Patent GB-1041449-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to article transfer mechanism
Inventor: BULLIVANT ARTHUR JAMES
IPC: B65G17/12
Filed: 1964-05-28
Abstract: 1,041,449. Endless conveyers. LAMSON ENGINEERING CO. Ltd. May 27, 1965 [May 28, 1964 (2)], Nos. 22105/64 and 22106/64. Heading B8A. An elevator having ascending and descending runs A, D between several floors of a building comprises an endless chain 10 carrying at spaced intervals load carriers C which pass adjacent article dispatch and receiving stations during the ascending and descending runs respectively, a mechanism associated with each of the said stations to sense the condition of the station and the adjacent carrier before initiating the dispatch or receiving operation. Each carrier comprises two horizontal article carrying arms 30, 31 secured to an arm 22 attached to the chain 10 and a back plate 20 attached to the arm 22 mounts rollers 23, 24 at top and bottom to run on guides 25, 26, 27, whereby the carrier is maintained at the same attitude throughout the full circuit. At a dispatch station, an article carriage 45, Fig. 2 (not shown), is horizontally rollable into the path of the carrier C which passes up through the carriage lifting an article thereon, therefrom. Before the dispatch carriage can move into the path of the carrier C, a series of dispatch mechanism switches must be operated. The latter comprise (in Fig. 4, not shown) a switch 101 on the carriage operated by an article thereon, a normally closed switch 105 which must remain closed indicating that there is no article already on the carriage and a switch 111 momentarily operated by the carrier as it approaches the station, to activate a holding circuit for a solenoid 120. The said switch operation indicates that an article is on the carriage ready for dispatch and the approaching article carrier C is empty, whereupon a holding circuit is established for the dispatch carriage moving mechanism. The latter mechanism comprises a link and gear arrangement, Figs. 3 and 4 (not shown), which is actuated by an extension of the ascending carrier engaging a free end of the linkage, the free end being moved into the path of said extension by a solenoid energized through the said holding circuit. The mechanism moves the carriage towards and away from the elevator whereafter the ascending carrier operates a switch for breaking the said holding circuit. The receiving mechanism and its control is similar to that of dispatch except that activation of a particular station mechanism depends on a pair of trip switches being closed by a like pair of trip levers mounted on the carrier, whereby the receiving station may be selected. A combination of trip levers carried on each carrier C is selectively set at the dispatch station by trip setting levers, Fig. 6 (not shown). The latter levers are preselected to move into a tripping position under control of a solenoid energized when the dispatch mechanism circuit is energized and are returned when the associated holding circuit is broken. In a further embodiment, Figs. 14-20 (not shown), the article is dispatched to or received from the elevator by a platform movable between a conveyer and the elevator on a parallel arm supporting structure. A linkage system associated with the structure is movable under solenoid control into the path of a sensing member on the carrier, whereupon engagement occurs and the movement of the platform is mechanically controlled by the moving carrier.