Patent GB-824060-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to conveyor mechanisms
IPC: B65B59/00
Filed: 1957-08-02
Abstract: 824,060. Endless conveyers for handling articles. AMERICAN MACHINE & FOUNDRY CO. Aug. 2, 1957 [Aug. 2, 1956], No. 24614/57. Class 78 (1). In a conveyer for feeding loaves of bread to a wrapping-machine, of the kind in which each loaf is retained between two plates 92, 94 carried respectively by endless chains 10, 12, and propelled by these plates along a supporting plate 90, means is provided for adjusting the relative positions of the two chains to enable loaves of different size to be conveyed. This means comprises a pair of coaxial sprocketwheels 14, 16 respectively engaging the chains 10, 12, and freely rotatable on a tubular hollow shaft 28 mounted in bearings 30, 32, 34 which are arranged in housings 40, 42 interconnected by a yoke (not shown). The unit comprising the two housings and the yoke is slidable along two rods 48, 50, arranged parallel to the conveyer, for tensioning purposes, and is normally locked in position by clamping screws. A plug 151 is secured within one end of the shaft 28 and from this a stub shaft 58 projects. A bevel gear 62 is secured to the stub shaft and engages a bevel gear 66 on a driving shaft 72 which in turn is driven from the wrapping-machine by a sprocket chain 68. A bearing block 160 is mounted in a transverse bore in the central portion of the shaft 28, being held in place by a pin 162. A transverse shaft 158 is rotatably mounted in the bearing block and has a pinion 156 formed integrally with it. A bevel gear 170 in engagement with both of the bevel gears 20, 22 is secured to one end of shaft 158 and an idle bevel gear 168, also engaging both bevel gears, is mounted on the other end of this shaft. A rack 152 is in engagement with the pinion 156, the rack being formed as a plunger with one end slidable in a bore in the plug 151 and the other end secured to a block 150 which is axially slidable within the shaft 28. The block is mounted at its outer end on a bearing-ring 144 carried by one end of a spindle 138 which is formed at its other end with a screw-thread 120 engaged by an internally-threaded boss 119 rotatable in the housing 42. The boss 119 is formed with an integral bevel gear 116 in engagement with a further bevel gear 114 carried by a shaft 106 which may be rotated through a sprocket chain 102 either by a hand wheel or by automatically-operated mechanism linked with adjusting-gear on the wrapping-machine. In operation, when shaft 72 is being driven, the rack 152 and transverse shaft 158 rotate together with the shaft 28. In the absence of any adjustment being given to the shaft 106 the rack 152 remains stationary with respect to the shaft 28 so that the transverse shaft 158 does not rotate about its own axis and both bevel gears 20, 22 are driven by the bevel gear 170 at the same speed. When an adjustment of shaft 106 is effected the rack 152 moves axially within the shaft 28 causing relative movement in opposite directions of the bevel gears 20, 22 so that the spacing of the plates carried by the respective chains is adjusted. U.S.A. Specification 2,650,459 is referred to.