Patent GB-778140-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to article advancing conveyors
Inventor: ORWIN OLAF JOHN BARCLAY
IPC: B65G49/04
Filed: 1954-11-17
Abstract: 778,140. Endless conveyers; rope railways. FISHER & LUDLOW, Ltd. Nov. 17, 1955 [Nov. 17, 1954], No. 33250/54. Classes 78 (1) and 104 (2). A conveyer for transporting articles to one or more operating stations at which the articles are successively detached from the conveyer, operated on, and then reattached to the conveyer, consists of an endless conveying element carrying supporting members and pusher members spaced alternately along its length, and means disposed respectively at and beyond the operating station for detaching and reattaching the articles, each pusher member being adapted to engage an article after being operated on and push it beyond the operating station to the position of reattachment where the pusher is disengaged despite continuous movement of the conveyer element, the article being reattached to the next following supporting member. As shown, an endless conveyer chain 11, as described in Specification 639,244, runs in a track 10 and carries alternate supporting members 13 and pusher members 34. Both series of members carry pusher arms 24, 37 respectively which are pivoted centrally of their length to the members and have a pushing face 26 at one end, and a follower roller 28, 36, respectively, on the other end. The rollers 28 and 36 project to opposite sides and are respectively engageable with series of stationary cams 43, 45, 46, 48, and 44, 47, by which their associated pusher arms are alternately lowered into and raised from operative position. The pusher arms are held in both positions by spring means and stops (Fig. 2, not shown). The supporting members 13 each carry, in addition, a bracket 16 to which is pivoted a support arm 18 having end stops 19. A load carrier 20 normally rests by its curved face 21 on the support arm between the end stops, a number of articles to be plated being suspended from a depending rod 23 attached to the carrier. Carrier 20 is extended upwardly and has a grooved portion 41 at its upper end adapted to engage a three-section rail 38, 39, 40 at the operating station. As a carrier approaches the station it is guided by a rail 52 having a flared inlet into engagement with the rail section 39 whose surface is upwardly inclined to lift the carrier from its support arm 18. The associated pusher arm 24 is simultaneously lowered into operative position by cam 43 and pushes the carrier on to the rail, section 38, after which pusher arm 24 is raised by cam 45. Rail section 38 is movable transversely out of alignment with sections 39 and 40 and into alignment with an endless track (not shown) which extends through a plating tank and has an associated endless pusher chain for circulating the carrier through the tank and back to the rail section 38. The transverse movement of rail 38 is initiated by a switch (not shown) which is engaged by the pusher arm of the next following pusher member 34, after this pusher arm has been lowered by cam 44 to engage a carrier which has previously completed a circuit of the plating bath, has moved in on to the final rail section 40, and has been returned to inoperative position by the cam 47. After transverse movement of rail section 38, the conveyer remains stationary until the carrier carrying articles to be plated has been moved into the plating bath by the pusher chain associated with the bath, and a carrier carrying plated articles is returned to the rail section 38, an abutment on the pusher chain then operating a switch (not shown) to return the rail section 38 and subsequently restart the conveyer chain 11. The returned carrier is then engaged by the pusher arm 37 of a pusher member 34 and transferred to rail section 40 as previously mentioned, the previously transferred carrier already on rail section 40 being simultaneously pushed along the downwardly inclined surface of rail section 40 by the pusher arm 24 on the preceding support member 13, which pusher arm has been lowered by the cam 46. This lowers the latter carrier on to the support arm 18 of the support member 13 for conveyance away from the operating station, the pusher arm 24 afterwards being returned to inoperative position by cam 48.