A CONVEYOR, IN PARTICULAR FOR HEAVY OBJECTS

Abstract: A conveyor consists of a U-shaped stationary means (1) with the opening upwards. A rod-shaped means (2) may be reciprocated in said stationary means, the upper edge of said rod-shaped means (2) being lifted above the opening of the stationary means (1) upon movement in the forward direction and being lowered below this opening upon movement in the return direction. To simplify the manufacture and operation of the conveyor the rod-shaped means (2) is so connected with a rail (4), slidable in the bottom of the U-shaped stationary means (1), by means of rotatable links (3) that the rod-shaped means (2) and the rail (4) form two sides in a parallelogram whose other sides are the rotatable links (3). The rod-shaped means (2) and the rail (4) are both rotatably connected with a handle (8), which is used for displacing these two parts with respect to each other and thereby lifting or lowering the upper edge of the rod-shaped means with respect to the opening of the stationary means (1).

Description: A conveyor, in particular for heavy objects The invention concerns a conveyor of the type defined in the introductory portion of claim 1. A conveyor of this type is known from the US Patent Specification 3 451 532. Here, the stationary means consists of two fixed beams or rails between whose upper edge a beam can be reciprocated, resting on some rollers. Each roller is journalled on a shaft between two wheels which can be pulled up an inclined ramp by means of rods which are mounted on the shaft. The upper edge of the movable beam can hereby be lifted upwardly above the fixed beams and, vice versa, be lowered between the fixed beams so as to enable trans¬ port in a horizontal direction of objects on the con¬ veyor. The object of the invention is to provide a conveyor of the type stated in the opening paragraph which is simpler and cheaper to manufacture and which is easy to operate. This is achieved according to the invention in that the conveyor stated in the opening paragraph is charac¬ terized by the subject-matter defined in the charac¬ terizing portion of claim 1. The invention will be described more fully below with reference to the drawing, in which fig. 1 is a lateral view of the conveyor of the inven¬ tion, partly in the raised position shown in broken lines in which objects resting on the conveyor can be transported to the right by a rod-shaped means, partly in the lowered position shown in solid lines in which the rod-shaped means of the conveyor may be moved backwards to the left without said objects being move , figs. 2 and 3 show a section of the conveyor in the lowered and raised positions, respectively, and figs. 4 and 5 show a vertical cross-section of fig-. 2 and fig. 3, respectively. The conveyor shown in the drawing comprises a cross- sectionally U-shaped stationary means 1 whose opening faces upwardly. The means 1 contains a rod-shaped means 2 which is connected to a rail 4 by means of a plurality of uniform rotatable links 3 , only one of which being shown in the drawing. The connection between each of the rotatable links 3 and the rod-shaped means 2 consists of a rotatable pin 5 , and the connection between each of the rotatable links 3 and the rail consists of a corresponding rotat¬ able pin 5. The distance between the rotatable pins 5 in the rod-shaped means 2 is the same as the distance between the rotatable pins 5 in the rail, so that the rod-shaped means 2 and the rail 4 form two parallel sides of a parallelogram, whose other sides are the rotatable links 3 or more particularly the distance between the two rotatable pins 5 in each link 3. Stop means are provided to limit the movement of the parallelogram connection when the rod-shaped means 2 is displaced longitudinally with respect to the rail 4. These stop means are provided by forming the rotat- able links 3 as parallelogram-shaped plates, as shown in figs. 1, 2 and 3. In one extreme position which is shown in fig. 3 and in which the rod-shaped means 2 is raised with respect to the rail 4, the two parallel sides of the links 3 engage the rod-shaped means 2 and the rail 4, and in the other extreme position which is shown in fig. 2 and in which the rod-shaped means 2 is lowered with respect to the rail 4, the two other parallel sides of the links 3 engage the rod-shaped means 2 and the rail 4. This parallelogram connection consisting of the rod- shaped means 2, the rail 4 and the connecting rotatable links 3 is journalled in the bottom of the stationary means 1, so that the parallelogram connection 2, 3, 4 can be moved horizontally to the right or to the left in fig. 1. To reduce the frictional resistance in the displace- ment of the parallelogram connection 2, 3, 4 in the stationary means 1, this parallelogram connection is provided with wheels 6 whose shafts 7 are secured to the rail 4 or, as shown in the drawing, to the part of the rotatable links 3, which is close to the rotat- able pin 5 of the link 3 in the rail 4 so that the height of said shafts 7 above the bottom of the sta¬ tionary means 2 is constant or nearly constant. The shafts 7 may also be secured to one of the rotatable pins 5 which connect the rail 4 with a parallelogram- • shaped plate. Displacement in a horizontal direction of the rod-shaped means 2 with respect to the rail 4 is obtained by means of the handle 8, which is shown in fig. 1 and which may simultaneously be used for displacing the paral- lelogram connection 2, 3, 4 horizontally in the sta¬ tionary means 1. In the raised position of the parallelogram connec¬ tion 2 , 3 , 4 the upper edge 9 of the rod-shaped means 2 extends upwardly above the opening of the stationary means 1, as shown in figs. 3 and 5 and with broken lines in fig. 1. This position is obtained when the handle 8 in fig. 1 is pulled to the right and objects (not shown) disposed on or suspended from the conveyor, e.g. on hangers, are transported to the right. On the other hand, in the lowered position of the paral¬ lelogram connection the upper edge 9 of the rod-shaped means 2 is disposed below the opening of the stationary means 1, as shown in figs. 2 and 4 and with solid lines in fig. 1. This position is obtained when the handle 8 in fig. 1 is pushed to the left, and the said objects on the conveyor will still rest on the stationary means 1. Accordingly, as an overall result objects on the conveyor will be transported to the right in fig. 1 when the handle 8 is reciprocated. Instead of the handle 8, it is of course also possible to use another motion mechanism, e.g. a jack or a piston mechanism. Instead of the wheels 6, slide blocks might be used, which are capable of taking up greater loads than the wheels 6. Two or more conveyors may be placed in mutual spaced and parallel relationship, and the objects may be posi- tioned so as to rest on several conveyors simultaneously. It is hereby possible to transport heavier and larger objects. These conveyors arranged in parallel may be positioned between guides (not shown) preventing the transported objects from falling down at one or the other side of these parallel conveyors.

Claims: P a t e n t C l a i m s 1. A conveyor, in particular for heavy objects, and consisting of a cross-sectionally U-shaped stationary means (1) with the opening facing upwardly and a rod- shaped means (2) reciprocable in said means by a motion mechanism, the upper edge (9) of said rod-shaped means (2) being adapted to be lifted upwardly above the opening of the stationary means (1) upon movement in the forward direction and to be lowered below this opening upon movement in the return direction by coupling means, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the rod-shaped means (2) is so connected to a rail (4), slidable in the bottom of the U-shaped stationary means (1), by means of rotatable links (3) that the rod-shaped means (2) and the rail (4) form two parallel sides of a parallelo¬ gram whose other two sides are the rotatable links ( 3 ) , stop means being provided to restrict the movement of the parallelogram when the rod-shaped means (2) is moved longitudinally in one or the other direction with respect to the rail (4), to an extreme position in which the upper edge ( 9 ) of the rod-shaped means (2) is lifted upwardly above the opening of the sta¬ tionary means (1) and another extreme position in which said upper edge (9) is lowered below said opening, respectively. 2. A conveyor according to claim 1, c h a r a c ¬ t e r i z e d in that said rotatable links (3) are parallelogram-shaped plates (3) which are rotatably connected with the rod-shaped means (2) and the rail (4), respectively, at the obtuse angles, while one or the other pair of opposing parallelogram sides is adapted to form stop means in one or the other extreme position upon engagement with the rod-shaped means and the rail, respectively. 3. A conveyor according to claim 1 or 2, c h a r a c ¬ t e r i z e d in that a handle (8) rotatably connected with the rod-shaped means (2) and the rail (4) is adapted to move the rod-shaped means (2) with respect to the rail (4). 4. A conveyor according to claim 1, 2 or 3, c h a ¬ r a c t e r i z e d in that both the rod-shaped means (2) and the rail (4) are U-shaped in cross-section with the openings facing towards each other and sur- rounding said rotatable links (3). 5. A conveyor according to any of the preceding claims, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the rail (4) is supported by means of wheels (6) during movement in the stationary body (1). 6. A conveyor according to claims 2 and 5, c h a ¬ r a c t e r i z e d in that shafts (7) for said wheels (6) are secured to the parallelogram-shaped plates (3). 7. A conveyor according to claim 5, c h a r a c - t e r i z e d in that shafts (7) for said wheels (6) are secured in the rail (4 ) . 8. A conveyor according to claim 7, c h a r a c ¬ t e r i z e d in that shafts (7) for said wheels (6) are secured to rotatable pins (5) connecting the rail (4) with a parallelogram-shaped plate (3).

Inventors: SOELUND JOERGEN, SOELUND, JOERGEN
Applicants: COMSTORE AS, COMSTORE A/S
Application year: 1989
Main classification: B65G7
IPC codes: B65G7, B65G25