Patent GB-853065-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in article conveying apparatus
Inventor: BENNETT JOHN DAVID
IPC: B65B57/14
Filed: 1958-03-28
Abstract: 853,065. Endless chain conveyers. FORGROVE MACHINERY CO. Ltd. Feb. 12, 1959 [March 28, 1958], No. 10076/58. Class 78 (1). In conveying apparatus for feeding tablets 30 to a wrapping machine and in which a string of interconnected tablets is conveyed in the pockets of a pocketed endless chain 31 to a point at which a reciprocating pusher 27 transfers them to apertures 32 in a feed disc 33 of the machine, manually operated means is provided for raising the pusher 27 to an inoperative position in which it reciprocates idly, the means being so constructed that the pusher cannot be raised during a working stroke of the pusher. The pusher 27 is carried by an eccentric 34 on a vertical shaft 15 and is guided by a link 39 and cam-operated lever 38 as described in Specification 740,283. The shaft 15 has a splined portion on which is mounted a worm-wheel 13 which is located by a fork 14 in register with a worm 36 driven in timed relationship with the chain 31. Below the splined portion there is secured a grooved cam cylinder 16 having a continuous central track 42, and upper and lower tracks 43, 44 leading (in the direction of rotation) into the central track by inclined portions 45, 46. A two-armed lever 19 is pivoted on a vertical pin 42 adjacent the cam cylinder and is provided with follower rollers 17, 18 at different levels which are alternatively engageable with the cam cylinder by pivoting the lever. The lever is manually operated by a hand lever 1 which is pivoted at 3 for lateral rocking movements to a block 4 which is loosely mounted on a shaft 7. A lever 5 having an aperture 50 is secured to shaft 7 adjacent block 4 and is normally held against a stop 11 by a spring 12. When the lever 1 is moved in a gate 2 laterally and forwards (to the right in Fig. 1) a pin 40 on the lever engages the aperture 50 and moves the lever 5 forwardly, so rotating shaft 7. A lever 8 on shaft 7 communicates this movement by a link 26 to the lever 19 thereby withdrawing roller 17 from engagement with the central track 42 of the cam cylinder and inserting roller 18 in the upper track 43. Consequently, at the appropriate time in the rotation of shaft 15, i.e. during the return stroke of the pusher, the roller 18 meets the inclined track portion 45 and raises the shaft 15 to lift the pusher 27 to the inoperative chain-line position. Similarly, when the lever 1 is returned to central position in the gate 2 roller 18 now in the central track 42 is withdrawn and roller 17 is engaged in the lower track 44 so that when it meets the inclined portion 46 causes the shaft 15 and pusher 27 to be lowered. This lowering takes place between the last portion of the return movement of the pusher and the commencement of the next pushing movement and is of shorted duration than the lifting movement. A collar 20 is provided on shaft 15 below the cam cylinder and cooperates with a spring-loaded pin 21 to lock the shaft in its upper and lower positions. The up- and-down movements of the shaft are controlled by a double-acting dashpot formed by the collar 20, a piston 23 and an oil-filled cylinder 24 having perforations 25 communicating with a reservoir 28. Speed-reducing mechanism.-In order to reduce the speed of the chain 31 to allow faulty tablets which have passed the transfer point when the pusher 27 was raised to be removed, a switch S is disposed in the circuit of the motor driving chain 31 which when opened reduces the motor current. Switch S is normally held closed by a cam plate 9 which is pivoted at 10 and has a slot 90 engaging a pin 41 on the lever 1. When lever 1 is moved to the right and rearwardly from its central position the pin 40 is disengaged from slot 50 in lever 5 and pin 41 moves in slot 90 to the end opposite to that shown in Fig. 1 to lift plate 9, so opening the switch S.