or in mass flow where there are a number of 
conveyed articles abreast of one another. Because articles are constantly 
pivoting and rotating on the upper or support surfaces of the flex chain 
plates, large quantities of conveyor lubricant is needed. Not only is the 
lubricant potentially a contaminant to any food or beverage which is being 
placed in the article being conveyed such as bottles or cans, but the cost 
of disposing of effluence associated with spent conveyor lubricant is ever 
increasing. 
One of the requirements for successful material handling is to maintain 
stability of conveyed articles to a very high degree. Instability is 
generally a function of the size and relative weight of the articles being 
conveyed. For example, large rectangular cartons packed with filled cans 
rarely tip over unless there is a complete conveyor breakdown. However, 
articles such as unfilled plastic bottles with high centers of gravity and 
low weight per volume ratios are quite susceptible to tipping. Even the 
bottles, when filled, being relatively tall in proportion to their bases 
can tip and spill their contents. 
On a straight running conveyor, stability of an article is influenced by 
the articles contact with the chain, contact with the guide rails, and 
contact with other containers. While moving in a straight path, there is 
little contact with the guide rails. Consequently, there is little 
influence on their velocity which remains substantially constant. Anything 
that contacts an article, as by friction, influences its velocity and 
consequently reduces its stability. Contact with guide rails when making a 
turn is unavoidable. However, since most turns are made with articles such 
as bottles moving in single file, as for example, with a single infeed 
chain and a single discharge chain, when the articles are not being 
conveyed single file, they invariably touch one another which reduces 
stability. 
New developments in materials for conveyor chains have been aimed at 
lowering friction and ultimately running without conveyor lubricant. This 
is obviously a benefit because of the ever increasing cost of effluent 
discharge associated with used conveyor lubricant and other waste 
lubricants. However, chains being manufactured with new materials, for the 
most part, are of the straight running type and not flex chain. This means 
that turns must be accomplished by the older method of butt turns rather 
than flex turns. 
In the conventional butt turn, when a article, such as a container, enters 
a turn, it contacts a guide rail, generally curvilinear, but not 
necessarily so. It consequently decelerates in the direction of movement 
of the infeed chain, but is displaced by the guide rail at an angle 
generally-approaching that of the discharge chain, which, for the most 
part, is oriented at right angles to the infeed chain. As the article 
continues through the curve, it continues to decelerate in the direction 
of the infeed and to pick up an ever increasing component of movement 
toward the discharge chain. 
As an article being conveyed nears completion of the turn, velocity in the 
infeed direction approaches zero. However, the velocity in the direction 
of the discharge chain also approaches zero because it is still on the 
infeed chain. As an article, such as a bottle or other container, reaches 
the end of its contact with the guide rail, the guide rail in effect 
becomes a barrier or tangent to any further motion in the infeed direction 
while the infeed chain drags across the bottom of the then almost 
stationary container. The deceleration or change in velocity contributes 
to its instability. 
It is to these problems that the present invention is directed. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The invention is embodied in a conveyor which has means for changing 
direction of conveyed article and includes an infeed chain and a discharge 
chain. The infeed chain extends transversely of the width of the discharge 
chain. It intersects the discharge chain at the apex of a reentrant angle 
which is defined by the corresponding sides of each chain measured in the 
direction of feed. A guide rail extends from a point on the infeed chain 
which is upstream from the apex to a point on the discharge chain which is 
downstream from the apex. The articles are engagable with the guide rail 
as they move from the infeed chain to the discharge chain. 
The invention additionally includes at least one supplemental discharge 
chain which is located adjacent the primary discharge chain and which is 
movable parallel to and in the direction to the discharge chain. The 
supplemental chain engages and imparts lateral motion to articles before 
they reach the discharge chain. 
As another feature of the invention the conveyors include both an interior 
and an exterior guide rail each of which extend from the point on the 
infeed chain which is upstream of the apex and extend to a point on the 
discharge chain which is downstream from the apex. These guide rails 
create a guide path located above at least a portion of the reentrant 
angle. 
The guide rail or guide rails if more than one are employed, may either be 
curvilinear or linear. 
Depending upon how far upstream and how far downstream the guide rails 
begin and end, more than one supplemental discharge chain may be employed 
to impart motion in the direction of the discharge chain. When there are 
more than one supplemental discharge chain, the articles move successively 
from one to another in the infeed direction, ultimately being positioned 
on the primary discharge chain. 
The above and other features of the invention including various novel 
details of construction and combinations of parts will now be more 
particularly described with reference to the accompanying drawings and 
pointed out in the claims. It will be understood that the particular 
conveyor embodying the invention is shown by way of illustration only and 
not as a limitation of the invention. The principles and features of this 
invention may be employed in varied and numerous embodiments without 
departing from the scope of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
Portions of a state-of-the-art flex chain conveyor are illustrated in FIGS. 
1-3. The conveyor comprises a conveyor frame in the form of split track 
portions 2, having a slot 4 disposed between them. A series of links 6 are 
arranged to ride on the upper surface of the conveyor track portion 2 and 
are hinged, one to another, by female hinge members 8 and hinge pins 10 
(FIG. 3). The upper flat faces 12 of the links 6 form a movable continuous 
conveyor surface. 
As seen in FIG. 2, extending downwardly and outwardly from the blank 8, are 
feet 14 which are engagable beneath the plates 2 of the carrier frame. 
There is sufficient space between the feet 14, the frame member 2 and the 
female hinge members 8 to permit the chain to follow the curved track 4 
around a radius R. but lubricant must constantly be supplied due to the 
frictional engagment of these parts. The lower portion of each link of the 
chain is engagable with a driving sprocket, not shown, and, at the end of 
its run, passes over and around an idler sprocket, thence to be returned 
in continuous fashion. 
FIGS. 4-6 illustrate a state-of-the-art straight chain conveyor which is 
similar in many respects to the flex chain. It includes tracks 2' forming 
part of the conveyor frame and links 6'. Each link has a female 
split-hinge member 8' cooperating with additional female hinge portions 
13' and pins 10' to secure adjacent links together as with the flex chain. 
The principle difference between the flex chain and the straight link being 
that the track slot 4' of a straight link conveyor is straight, there is 
no need for feet extending beneath the plates 2' of the conveyor frame and 
less lubricant is needed. 
FIG. 7 is a schematic plan view of a conventional prior art straight chain 
conveyor arranged to produce a butt turn. The conveyor system includes an 
infeed chain 20 with its links (not shown) traveling in the direction of 
the arrow I. The infeed chain is driven by a driving sprocket 22 and which 
is shown only schematically. The chain goes over the sprocket down and 
back to an idler sprocket at the beginning of the chain 20 but is not 
shown in FIG. 7. A discharge chain 24 is arranged at right angles to the 
infeed chain 20 and moves in the direction of the arrow D. It passes 
around an idler sprocket which is rotatable about an axis 26 and is pulled 
by a driving sprocket located to the right of FIG. 7 but not shown in the 
figure. Articles A are conveyed by the conveyor system. 
Because the axis 26 of the idler wheel is to the right of the input chain 
20, a "V" shaped gap is created in their upper surface. To fill the gap 
immediately adjacent the right hand or inner side 27 of the input chain 20 
(measured in the direction of feed), there is a conventional stationary 
dead plate 28 over which the articles must pass as they move from the 
input to the discharge chain. Assisting in the transfer is a guide rail 
30. 
The infeed chain 20 extends transversely of the width of the discharge 
chain 24 and intersects discharge chain at the apex .alpha. of a reentrant 
angle defined by the corresponding sides of each chain measured in the 
direction of feed, the sides being 27 and 29. The above description is 
illustrative of a prior art butt turn of a conveyor designed for articles 
A moving in single file. 
FIG. 8 is identical to FIG. 7 except that it includes two parallel 
cooperating infeed chains 20 and 20' and two discharge chains 24 and 24' 
arranged to convey articles arranged randomly but side by side. 
In both the FIG. 7 and FIG. 8 configurations, the guide rail 30 begins at a 
point which is neither upstream or downstream of a line .beta. which is an 
extension of the side 29 of the discharge chain which passes through the 
apex .alpha. and defines one side of the reentrant angle and it terminates 
on a line .epsilon. (epsilon) which is an extension of the side 27 of the 
reentrant angle and which also passes through the apex angle .alpha.. 
Referring next to FIGS. 14 and 15, the velocity of a conveyed article A as 
it engages the guide rail 30 will be describe. In FIG. 15, an article A 
engages the guide rail 30 at the line .beta. and proceeds around the guide 
rail (shown increments of 15.degree.) until it reaches the line .epsilon. 
whereupon it has gone through a 90.degree. arc. Comparing FIG. 15 with 
FIG. 14, as the article first reaches the line .beta., it has 100% of its 
velocity in the infeed direction. When it goes 15.degree. around the apex 
.beta. in engagement with the guide rail 30 it has only 96.6% of its 
velocity in the infeed direction. At 60.degree. its velocity is 50% and 
when it reaches the line .epsilon. and loses contact with the guide rail 
it has 0.degree. velocity in the infeed direction. 
At this point in time the article or articles have reached the dead plate 
28 and there is no velocity or force component urging it in the direction 
of the discharge chain 24. The only way an article A in single file or 
articles A abreast can move onto the discharge chain is by being pushed by 
a following article. This induces tipping of the article particularly when 
it is light in weight and has a high center of gravity such as with an 
unfilled plastic beverage bottle. 
Referring next to FIG. 9, means for retaining the velocity of conveyed 
articles A until they reach the discharge chain will be described. The 
guide rail 30 instead of starting at the line .beta. which intersects the 
apex .alpha. of the reentrant angle, begins upstream at a point 32 and 
terminates at a point 34 on the outer edge 36 of the discharge chain which 
is downstream of the line .epsilon. which passes through the apex .alpha.. 
As the result of earlier upstream engagment with the guide rail 30 and 
later downstream disengagement, the article A still has a velocity 
component while it is on the dead plate 28, which means that it comes into 
engagment with the moving discharge chain 24 while it still has a velocity 
component induced by the input chain 20 and the guide rail 30. An inner 
guide rail 31 is required along with a dead fillet 33 to keep articles 
from falling from the chains 20 and 24. 
Another embodiment of the invention will be described with reference to 
FIG. 10. The guide rail 30 in this instance begins at a point 38 which is 
further upstream from the line .beta. or the apex .alpha. and terminates 
at a point 40 which is still further downstream of the line .epsilon.. In 
this instance, as an article reaches a point on the guide rail 30 where it 
crosses the line B, it has considerably more lateral or discharge 
direction velocity than in the FIG. 9 embodiment and easily crosses the 
dead plate 28. 
As in the FIG. 9 embodiment, a substantially triangular area 41 (shown 
stipled) is exposed. There is no dead plate to support the article and 
there is no portion of the discharge conveyor 24 to engage the article and 
no fillet in the area 41 to support it. This void would cause the article 
A being conveyed to either fall through the conveyor or be knocked over. 
In this instance, a inner guide rail 31 is located which also starts 
substantially upstream of the line .beta. at a point directly across the 
input conveyor 20 from the point 38 and which also terminates at the 
discharge conveyor at a point directly across from the point 40. 
A supplemental discharge chain 50 is located adjacent the primary discharge 
chain 24 and horizontally aligned with it. It is movable parallel to and 
in the direction of the discharge chain D along the arrow D.sub.s to 
engage and impart motion to articles before they reach the primary 
discharge chain 24. This effectively eliminates the triangular shaped void 
41. 
The supplemental chain 50 is readily driven from jack shafts deriving their 
power from the discharge chain idler sprocket 26 (not shown) for a 
sprocket 51 through a belt chain drive 53 through a sprocket 55 to a drive 
sprocket beneath the chain 50 (not shown). 
In this embodiment, as an article A reaches an early stage of engagement 
with the guide rail 30 and is still receiving a substantial lateral 
velocity component it crosses the dead plate 28, and is engaged by the 
moving supplemental conveyor 50. Thus, it is effectively carried, without 
appreciable interference or interruption onto the discharge conveyor 24. 
Next referring to FIG. 11, the outer guide rail 30 and the inner guide rail 
31 may start even further upstream on the input chain 20 and terminate 
even further downstream on the discharge conveyor 24 at points 60 and 62, 
respectively than in previous embodiments. 
A second substantially triangular void 63 would be created similar to the 
void 41 in the FIG. 10 configuration, however a second supplemental 
conveyor chain 64 is located adjacent to the first supplemental conveyor 
50 and acts in the same manner to engage articles A much earlier in their 
engagement time with the guide rail 30. Consequently, in the early stages 
of lateral movement induced by the guide rail 30, there is substantial 
lateral velocity imparted from the second supplemental chain 64 than by 
the first supplemental chain 50. Subsequently, while still in engagement 
with the guide rail 30, the article A is no longer in engagement with the 
input chain 20, but receives all of its discharge velocity component from 
the supplemental chain 50 and subsequently from chain 24. 
FIG. 12 illustrates the invention embodied in a conveyor system having 
double input chains 20 and 20' and double discharge chains 24 and 24'. In 
this instance, the guide rails also begin upstream from the line B and 
terminate downstream from the line .epsilon.. Two supplemental discharge 
chains 50 and 50' are employed. The system operates in the same manner as 
described with reference to the FIGS. 9, 10 and 11 but can convey larger 
articles or more articles abreast of each other. 
FIG. 13 illustrates the invention embodied in a double input chain system 
having chains 20 and 20' and double discharge chains 24 and 24'. However, 
the guide rails 30' and 31' are straight as distinguished from being 
curved. It will be noted that a third void area 66 is created adjacent the 
dead plate 28. To eliminate problems in this area, a third supplemental 
discharge chain 68 is located parallel to the dishcarge chains 50 and 50'. 
With this construction, articles are given the lateral velocity discharge 
component still earlier in the turning cycle since engagement takes place 
with the guide rails still further upstream. The invention, however, 
operates in the same manner as hereinabove described.