Patent GB-868695-A (GB)
Title: Improvements relating to means for aligning relatively-movable objects
Inventor: CUTTLE GEOFFREY
IPC: B66B17/20
Filed: 1958-09-18
Abstract: 868,695. Decking apparatus for mine hoists. SIMON-CARVES Ltd. Aug. 17, 1959 [Sept. 18, 1958], No. 26437/58. Class 78 (4). A trackway 13, Fig. 1, is aligned with a trackway 8 in a mine cage 2 by means controlled by a bridge 53 pivoted in the end of a floating platform 12. In operation, the cage 2 is lowered until a deck 8 carrying rails 7 is aligned with the rails 13 on the platform 12. As a cam 56 engages a roller 57, Fig. 3, on a rod 67 of a shuttle valve 58, the roller rides up the cam and engages the outer dwell surface thereof. This moves the shuttle 66 to the position shown in Fig. 3, admitting fluid to the top of a piston 72 of a ram 60 and causing it to move downwards in the cylinder 71. This draws a rod 62 towards the lower end of a slot 63 and pivots the bridge 53 towards its horizontal position. As the bridge 53 swings downwards, the compression on a spring 76 is first released and then a valve-operating arm 75 moves with the bridge 53, drawing a rod 77 upwards and moving shuttle pistons 78, 79 so that a fluid path is opened to the top of a piston 35 of a ram 32, through conduits 42, 45, and opening a cylinder 33 below the piston 35 to exhaust, through conduits 46, 48, 49 to a reservoir 41. As the piston 35 of the ram 32 is lowered, the platform 12, Fig. 1, sinks until a toe 54 of the bridge 53 engages in a recess 55 in the appropriate deck 8 of the cage 2. If the platform 12 continues to sink, the bridge 53, now held by the toe 54 on the deck 8, pivots about a pin 59 and causes the arm 75 to move the rod 77 and pistons 78, 79 downwards in the cylinder 44 until the pistons close the ends of the respective conduits 45, 46 and the fluid in the cylinder 33 of the ram 32 is trapped on both sides of the piston 35 and further movement of the platform 12 is prevented. At this stage track 13 on the platform 12 and the track 5, 6 or 7 in the cage 2 are in horizontal alignment and a chain ram 21 is operated to push a car 4 into the cage and, if appropriate, to eject another car therefrom on the opposite side of the cage. If a full car is loaded, the cage will sink slightly. As this occurs, the bridge 53 will follow the cage down, causing the arm 77 to move the pistons 78, 79 to admit fluid to the opposite side of the piston 35 and so lower the platform 12 with the cage 2 until the bridge 53 again becomes horizontal. Alternatively, if an empty car is loaded, the car will rise. This will pivot the bridge 53 in the reverse direction and cause the platform 12 to rise until the bridge 53 is again horizontal. As the cage 2 moves on to align the next deck, the roller 57, Fig. 3, leaves the cam 56 and the spring 69 moves the shuttle 66 allowing the ram 60 to move the bridge 53 into its dotted line position shown on Fig. 3. The hydraulic operation described may be replaced by electrical means in which the shuttle valves 44, 58 are replaced by suitable rheostats and the rams 32, 60 by reversible driving means such as electric motors. Similarly, the cam and roller means may be substituted by proximity switching means such as a radio active source acting upon switching means of the type described in Specification 868,696. The sensing device will preferably be associated with means similar to the hydraulic means described for actuating and controlling the bridge 53 and the rams 32 and 60. Platforms such as platform 12 may be provided on both sides of the cage. The platform 12 may have several sets of tracks 13, one above the other. The invention may be applied to lifts and other devices.