Patent GB-735653-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to conveyor systems
IPC: B61B10/02
Filed: 1952-12-10
Abstract: 735,653. Conveyers. KING, D. M. Dec. 1, 1953 [Dec. 10, 1952], No. 31302/52. Class 78 (1). In a conveyer system wherein load carriers rest freely on a continuously driven endless chain, each has a depending load bar movable between an upper position when unloaded, and a lower position when loaded, the stopping of a loaded carrier at an unloading station stops the following carrier at a predetermined distance behind the first carrier until the latter is unloaded, by means of a switch operated by the first carrier only so long as the load bar is depressed, such switch controlling a solenoid adapted to project a stop into the path of the following carrier. The embodiment consists as shown of rocking levers 15 each having a stop pin 17 mounted at spaced intervals along the track of the conveyer in advance of a final stop indicated at 10. Each lever is operated by a solenoid 12, 14 against the action of a counterweight 16, the solenoids normally being energized through normally closed switches 11, 13 which are opened by contact with the final stop and with the pin 17 on the lever in advance of the energized solenoid respectively. The switch 11 is placed in the path C of a peg on the load bar of a carrier when the carrier is loaded, the peg being adapted to travel in a higher path B when the carrier is unloaded. The pins 17 are normally below the path C but upon deenergizing of an associated solenoid are lifted into the path C by the counterweights 16. In operation, a loaded carrier opens switch 11 and thus lifts the preceding stop pin 17 into the path of the next loaded carrier, which opens the associated limit switch 13 to raise the next stop pin, and so on. When the first loaded carrier has been unloaded its peg rises to the path B reclosing switch 11 to release in turn the waiting load carriers so that the latter each move up one place, the first loaded carrier in the queue upon reaching switch 11 opening it again to stop the waiting carriers in their advanced positions. A control device, Fig. 8, consists in the provision on each of a number of S-shaped carriers 30, adapted to travel on track 31 or track 32 by their upper or medial parts respectively, of a box 33 containing a plurality of projectable pins settable to predetermined combinations of projections and retractions so as to co-operate with similar sets of pins at corresponding predetermined transfer stations where a pusher transfers the selected carrier from one track to the other. A further selection of destination may be made automatically by providing the head of the pusher (not shown) which embraces the box 33 with a plurality of setting elements adapted to set the pins on the carrier to a new combination. In a further arrangement, Fig. 6 (not shown), a slide track by-passes a loop of the conveyer and selected carriers, e.g. unloaded ones are guided by co-operation of their pegs with guide surfaces onto the track where they are pushed along step by step by a longitudinally reciprocated bar or chain provided with pivoted fingers which is reciprocated so that the fingers push the carriers on the forward stroke and slide over them on the return stroke. Specifications 701,610, 712,871, 719,888 and 721,654 are referred to.