Patent GB-763491-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to conveyor systems for operation with switch-points
IPC: B65G35/00
Filed: 1954-03-26
Abstract: 763,491. Conveyer-vehicle drive system. SIEMENS-SCHUCKERTWERKE AKT.-GES. March 26, 1954 [March 27, 1953], No. 8983/54. Class 104 (2). In a conveyer-vehicle drive system for operation with switch points in mines or similar plant a train or trains of load-carrying vehicles is or are moved in one or the other directions on upper or lower runs of a conveyer system by stationary electric drives reversed by relays, there are associated with each drive direction dependent controls actuated by a train in the zone of the pertaining electric drive and there are provided two separate contact groups connected to each of the controls, one for running the drive in each direction and the individual contacts of the contact groups are connected into control circuits of two relays of the drive and the individual contact groups are also connected into the control circuits of the two drives adjacent the drive in such a manner that the drives are electrically locked to prevent collision of two trains or to prevent a train running on to a blocked drive. Drives 1, 2, 3 ... propel trains 21 along a supporting structure TK. Each drive K, Fig. 2, is driven by an electric motor M. Control switches A, B, C and D arranged at the incoming and outgoing ends on the upper and lower runs comprise levers or discs operated by a cam-like bar arranged along the entire length of the train. Associated with each drive are two relays SL, SR for left- or righthand travel and each relay is provided with locking contacts VL, VR and closing contacts L, R respectively, the locking contacts of one relay SR being located in the circuit of the other relay SL and vice versa. The closing contacts L and R are provided in the relay circuits of two adjacent drives (e.g. contacts L3 and R3 of drive 3 in the relay circuits of drives 2 and 4). Each circuit has parallel connected closing contacts aL to dL and aR to dR forming a contact group I. Each of the end section drives 1, 8, 10, 12 and 14 has only two control switches (e.g. in drive 1 switches D and A are omitted). A switch AS in the circuit of drive 1 stops all drives in the system. In the case of the other drives in each relay circuit opening contacts of the two control switches of the upper and lower runs of an adjacent switch are connected in series to form part of contact group II (e.g. contacts 2a, 2b in the circuit of relay SL3 and contacts 2c, 2d in the circuit of relay SR3). Connected in parallel with the previously mentioned group of contacts forming part of contact group II is a series arrangement of opening contacts (e.g. contacts 3aL, 3bL of the top run of drive 3 are connected in the circuit of relay SL3, these contacts of relay SL being opened when the drive associated with the relay is running towards the left of Fig. 1). A control switch in the lower run of the adjacent drive is provided with a contact which opens when the drive is running towards the left (e.g. contact 2dL in the circuit of relay SL3). In the circuit of each relay SR are series-connected contacts of the lower run control switches of the associated drive which contacts open when the drive runs towards the right (e.g. contacts 3CR and 3dR of the lower run of drive 3 connected in relay SR3 circuit in series with contact 2bR). Connected in parallel with these two parallel-connected series arrangements of contacts (e.g. contacts 2a, 2b and 3aL, 3bL, 2dL) are closing contacts L or R of the adjacent relay SL or SR. Each control circuit of the individual drives contains in series with group II a further group III of contacts comprising the opening contacts of the corresponding control switches (e.g. for relay SL3 contacts 4c, 4d are in series and are parallel with series-arranged contacts 3cL, 3dL, 4aL arranged in parallel with contact L4). In addition, for drives such as 4, situated before switch points, there is provided for each branch a corresponding switch point locking contact WU, Fig. 5, in the circuit of relay SL4 on a switch point locking contact WO in the circuit of relay SR4. This circuit is connected in parallel with the previously mentioned group III contacts. Each switch point, which consists of separate movable upper and lower switch point tongues, is provided with such a locking switch WO, WU for each switch-point tongue so that in the case of drive 9 a corresponding group III<1> is connected in series with a group III in the control circuit of drive 4. If there are a plurality of branches further additional groups, say III<2> (not shown), must be provided. The drives 5, 9, 7, 11 and 13 after switch points are provided with a further group IV of contacts. In this group parallel-connected closing contacts of the lower run control switches, which close for running in a left-hand direction, are connected in parallel with the associated switch point locking contact WO (e.g. closing contacts 5cL, 5dL in parallel in relay circuit SL5). In series with these contacts are closing contacts of the control switches for operation in the left-hand direction in the top run of the associated drive (e.g. closing contacts 5aL, 5bL in relay circuit SL5). The circuit of relay SR5 is similarly arranged (e.g. closing contacts 5aR, 5bR in parallel are in series with closing contacts 5cR, 5dR and then these contacts are in parallel with contact WU). In the arrangement shown in Fig. 1 a train 21 travelling on the upper run from drive 6 to 5 will be stopped by the train operating the control switch 5B since the switch point is set towards the drive 9 (e.g. the relay circuit of SL5 is broken by the open contact WO and by open contacts 5bL, 5cL, 5dL of group IV so that the drive 5 cannot start). At the same time the drive 6 is stopped since contacts 5b, 6aL and L5 in the relay circuit SL6 (not shown) of group II are open. Only after change-over of the switch point and the closing of contact WO can the drive 5 run in the left-hand direction. If for example a train is travelling on the lower run from drive 4 to drive 9 and the upper part of the switch point is set in the direction of drive 5 then the bridging of the switch point locking contact WO in the drive 9 by closing contacts 9cL, 9dL (not shown) must be cancelled out by opening contacts 9aL, 9bL (not shown). In this manner it is possible for a train to travel on the lower run from drive 4 to 9 and at the same time for a train Z2 to travel from drive 5 to 4 on the upper run, Fig. 5. If at drive 3 the relay SL3 is blocked (i.e. contact L3 in relay SL4 and contacts 4aL, 4bL are open) as soon as the train moves the control switch 3B to the left the contact 3b is opened and group II of the relay SL4 is opened so that drive 4 stops. The train thus remains stationary before drive 3 after leaving drive 4 since the distance of the control switch from the drive is greater than the stopping distance. If a second train travels from the right from the lower run to the drive 3 by way of drive 1, drive 2 is stopped as soon as the control switches 2A, 2B are actuated to open contacts 2aR, 2bR in contact group III. After the blocking of relay SL3 is terminated the installation can only recommence operation when reciprocal locking is terminated. This is effected by throwing a change-over switch U, S, either in the drive 1 or 4 depending on the direction in which the two trains Z1, Z2 are to follow one another. In the case shown in Fig. 7 a train Z1 is standing on the upper run of drive 2 it being assumed that drive 1 is blocked. In the lower run of drive 2 a train Z2 is to travel in the direction of drive 4 from 3. To enable drive 3 to start in the anti-clockwise direction, despite the stationary drive 2, group II or III is for example provided with a current path through contacts 3aL, 3bL, 2dL in relay SL3 in the case of drive 3. The only condition is that train 21 must have passed drive 3 and no other train is coming from drive 4 on the upper run and that train Z2 has left drive 2.