Patent GB-863030-A (GB)
Title: Conveyor equipment
IPC: B61B3/00
Filed: 1957-07-01
Abstract: 863,030. Elevated and other railway systems. SCHWING, F. W. July 1, 1957 [July 3, 1956; May 25, 1957; June 11, 1957], No. 20642/57. Class 104 (2). (Also in Groups XXXI and XXXII] Conveyer equipment comprises a track having at least one vertical or inclined section, a plurality of trolleys each having a prime mover, a loadhandling member pivotally attached to each trolley about an axis located above the centre of gravity of the member, interengaging means on each trolley and at least on the vertical or inclined section, and means operative along the section positively preventing movement of each trolley away from the track in a substantially vertical plane sufficient to cause disengagement of the interengaging means. Each self-propelled trolley travelling along a conveyer rail 20, Fig. 6, comprises grooved friction wheels 21 driven from a motor 25 and engaging opposite sides of the bottom flange of the rail 20, Fig. 8, the wheels 21 also being provided with teeth 29 to engage at inclined or vertical sections of the rail, with teeth or pins 30 on the rail, and a load carrying container 1 pivotally carried above its centre of gravity in bearings 6, or in gimbals, from a frame 5, whereby the container 1 will always hang vertically downwards. Each end of the frame 5 is provided a bolster 16, Fig. 7, pivoted by pins 13 in bearings 12, the bolster being pivotally connected by a king-pin 17 with a bogie frame 14 carrying a pair of guide rollers 19 engaging the top of the rail 20. The frame 14 has guides 15 to slidably engage the bolster. The driving wheels 21 are slidable axially on driving shafts 23 against the action of springs 32, the shafts being carried in bearing blocks 22 pivoted by pins 27 to the frame 14. The wheels 21 are urged against the rail by a compression spring 28 between the blocks 22. At their upper ends the shafts 23 are connected to spur wheels 24 driven by a pinion 26 from the electric motor 25. Only one bogie need be powered, but the undriven bogie must be provided with a spring 28. If desired, the motor may be an I.C. engine, which would then either be mounted rigidly on the container to pivot therewith (as described with reference to Fig. 11, not shown) or pivotally mounted on one bogie and connected by linkage to the container 1 so as to remain upright (as described with reference to Fig. 13, not shown). In a modified drive, Fig. 15, the top of the rail 20 is provided with a rack 42 engageable by pins 43 between rollers 48 engaging the top of the rail 20 on both sides of the rack 42. Guide rollers 44 then engage opposite sides of the bottom channelled flange of the rail. A further modification described with reference to Fig. 19 (not shown) consists in driving rollers frictionally engaging the upper surface of the bottom flange of a rail 20, the flange being connected by web members to a channelled rail top in which are mounted pins engageable by a driving pinion. As shown in Figs. 21 and 23, the ends of sections 50, 51 of the rail 20 are cut back to provide an angle of rake and one end is provided with a V-notch co-operating with a V-point on the other rail end. U-shaped connectors 52 carried by the sections are connected to U-shaped members 54 through knock-out pins 53. This arrangement allows relative movements of the rail sections in both the vertical and horizontal directions. The members 54 are carried by cross-beams 57 adjustably carried by upright supports as described with reference to Figs. 27 to 30 (not shown). Fig. 33 shows a complete endless conveyer rail in elevation. The vehicle may be conveyed along twin rail track as described with reference to Fig. 35 (not shown) in which case the driving rollers engage a supplementary rail between the track rails. In further embodiments described with reference to Figs. 36 to 38 (not shown), a single rail is carried by portals (which may be adjustable) or C-brackets and the container is pendently supported from a driven vehicle overhanging the rail. In these latter embodiments, the driving wheels engage the sides of the top of the rail and peripheral radial apertures in the wheels are engageable with studs on the sides of the rail web. A single guide roller engages one side of the rail bottom flange. Figs. 48 and 49 show a further embodiment in which a single flexible rail is underslung in a portal structure 101. A steel or plastic cable or rope or the like 110 is carried by the portal and hangers 109 on the cable 110 carry angle iron rails 107 connected by rack pins 106 engageable by a driven pinion 105 carried by a vehicle having guide wheels 108 engaging the rails 107. Further forms of flexible single rail are described with reference to Figs. 50 to 54 (not shown) in which the wheels 108 may engage chain links or a row of profiled abutting bodies through which the cable is threaded. Specification 583,760 is referred to.