Conveyor guide rail supports

Abstract: A guide rail support (12) for use with a conveyor (10) having a transport chain or belt (16) for transporting articles from one location to another, said guide rail support (12) comprising a guide rail holding assembly (70) for holding a guide rail (20) adjacent the transport means (16) of a conveyer, a support means (30) for supporting the guide rail holding assembly, and cam levers (32) mounted on the support (30) and having a first position for securing the holding assembly (70) against movement relative to the support (30) and a second position for releasing the holding assembly (70) for movement relative to the support (30) whereby movement of the cam lever (31) between its first and second positions permits rapid repositioning of the guide rail (20) relative to the transport chain (16) of a conveyor without the use of tools.

Description: This invention relates to a guide rail support for use with a conveying machine and to a conveying machine which incorporates said guide rail support. Conveying machines, and particularly those employed for transporting food containers such as bottles and cans, generally include a moving belt or chain on which the containers are transported from one location to another. Guide rails are positioned along the sides of the moving belt to keep the containers from falling off the sides of the conveyor as they are transported. As the containers move along the conveyor, a substantial sidewise force is exerted against the guide rails resulting in an equal and opposite reaction force on the container. Accordingly, it is desirable that the guide rails be positioned at an optimum height relative to the container so that the contains remain upright as they are conveyed. Moreover, in the case of relatively taller containers, two or more guide rails are commonly employed. In addition, for bottles having a reduced diameter neck, specially configured guide rails are often employed above and generally inboard of the guide rails which engage the body of the container. The position of the guide rails may also be determined by the location of paper labels on the container. If a conveyor is switched from one type of container to another having a different size or shape, it is often necessary to reposition the guide rails. Conventional guide rail supports generally include threaded fasteners for securing the guide rail clamps to the supports mounted on the conveying machine. As a result, these fasteners must be loosened and retightened when it is necessary to reposition the guide rails. This is a time consuming and labour intensive procedure since a large number of such brackets must be repositioned on conveying machines which are commonly several hundred feet in length. Another known arrangement for guide rail adjustment is described in US-A-3776350 and comprises the use of spring means operable to permit said adjustment. It is an object of the invention to provide an improved guide rail support which permits rapid and accurate repositioning of the guide rails of a conveying machine. One aspect of the present invention provides a guide rail support for use with a conveyor having transport means for transporting articles from one location to another, the guide rail support comprising guide rail holding means for holding a guide rail adjacent the transport means of a conveyor, support means for supporting the guide rail holding means, said guide rail holding means being movable relative to the support means, said support means being constructed and arranged to be mounted on a conveyor and adjacent the transport means, and clamping means mounted on one of the holding means and support means and having a first position for securing the holding means against movement relative to said support means and a second position wherein said holding means is released for movement relative to the support means, whereby movement of the clamping means between its first and second positions permits rapid repositioning of the guide rail relative to the transport means of a conveyor without the use of tools, wherein the clamping means comprises cam means mounted on one of the holding means and support means whereby a holding means received by said support means may be selectively wedged relative to the support means, or freed for movement relative thereto, upon movement of said cam means from a first position to a second position. The cam means may comprise a cam member having a circular (e g a cylindrical or frusto-conical) shape surface for sliding movement during rotation relative to structure of a support means. The holding member may comprise an elongate portion which extends through openings in the support means and a cam member. A cam member may have a central opening through which the elongate holding member extends, with said opening arranged eccentric relative to the outer circular (e g cylindrical) surface of the cam means. The holding means may be elongate and comprise a plurality of spaced position markers for indicating the position of guide rail holding means relative to the support. Cam means may be of a kind which provides a pre-tensioning effect on the holding means. The cam means may comprise a second cam surface for achieving said effect. The second cam surface may be arranged to cause an axial and/or a tilting movement of the cam means so that at least a part of the cam means in contact with the holding means is urged to move in a direction parallel with the axis of rotation of the cam means. The invention provides also a conveyor or conveyor installation comprising a conveyor frame assembly for supporting a conveyor belt or chain upon which products are to be conveyed, and a plurality of supports each comprising a guide rail support in accordance with the present invention secured to the frame for adjustably positioning a conveyor guide relative to a transport zone of the conveyor and having the support means thereof mounted relative to the conveyor frame with said guide rail supports holding a guide rail adjacent a transport section of the conveyor. Figure 1 is a perspective view of a conveyor incorporating a guide rail support according to the invention; Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view of the guide rail support shown in Figure 1; Figure 3 is a perspective view of a portion of an first alternate embodiment of the invention; Figures 4A and 4B are perspective views of a second alternate embodiment of the invention; Figure 5 is a front view of the guide rail support shown in Figures 4A and 4B; and Figure 6 is a top view thereof. Figure 1 shows a portion of a conveyor assembly 10 incorporating a guide rail support 12 in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the invention. The conveyor 10 includes a frame assembly 14 for supporting a conveyor belt or chain 16 upon which the products being conveyed are carried. While any suitable belt or chain may be employed, in the illustrated example, the chain 16 has a plurality of links 18, only two of which are shown, although those skilled in the art will appreciate that a plurality of such links are formed into an endless chain. The links are coupled to each other at their opposite ends by hinge pins (not shown). The chain 16 is moved over the guide rail support 12 by a drive chain and sprockets coupled to a power source (not shown). While only a single guide rail support is shown, it will be appreciated a plurality of spaced apart guide rail supports 12 position guide rails 20 adjacent to and on the opposite sides of the chain 16 to prevent the products being conveyed from falling off of the conveyor 10. The illustrated conveyor assembly 10 is intended as an example only, it being understood that the invention may be employed with other types of conveyors as well. Because the conveyor frame assembly 14, the chain 18 and the chain drive are conventional, they will not be described in greater detail for the sake of brevity. A first embodiment of the guide rail support 12 is shown in Figure 2 and comprises an assembly which includes a bracket member 30, a cam lever 32, and a rod 34 which carries a guide rail bracket assembly at its upper end and which in turn supports the guide rail 20. The bracket member 30 and the cam lever 32 releasably secure the rod 34 against vertical movement. The bracket 30 includes a backing plate 36 which has an elongate, vertically extending slot 38 so that the bracket 30 may be secured to the frame assembly 14 in any suitable manner such as by means of a bolt 40. A yoke 42 is disposed at the upper end of the backing plate 36 and comprises a top plate 44 and a bottom plate 45 which respectively define parallel spaced apart surfaces 46 and 47. Side plates 48 and gussets 49 support the yoke 42 on the backing plate 36. Aligned holes 50 and 51 are formed in the yoke plates 44 and 45, respectively, for receiving the rod 34. The cam lever 32 includes a round section 52 defined by an annular outer periphery 53 and opposed, parallel surfaces 54 and 55 which are spaced such that the round section 52 fits loosely between the surfaces 46 and 47 of the yoke 42. In addition, a hole 56bis formed eccentrically through the round section and is sized to slidably receive the rod 34. A handle 57 extends integrally from one side of the round section 52 and has a neck portion 58 which widens from the round section 52 outwardly. The centre of the hole 56 is displaced from the centre of the round section 52 and toward the side thereof opposite the handle 57. An arcuate front wall 59 is provided on the yoke 42 and between the plates 44 and 45. The radius of the arc which is defined by the front wall 59 is slightly larger than that of the round section 52 of cam lever 32. The side plates 48 extend tangentially outwardly from the front wall 59 as seen in Figures 4A and 4B. There is also a circular inner wall 60 which extends between the sidewalls 48 and defines a cavity 61 with the front wall 59 and the surfaces 46 and 47. The space between the surfaces 46 and 47 defines the thickness of the cavity 61, and the radii of curvature of the front and rear walls 59 and 60 are such that the round section 52 of the cam lever 32 is loosely received in the cavity 61. Rotation of cam lever 32 in a clockwise direction about rod 34 when rod 34 is received in hole 56 causes the annular outer periphery 53 of round section 52 to contact the inner wall 60. Increased rotation of cam lever 32 in a clockwise direction causes increased normal force between annular outer periphery 53 and inner wall 60 due to the eccentric location of hole 56. At one side of the slot 62 is a portion 64 of increased width so that when the cam lever 32 is positioned with the handle in the increased width portion 64, the lever is movable inwardly relative to the cavity 61. Reference is again made to Figure 1 which shows the guide rail support 12 to also include means for supporting the guide rail 20 on the rod 34 and which permits the rail 20 to be adjustably positioned adjacent the conveyor chain 16. In the illustrated embodiment the guide rail support means includes a cross clamp 70 mounted at the upper end of rod 34. Cross clamp 70 is conventional and will not be described in detail for the sake of brevity. It will be sufficient for purposes of understanding the invention to state that the cross clamp 70 includes a cylindrical body portion 72 secured to the upper end of rod 34. A second rod 74 is disposed in a cross hole 76 formed in body portion 72 and has a clamp 78 at one end for supportingly engaging the guide rail 20. The upper end of the body portion72 has an axial threaded bore 80 which intersects the cross hole 76. A threaded locking member 82 is threadably received within the bore 80 for locking engagement with the rod 74. A knob 84 is fixed to the upper end of the locking member 82 for rotating the member 82 into and out of locking engagement with the rod 74. In addition, a nut 86 fixed to the knob 84 is provided for tightening and loosening the locking member 82. Operation of knob 84 and lock nut 86 allows the horizontal position of the clamp 78 and guide rail 20 to be adjusted. When the cam lever 32 is positioned so that the handle 57 is located within the wide portion 64 of the slot 62, the hole 56 in the cam lever 32 can be aligned with the holes 50 and 51 in the plates 44 and 45, respectively. This permits the pin 34 and guide rail 20 to be moved vertically. When the guide rail 20 is positioned at the appropriate height relative to the products being conveyed, the cam lever 32 is rotated clockwise as viewed in Figures 1 and 4 which moves the handle to the narrower portion of the slot 60. As the handle moves from the concentric portion of the slot 60 into the tangential portion, the round section 52 is forced to rotate substantially about its geometric centre due to abutment of annular outer periphery 53 against the inner wall 61. The result of clockwise rotation of cam lever 32 is that the hole 56 is moved out of alignment with the holes 50 and 51 in the yoke 42. This forces the margin of the hole 56 against one side of the rod 34 and the opposite side of the rod into engagement with the periphery of the holes 50 and 51. This jams the rod 34 in place. Figure 3 shows an alternate embodiment of the invention wherein the cam lever 32" also includes a second vertical cam 90 formed on the upper surface 54 of the round portion 52. The second cam 90 is positioned to one side of the junction between the round portion 52 and the lever 57 and is generally wedge-shaped and slightly arcuate. An inclined surface 94 of the cam 90 and the hole 56 are positioned relative to one another so as to work in combination. As the cam lever 32" is rotated, the eccentric hole 56 beings to grab onto the rod. Upon further rotation of the cam lever 32' , the second cam 90 begins to take effect. The cam 90 is positioned relative to the eccentric hole 56 such that the first cam action resulting from clockwise rotation of cam lever 32 applies a small force to the rod which is insufficient to lock the rod in place. The second cam 90 begins to act on the rod 34 in the vertical or axial direction thus using the normal force of the first cam action to deliver a second force to the rod in the axial direction. As the cam lever 32 is fully rotated, the first cam action becomes dominant due to geometry and locks the rod into position. Figures 4A, 4B, 5 and 6 show a second alternate embodiment of the invention to include a bracket 130 and a cam lever 132. The bracket 130 includes a backing plate 136 securable to a conveying machine by a bolt 140 extending through a slot 138. A yoke 142 is disposed at the upper end of plate 136 and includes top plate 144 and bottom plate 145 which respectively define spaced surfaces 146 and 147. The yoke is supported by side plates 148. Bosses 149 and 150 are formed, respectively, in the top and bottom plates 144 and 145, and each extends inwardly toward the cavity 161. The bosses 149 and 150 have aligned central holes 151 and 152, respectively, and each has arcuate forward and rear ends 152 and 153 and parallel sides 154. The cam lever 132 includes a round section 155 having recesses 156 and 157 formed respectively in its upper and lower surfaces 158 and 160. The recesses 156 and 157 are generally circular and have a gap 162 at their forward ends for receiving the bosses 149 and 150. In addition, the diameter of the recesses 156 and 157 is slightly larger than the distance between the arcuate ends 152 and 153 of bosses 149 and 150 and the width of the gaps 162 is slightly larger than the distance between the sides 154 of the bosses. This permits the cam lever to be inserted between the bosses 140 and 150 and rotated to its position shown in Figure 6. The cam lever 132 also includes an eccentric opening 164 offset relative the pivot axis of lever 132 on the side opposite the handle 166 in the same manner as in the embodiment of Figure 2. When the handle 132 is positioned with its centre line along line 168 of Figure 6 it allows the lever to be moved relative to the yoke 142 so the hole 164 may be positioned coaxially relative to the holes 151 and 152 whereby rod 34 can be moved vertically. Rotation of the lever 132 clockwise as shown in Figure 6 causes bosses 149 and 150 to be trapped within recesses 156 and 157, respectively. This causes round section 155 to rotate substantially about its geometric centre, and moves the eccentric hole 164 in cam lever 132 out of alignment with holes 151 and 152 so that the rod 34 is locked in position. The system according to the invention locks the rod in position without the use of standard threaded fasteners requiring tools to move, adjust or lock the rod 34 or 134. In addition, the bracket can apply a vertical load to pretension the rod when a rod having a wedge or lip is used. The cam levers 32 and 132 are preferably formed of a hard plastic material. This allows the eccentric hole to deform when locking the rod 34. If the rod 34 is threaded, the eccentric hole 56 self threads when tightened thus increasing the holding force of the cam lever on the rod and permits the transfer of axial forces on the rod by engagement of the second cam 90. In the embodiment of Figure 3, the cam lever's rotation in the clockwise direction acts to help apply an axial load to a threaded rod 34. Upon full rotation of the cam lever, the first cam action becomes dominant thus locking the threaded rod into position with pretension. This is accomplished without the requirement for tools. Figure 4A also shows a further feature of the invention wherein the rod 134 includes position marker 170 spaced along the rod 134. These permit the operator to position the guide rail 20 for different sized containers being conveyed without the requirement for any additional measuring devices. While only a few embodiments of the invention are shown and described, the scope of the invention is not intended to be limited by the specific embodiments shown.

Claims: A guide rail support (12) for use with a conveyor (10) having transport means (16) for transporting articles from one location to another, guide rail holding means (70) for holding a guide rail (20) adjacent the transport means of a conveyor, support means (30) for supporting the guide rail holding means, said guide rail holding means being movable relative to the support means, said support means (30) being constructed and arranged to be mounted on a conveyor and adjacent the transport means, and clamping means (32) mounted on one of the holding means and support means and having a first position for securing the holding means against movement relative to said support means and a second position wherein said holding means is released for movement relative to the support means, whereby movement of the clamping means between its first and second positions permits rapid repositioning of the guide rail relative to the transport means of a conveyor without the use of tools, characterised in that said clamping means comprises cam means (32) mounted on one of the holding means and support means whereby said holding means (70) received by said support means may be selectively wedged relative to the support means, or freed for movement relative thereto, upon movement of said cam means (32) from a first position to a second position.. A guide rail support in accordance with Claim 1 characterised in that said holding means (70) comprises a member (34) received on said support means for movement relative thereto, said cam means (32) being operable to engage said member to lock said member against movement when said cam means is in its first position and to disengage said member upon movement of the cam means to its second position. A guide rail support in accordance with Claim 2 characterised in that said holding means comprises an elongate member (34) which is received by said support means for longitudinal sliding movement and said cam means is selectively operable to lock the elongate member against longitudinal movement or allow sliding movement of the elongate member. A guide rail support in accordance with any one of the preceding Claims characterised in that the holding means comprises an elongate member having a plurality of spaced position markers (170) for indicating the position of the guide rail holding means relative to said support. A guide rail support in accordance with any one of the preceding Claims, characterised in that said cam means (32) is mounted on said support means member for pivotal movement about an axis parallel to a longitudinal axis of the holding means, said cam means having an opening (56) therein which is eccentric relative to said axis, said support means having an opening (50) formed therein for receiving said holding means and adjacent said cam member, said holding means extending through the openings in said support means and said cam member, the axis of the opening in said support means being coaxial with the pivot axis. A guide rail support in accordance with Claim 5 characterised in that said cam means (32) comprises a member having a round portion (52) defined by opposed planar surfaces (54,55), the opening (56) in said cam member extending between said surfaces, said support including spaced apart support surfaces (46,47) for defining a space (61) for receiving the round portion of said cam member, the opening in said support means comprising coaxial openings formed in said support surfaces for receiving an elongate holding means member (34), said support surfaces supporting said cam member for pivotal movement about the pivot axis. A guide rail support in accordance with Claim 6 characterised in that the cam member comprises a handle (57) which extends outwardly from between said support surfaces so that said cam member may be pivoted. A guide rail support in accordance with Claim 6 or Claim 7 characterised in that a second cam (90) is provided on one (54) of the opposite surfaces of said cam member for engaging one of said support surfaces upon pivotal movement of said cam member from its second to its first position for imparting a caming force parallel to the longitudinal axis of the elongate holding means member (34). A guide rail support in accordance with any one of the preceding Claims characterised in that the holding means (70) comprises an elongate member (34) and one end of said elongate member is provided with means (74,78) for releasably supporting a guide rail (20) for movement in a lateral direction relative to the direction of longitudinal sliding movement of the elongate member when the cam means (32) is moved to its second position. A guide rail support in accordance with any one of the preceding Claims characterised in that the cam means (32) is a cam member comprising a round portion defined by opposed planar surfaces, an opening in said cam member extending between said surfaces, said support means including spaced apart support surfaces for defining a space for receiving the round portion of said cam member, the support means comprising coaxial openings in said support surfaces for receiving said cam member, and said support surfaces supporting said cam member for pivotal movement about a pivot axis parallel to the axis of the first opening. A conveyor installation characterised in that it comprises the combination of a conveyor frame assembly for supporting a conveyor belt or chain, and a plurality of supports each comprising a guide rail support in accordance with any one of the preceding Claims having the support means thereof mounted relative to the conveyor frame and said guide rail supports holding a guide rail adjacent a transport section of the conveyor.

Inventors: ENSCH PETER J, MITCHELL ROBERT E, WOYACH DENNIS A, ENSCH, PETER J., MITCHELL, ROBERT E., WOYACH, DENNIS A.
Applicants: REXNORD CORP, REXNORD CORPORATION
Application year: 1997
Main classification: B65G47
IPC codes: B65G21