Patent GB-742306-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in and relating to travelling conveyors
IPC: B65G17/02
Filed: 1952-01-11
Abstract: 742,306. Endless-belt conveyers. ROPEWAYS, Ltd., and FOSTER, J. W. Dec. 22, 1952 [Jan. 11, 1952; May 22, 1952], Nos. 950/52 and 13004/52. Class 78 (1). In a belt conveyer formed by one or more load-carrying surfaces 24 supported on a succession of trollies 26 interconnected by haul transmitting members 30, each trolley has a central portion 36 to which are articulated about an axis longitudinal of the conveyer side portions 38, tracks 28 being provided along the conveyer adapted to tilt the side portions along the conveying run to trough the loadcarrying surface or surfaces. As shown, the trollies 26 are interconnected by lengths of driving cable 30 at each side of the band, the lengths being connected by couplings 34 which engage in the end sprockets 16, one of which is driven. Some of the couplings 34, Fig. 3, are provided on extensions 35 of the central portion 36 of each trolley and on these extensions are mounted rollers 41 for running on a guide track (not shown) at either side. Supplementary drive may be applied to the couplings 34 by intermediate drive units, Fig. 12, comprising an endless driven chain 112 carrying pivoted abutment members 118 which are provided with rollers 124 engaging a track 122 in the driving zone. An endless belt, a series of belt sections, or a series of laths 24, Fig. 3, is carried by the trollies, e.g. one section between each two trollies. A discontinuous belt may alternatively be provided, the feed to which is in cerrupted at the gaps. The belt is carried at the ends of the conveyer by tumblers concentric with the sprockets 16. The belt and ropes are tensioned together by a combination of a screw 128 and spring 132. The articulated portions 38 are tilted to trough the belt by pairs of rollers 52 engaging the tracks 28, each pair of rollers being carried by a carrier 48, slidable on a rod 43 depending from extension 35, and connected by a link 50 to the associated side portion 38, the belt being flattened for passage around the end tumbler rollers by a dropping portion 29 of the track 28. Slides may be used in place of some or all of the rollers 52. In the case of the belt being formed of laths, the outer portions of the laths are hinged to the inner portions to allow of the troughing action. Tracks 62 around the end tumblers may be used to constrain the rollers 52 around these tumblers, tracks 62 being continued by tracks 64 on the lower run for supporting the trolleys. To compensate for the inner side of the belt sagging on horizontal curves in the conveyer path, extra tracks 64 are provided on the inside of the curve to raise the inner rollers 41 and thus maintain the belt substantially flat. In a modification, Fig. 6, further rollers 72 are provided on the central portion of each trolley to engage tracks 74, and the rollers 52 are replaced by rollers 80 fixed in relation to the trolley outer portions and running on suitably banked tracks 82 when in the raised position. Alternatively the rollers 80 may be pivotally mounted on a horizontal longitudinal axis and arranged to remain in the vertical plane, the pivotal mounting being slotted to allow for the lateral movement of the pivot accompanying tilting of the trolley outer portions.