# Patent

## Title
Vibratory conveyor

## Abstract

A vibratory conveyor for transporting an object includes a curved deck defining a conveying surface for supporting the object, the deck having an inner edge and an outer edge. A housing has an inner wall coupled to the deck inner edge and an outer wall coupled to the deck outer edge, wherein an interior of the housing defines a conveyor chamber and the inner wall defines a central chamber. An inlet air plenum may be provided in fluid communication with a plurality of air distribution chambers positioned inside the conveyor chamber. A plurality of apertures may be formed in the plurality of air distribution chambers, the apertures arranged in an air distribution pattern. The conveyor also includes an outlet opening communicating between conveyor and central chambers. The conveyor further includes a catch floor extending across the central chamber, the floor having a discharge opening formed therein.

## Background
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/745,228, filed Dec. 23, 2003 now U.S. Pat. No. 7,037,048, which claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/436,352, filed Dec. 23, 2002, both of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.


FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present disclosure generally relates to vibratory process equipment and, more particularly, to vibratory conveyors for transporting work pieces in a curved path.
BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE
Vibratory spiral conveyors are generally known in the art. Such apparatus typically includes a spiral deck, formed in the shape of a helix, and a source of vibration operatively coupled to the deck. The spiral conveyor may be a brute force system, such as that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,927,683 to Carrier, or a two-mass system, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,024,320 to Musschoot.
Spiral conveyors are often used to heat or cool work pieces or granular material. With foundry castings, for example, red hot castings (which may have a temperature of approximately 1000 degrees F. or more) are fed into the spiral conveyor. Cool air is directed over the castings as the castings travel up the spiral, thereby to reduce the temperature of the castings. Conventional spiral conveyors direct air from a center axis of the conveyor outwardly, with or without nozzles for directing the air toward the castings. The air is exhausted out an exterior of the spiral conveyor.
In one conventional design, air is generally directed radially across the spiral conveyor from the center core inlets to the outer periphery outlets. As a result, the inner facing side of the castings (or the inner row, should more than one row of castings be fed into the conveyor) will receive a lower temperature air than the outer facing side (or outer row).
In another conventional design, both the air inlet and air outlet are positioned at the outer periphery of the spiral conveyor. As the air enters the spiral conveyor area, it passes about the center core in at least two separate sub-streams. The air then exhausts from the spiral conveyor through a common outlet.
The castings can include foundry sand that may become entrained in the cooling air stream. Typically very light particles, such as small grains of sand or sprue, are picked up by the air stream. Consequently, a filter house is typically connected to the outlet air stream to collect the particles before the air is exhausted to atmosphere. The filter house is typically provided as a separate unit, and is located outside of the spiral conveyor, thereby requiring additional space for the conveying equipment.



BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a side elevation view of a vibratory spiral conveyor constructed in accordance with the teachings of the present disclosure;
FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional side view of the conveyor of FIG. 1; and
FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 1.



DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a spiral conveyor 10 is shown having a frame 12 supporting a spiral deck 16. As used herein, the word spiral includes helix and helicoid shapes. The frame 12 is resiliently supported above the ground or mounting surface by isolation means, such as springs 18. An exciter mass 20 and vibration generators 22 are resiliently coupled to the trough frame 12, such as by springs 25 (FIG. 2). Any generally known vibration generators may be used, such as motors having rotating shafts carrying eccentric weights.
A housing 15 is provided for enclosing the spiral deck 16 and defining a conveyor chamber 17. As best shown with reference to FIG. 3, the spiral deck includes an inner edge 19 and an outer edge 21. The housing 15 has a cylindrical inner wall 38 coupled to the spiral deck inner edge 19 and a cylindrical outer wall 50 coupled to the spiral deck outer edge 21. The housing 15 may also include a top wall 23 (FIG. 2), so that the housing 15 completely encloses the spiral deck 16 but for a housing inlet 24 and outlet 26. Accordingly, the housing 15 and spiral deck 16 define the conveyor chamber 17, which has a spiral configuration in the illustrated embodiment. A plurality of access doors 52 (FIG. 1) may be formed in the housing outer wall 50 for accessing the conveyor chamber 17 and deck 16.
In the illustrated embodiment, the spiral deck 16 is oriented to vertically elevate work pieces, such as hot castings, from the inlet 24 to the outlet 26. The work pieces may be transferred from an origination point, such as a molding line, to the inlet 24 by any conveying means, such as by a linear vibratory or other type of conveyor (not shown). The spiral deck 16 is formed in a helical pattern so that, as the work pieces move circumferentially around the deck, they are also elevated in the vertical direction. At the outlet 26, the work piece may be deposited onto an outlet transport (not shown), which may also be a conveyor. While the conveyor 10 is described herein as conveying the work pieces vertically upward, the inlet and outlet may be reversed so that the work pieces are conveyed vertically downward along the spiral deck 16.
When viewed in elevational cross-section, as shown in FIG. 2, the spiral deck 16 defines a plurality of stacked tier segments 14. The tier segments 14 are vertically aligned so that adjacent tier segments 14 define upper and lower boundaries of a cross-sectional area of the conveyor chamber 17.
The vibration generators 22 may be controlled in any known fashion to produce the desired vibrational motion of the trough frame 12 and coupled spiral deck 16 to advance the work pieces along the deck 16. For example, the motors may be rotated in opposite directions (i.e., counter-rotated) and controlled to maintain a desired phase angle between the eccentric weights. While the illustrated embodiment is a two mass system, it will be appreciated that the conveyor 10 may be provided as a single mass or brute force system.
An air distribution system is provided for directing air over the work pieces as they travel along the spiral deck 16. As best shown in FIG. 2, a plenum housing 29 defines an inlet air plenum 30 formed near a top of the spiral deck 16 and within a central chamber 56 defined by the housing inner wall 38. As shown in FIG. 2, a pair of air inlet ducts 32 is connected to the plenum housing 29 by flexible joints 34. Alternatively, a single inlet duct 32 or more than two inlet ducts 32 may communicate with the inlet air plenum 30. Extending downwardly from the inlet air plenum 30 is a plurality of vertical air conduits 36. As best shown in FIG. 3, the housing inner wall 38 forms outer portions of each conduit 36, while concave chamber walls 40 form a remainder of each conduit 36.
A plurality of air distribution chambers 42 is attached to a bottom side of the spiral deck 16 and communicates with each vertical air conduit 36. The air distribution chambers may be oriented to extend generally horizontally and, as best shown in FIG. 3, may be aligned generally radially between the housing inner wall 38 and housing outer wall 50. In the illustrated embodiment, a pair of air distribution chambers 42 on each spiral deck tier portion 14 fluidly communicates with a respective vertical air conduit 36. Alternatively, each air conduit 36 may fluidly communicate with a single air distribution chamber 42 or more than two air distribution chambers 42 on each spiral deck tier portion 14. While FIG. 3 illustrates a single tier portion 14 of the spiral deck 16, it will be appreciated that similar sets of air distribution chambers 42 may be constructed on each of the spiral deck tier segments 14, so that each conduit 36 may communicate with multiple vertical levels of air distribution chambers 42.
Each air distribution chamber 42 includes a plurality of spaced nozzles 44 oriented to direct air flow downwardly toward the next lower tier. The nozzles 44 may be apertures formed in a bottom of the air distribution chambers 42. The apertures are arranged across at least a portion of a lateral width “W” of the spiral deck 16 to form an air distribution pattern. In the illustrated embodiment, the apertures are generally equally spaced across the entire lateral width “W” of the spiral deck 16.
The vertical air conduits 36 and horizontal air chambers 42 may be formed of structural steel members, such as channels and angles, to provide structural support to the spiral conveyor 10. In this case, the conduits 36 and chambers 42 provide the dual functions of air distribution and structural support.
The vibratory conveyor 10 further provides for exhaust of air out of the conveyor chamber. As best shown in FIG. 3, a plurality of outlet openings 54 are formed in the housing inner wall 38, each opening 54 being positioned between adjacent vertical air conduits 36. The outlet openings 54 fluidly communicate with the central chamber 56 defined by the housing inner wall. An air exhaust outlet 58 fluidly communicates with the central chamber 56 and is coupled, such as by flexible joint 60, to exhaust duct 62. The exhaust duct 62 may communicate with an air vacuum source 63 (schematically illustrated in FIG. 2), such as an exhaust fan, to create air flow through the air distribution system. In the illustrated embodiment, the plenum housing 29 has a generally annular shape, so that an inner edge 31 of the plenum housing 29 defines the exhaust outlet 58.
In operation, the air vacuum source pulls air through the inlet ducts 32 to the inlet air plenum 30. The air stream flows from the plenum through the air conduits 36 and air distribution chambers 42 for discharge through the nozzles 44, which evenly distribute air across the entire lateral width “W” of the spiral deck 16. The air vacuum source is preferably sized so that the air stream discharged from each nozzle 44 has a velocity sufficiently high to create non-laminar flow around the work pieces. By creating a non-laminar air flow, the heat transfer coefficient for the system is increased, thereby increasing heat transfer, which is beneficial for both heating and cooling applications. The air exits the conveyor chamber 17 through the outlet openings 54 and into the central chamber 56, where it is discharged through the exhaust outlet 58.
The conveyor 10 may include a fines collection system for collecting any fines entrained in the air stream passing through the conveyor chamber 17. The objects or work pieces loaded into the conveyor 10 may include unwanted debris, such as sand, sprue, or other fines material. To remove this debris from the air stream, the fines collection system may include a catch floor 70 extending across a bottom of the central chamber 56 and coupled to the housing 15 below the lowest outlet opening 54. In the illustrated embodiment, the catch floor includes a conical center portion 72 attached to a frusto-conical outer portion 74. A fines discharge opening 76 is formed at an outer periphery of the outer portion 74 and communicates with a fines discharge chute 78 (FIG. 1). The discharge opening communicates with atmosphere via the chute 78, and therefore the negative pressure in the central chamber 56 creates a pressure differential that tends to hold the fines within the chamber 56. As schematically illustrated in FIG. 1, an air lock 80 may be provided in the chute 78 to allow and control discharge of fines through the chute.
In operation, air is discharged from the nozzles 44 at a relatively high velocity, so that fines may become dislodged from the work pieces and entrained in the air stream. The air stream then passes through the outlet openings 54, which causes a pressure drop and associated reduction in velocity of the air stream as it enters the central chamber 56. The reduced velocity causes the fines entrained in the air stream to drop to the catch floor 70. The vibratory motion of the spiral deck 16 and attached catch floor 70 moves the particles toward an outer periphery of the catch floor outer portion 74. The circular component of the vibratory motion conveys the particles circumferentially about the floor periphery until the particles reach the discharge opening 76, at which point they travel down the discharge chute 78 and into the air lock 80. The air lock 80 may be operated to periodically interrupt fluid communication between the chute 78 and the central chamber 56, thereby to allow a batch of fines to be discharged from the chute 78 for collection.
The fines collection system utilizes the existing internal structure of the spiral conveyor to collect and discharge particles entrained in the air stream. As a result, separate filter houses are not required and the space required for spiral conveyor apparatus is reduced.
Although certain apparatus constructed in accordance with the teachings of the disclosure have been described herein, the scope of coverage of this patent is not limited thereto. On the contrary, this patent covers all embodiments of the teachings of the disclosure fairly falling within the scope of the appended claims either literally or under the doctrine of equivalents.

## Claims

1. A vibratory conveyor for transporting an object bearing debris, the conveyor comprising:
a curved deck defining a conveying surface for supporting the object, the deck having an inner edge and an outer edge;
a housing having an inner wall coupled to the inner edge of the deck and an outer wall coupled to the outer edge of the deck, wherein an interior of the housing defines a conveyor chamber and the housing inner wall defines a central chamber;
an outlet opening communicating between the conveyor chamber and the central chamber;
an air vacuum source in fluid communication with the central chamber to create an air stream flowing from the conveyor chamber, through the outlet opening, to the central chamber, wherein the debris from the object becomes entrained in the air stream;
a catch floor extending across the central chamber and positioned below the outlet opening for receiving the debris entrained in the air stream;
a discharge opening formed in the catch floor; and
an exciter mass assembly including a vibration generator coupled to the deck for generating a vibratory force, wherein the vibratory force advances the object along the deck and conveys the debris on the catch floor toward the discharge opening.

2. The conveyor of claim 1, in which the outlet opening creates a pressure drop which reduces a velocity of the air stream as the air stream enters the central chamber.

3. The conveyor of claim 1, in which the catch floor includes a conical center portion and a frusto-conical outer portion.

4. The conveyor of claim 3, in which the discharge opening is formed at an outer periphery of the frusto-conical outer portion.

5. The conveyor of claim 1, further comprising a discharge chute in communication with the discharge opening.

6. The conveyor of claim 5, in which the discharge chute includes an air lock.

7. The conveyor of claim 1, further comprising:
an inlet air plenum;
a plurality of air distribution chambers positioned inside the conveyor chamber and fluidly communicating with the air inlet plenum; and
a plurality of apertures formed in the plurality of air distribution chambers, wherein the apertures are arranged in an air distribution pattern.

8. The conveyor of claim 7, in which the plurality of air distribution chambers are oriented to extend substantially horizontally.

9. The conveyor of claim 8, in which the plurality of air distribution chambers extend substantially radially between the housing inner wall and the housing outer wall.

10. The conveyor of claim 7, further comprising a plurality of air inlet conduits extending between the inlet air plenum and the air distribution chambers.

11. The conveyor of claim 10, in which the inlet air plenum and inlet air conduits are disposed within the central chamber.

12. The conveyor of claim 11, in which a plurality of outlet openings are formed in the inner wall to establish fluid communication between the conveyor chamber and the central chamber.

13. The conveyor of claim 12, in which the inlet air plenum is defined by a generally annular plenum housing, and in which an inner edge of the plenum housing defines an exhaust outlet in fluid communication with the central chamber and the air vacuum source.

14. The conveyor of claim 7, in which the deck defines a plurality of vertically stacked tier segments.

15. The conveyor of claim 14, in which the air distribution chambers are attached to a bottom surface of the deck.

16. The conveyor of claim 15, in which each aperture is directed generally downward toward the conveying surface of the deck at an adjacent lower tier portion.

17. The conveyor of claim 7, in which the apertures are arranged in an air distribution pattern extending at least partially across a lateral width of the deck.

18. The conveyor of claim 7, in which the air vacuum source is sized to generate an air stream through each aperture having a velocity sufficiently high to create non-laminar air flow around the object.