Patent GB-1086144-A (GB)
Title: Tow truck system and tow truck therefor
Inventor: WARR-LANGTON HAROLD KAHAN
IPC: B61B10/04
Filed: 1965-02-02
Abstract: 1,086,144. Conveyer systems. SI HANDLING SYSTEMS Inc. Feb. 2, 1965, No. 4565/65. Heading B7L. In a tow truck system 10 wherein a truck 18 having a tow pin 74 is driven by a conveyer means (not shown) in a main slot 14 in a floor surface 12, the truck is provided with a route selector rack 34 rotatable about a horizontal axis extending transversely of the direction of movement of the truck, whereby the truck may be diverted into any one of a large number of shunt slots, e.g. 16, 16a, none of which are provided with switch means. As shown, the rack 34 comprises side members 36, 38 carried by a bar 40 rotatable in brackets 30, 32 on a truck brace 28, the members 36, 38 supporting a bar 42 provided with a plurality of notches 44. A trip rod 46 carried by a housing 48 selectively slidable on the bar 42 is engageable in a notch 44 under the urge of a rubber band 50, the particular notch corresponding to an abutment 52 on the floor adjacent the slot 16 to which it is desired to divert the truck 18. The lower end of the trip rod 46 can engage the abutment and when this occurs the rack 34 is rotated to move a trip arm 54 on the member 38. The trip arm 64 engages an abutment arm 56 on a horizontal rod 58 rotatable in brackets 60, 62 depending from the truck 18. The rod 58 carries a member 64 supporting a vertical pin 66 normally held in an upper position by a spring 75. When the arm 56 is rotated by the rack arm 54 the pin 66 is lowered against the urge of the spring 75 into an arcuate camming slot 70 in a plate 68 in the floor 12. Consequently as the truck moves the tow pin 74 is caused, by the guidance of the pin 66 in the slot 70, to be diverted into the shunt slot 16. Atfer the trip rod 46 passes over the abutment 52 the pin 66 returns to its upper position before it can abut the end of the slot 70. The rack 34 may extend over the full width of the truck. In another form the rack or two racks one at each side of the tow pin each have two trip pins engageable with two abutments at the end of a normally horizontal plate rotatable against spring urge about a horizontal axis as described with reference to Figs. 2 and 3 (not shown). The shunt slot in this case does not intersect the main slot 14, the intersection being replaced by a land. The tow pin is lifted over the land by the operation of the trip mechanism. Two other embodiments described with reference to Figs. 4 and 8 (not shown) dispense with the camming slot in the floor 12. Both embodiments include a rack at each side of the tow pin and in the embodiment of Fig. 4 pockets in the adjacent ends of the racks are selectively engageable by one or other of the ends of an arm structure pivotal on the truck about a vertical pivot whereby the latter is moved to engage the side of the main slot and cause the truck to pivot about another vertical axis and thus divert the tow pin into the selected shunt slot. In the embodiment of Fig. 8 a stickpin having its lower end normally above the floor and leading the tow pin and to one side thereof, is caused to be lowered into the selected shunt slot and thus cause the truck to swing about the stickpin and cause the tow pin to enter the shunt slot. This embodiment has a lost-motion between the racks and the stickpin whereby both racks must be rotated in order to rotate the stickpin.