Patent GB-298433-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to automatic conveyors
IPC: B65G47/48
Filed: 1928-02-14
Abstract: 298,433. Lamson Co., Inc., (Assignees of Cowley, J. T., and Allen, L. C.). Oct. 17, 1927, [Convention date]. Discharging and feeding-devices for endless-belt and chain conveyers and elevators; driving-gear; guiding; push-plate conveyers and elevators; carriers, attaching to belts; comb carriers.-A conveyer system for automatically transferring crates, &c. singly or in series from a common source to any selected part of one of several floors of a building is provided with a pilot car not intended for carrying articles but only for convoying one or more crates. The pilot car is provided with means for actuating a deflector at the selected point after passing it but before the crates have reached it. After actuating the deflector the pilot car continues its journey back to its starting point. The system is described as applied to a building of five floors A - - E which is used for the storage of 'merchandise previously packed in crates. The pilot cars are stored on a gravity conveyer 1 at the floor C and are released one at a time by tripping a stop lever 6. The released car passes on to a belt conveyer 7 which transfers it to a gravity conveyer 8. The conveyer 7 is driven at such a speed that the first car is separated from the second car, and consequently the stop 6 returns to its operative position before the second car reaches it. During the passage of the car over the conveyer 8, an attendant places a pin in one of a series of holes 3 formed in one end of it, the position of the hole determining the floor to which the car will travel and the deflector on that floor which it will actuate. From conveyer 8 the car passes to a belt conveyer 9 upon which are mounted double-acting automatic deflectors 10, 11, 12 by means of which the car is deflected on to one of the conveyers 13,14,15, or permitted to pass to the end of the conveyer whence it is transferred to the conveyer 16. The conveyers 13 - - 16 deposit the car on the top run of belt conveyers 18. Double-acting automatic deflectors 61 are placed at frequent intervals on the conveyers 18 and are actuated by the pin on the car so as to move into operative position after the car has passed. The deflector which has been actuated will divert the following crates from the conveyer 18 and will remain operative until the passage of another car. The pilot car passes to the end of the upper run and is then transferred to the lower run until its arms 5 encounter a stationary deflector 90 which diverts it on to a shoot 91 down which it travels to a gravity conveyer 92. It then passes by a fixed automatic gravity feed 95 to an elevator 96 which carries it to a gravity conveyer 217 feeding a belt conveyer 218 which-delivers to a gravity conveyer 219 leading to the conveyer 1. Each deflector 10,11,12 comprises a frame attached to the side frames of the conveyer 9 in which are mounted rock-shafts 24, 25, Fig. 6, from. which depend tabs 27, 28. These tabs are so placed that they only engage pins placed in certain of the holes 3, 3'. A crank arm 32 on the rock-shaft 24 is connected by a link 34, bellcrank lever 33, link 36, bell-crank lever 37, and link 38 to the lower end of a latch 29 which is normally kept up by a spring 30 in position to retain a deflector bar 31 in deflecting position. A crank arm 227 on the shaft 25 is connected by a link 41 to an arm 226 secured to a vertical shaft 225 carrying the bar 31. When the tab 28 is encountered by a pin, the shaft 25 is rocked and the bar 31 is moved across the belt against the action of a retracting spring 40. During its movement the bar will pass over and depress the latch 29, but after its passage the latch will rise and hold the bar in deflecting position until a tab 27 on the shaft 24 is struck by a succeeding pilot car when the latch will be lowered and the spring 40 will return the bar to its inoperative position. The cars pass from the conveyer 9 on to gravity conveyers 39 which transfer them to conveyers 13 - - 16, each of which comprises a pair of parallel endless chains 58 connected by pusher-bars 59 which bear against the back of a car, crate, &c. and propel it along a track 42. At the driving end the chains pass round sprockets 50 on a shaft 49 upon one end of which is mounted a gear 48. A shaft 45 carries at one end a pinion 47 meshing with the gear 48, and at the other end of the conveyer the sprocket carrying shaft 54 carries also a number of corrugated feed rolls 56. Stops 57 are rotatably mounted on the shaft 54 between the rolls 56 and are prevented from turning by the engagement of a tail piece 57<1> between the underside of the track 42 and a rod 57". When a car reaches the end of a conveyer 39 it is brought to rest by the stops 57 with its front end a short distance in advance of one of the crossbars 59. When a cross-bar encounters the car, it lifts it and carries it forward to the position X<1>, Fig. 17, in which it is in contact with the preceding car. The bar now moves from below the car into contact with the back of the preceding car and pushes it along the track. As the bar'moves from under the car, its front end drops on to the rolls 56 which carry it forward on to the track to position X<11> in position to be engaged by the next cross-bar. The deflectors 61 on the conveyers 18 are of similar construction to the deflectors 10 - - 12. The elevator comprises two parallel endless chains 108 between which carriers 107 are pivoted. Each carrier has vertical side arms 113, Fig 36, connected by a square shaft 114 pinned to guide members 115. Guide members 116 on the upper ends of the side arms carry pins 117 which engage eyes in the links of the chains 108. The guide members 115, 116 travel between tracks 118 secured to the framework. A fixed trip-member 119, Fig. 38, is secured to one of the arms .113 and has arms 120, 121. The arm 120 actuates a rockarm to effect the opening of the movable loading station, and the arm 121 actuates the trip arm of the automatic feed on the automatic loading station. The outer end 122 of the arm 121 extends downwards for the purpose of holding the automatic feed in operating position for a time sufficient to insure the loading of a pilot car. A plate 123, Fig. 37, secured to the other arm 113 carries guide bars 124 between which is slidably mounted a trip member 125 actuated by a rock arm 126. The arm 126 is rigidly secured to one end of a tubular shaft 128 rotatably mounted on a shaft 129. An arm 130 secured to the other end of the shaft 128 projects upwards between two carrier arms 131 mounted on the shaft 114. When a car is deposited on the carriers 131, the arm 130 will be rotated and the consequent rotation of the shaft 128 will cause the trip member 125 to move to the position shown in dotted lines, Fig. 37. The parts are returned to initial position by a spring 133 as soon as the car is removed. The elevator shaft 105 is driven by a motor 98, Fig. 31, through a flexible coupling 99<1>, speed reduction gearing 101, pinion 103 and gear 104. The car is brought to rest on the gravity feed conveyer 95 by a stop roll 134, Fig. 30. A roller 139 disposed between the rollers 138 and the roll 134 is mounted in two vertical arms 140 which are supported by crank-arms 145 on a rock-shaft 146. A rock-arm 148 on the shaft is connected by a rod 149<1> to a pivoted arm 149 which extends into the path of the arm 121. The loading platforms 151, 152 at the bottom floor are fixed and comprise side members 153, 154 and rollers 155. The distance between the platforms is sufficient to permit the passage of the shaft 114, and the distance apart of the side members is less than the distance between the carriers 131. At the other floors the feed conveyer 95 is provided with a lock trip comprising a roller 156<1> supported normally above the upper face of the feed conveyer by curved arms on a rock shaft 157. The arms are maintained in this position by a weighted arm 158 secured to the shaft. An arm 161 on the shaft is connected by a rod 162 to a shotted lever 163 which is engaged by a pin 165 on a bifurcated crank-arm 164 on shaft 173. The lower end of the slot 166 opens into a short horizontal slot 166<1> having a slightly enlarged end. The slotted lever 163 is connected by a rod 168 to a crank arm 169 on a rock-shaft 170 which has an arm 172 projecting into the path of the trip member 125, Fig. 37. A movable station platform 186 and means for actuating the feed roll 139 are secured to the shaft 184. A rock-arm 198 has one arm extending into the path of the arm 120, and the other arm connected by a rod 199 to an arm 200 on the shaft 173. The platforms 175, 186 are held in open position by a weighted arm 201 which rests normally on stops 203. If a car is on the bottom feed conveyer 95, the first carrier passing up through this loading station will engage the arm 149 and cause the car to be raised by the roller 139 over the stop 134 and to pass on to the platforms 151, 152 in position to be picked up by the next car. When it is to be picked up, the bottom of the car depresses the detent 130 and effects the withdrawal 'of the trip member 125 so that the carrier can pass upwards without actuating the arms 172 at the other loading stations. This action will be repeated as long as there are pilot cars at the bottom station. The first carrier to pass when this station has been emptied will have the member 125 in extended position, and this will engage the arm 172 at the first loading station above, the lever 163 will be forced downwards and if there is no pilot car on the gravity feed, the lever 163 will be in the position shown in full lines in Fig. 27, and the platforms will not move. If a pilot car is on the feed conveyer, the lock trip 156 will have been depressed, and the lever 163 will have been drawn over until the pin 165 registered with the enlarged portion of the slot 166<1>. In this case when the arm 172 is rocked, the arm 164 will be rocked downwards, and the platf