Patent GB-707214-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to article conveying systems
IPC: B65G37/00
Filed: 1948-11-16
Abstract: 707,214. Endless conveyers. SYKOKIS, G. J. Nov. 16, 1948; [Nov. 24, 1947; Jan. 17, 1948; Jan. 17, 1948; Feb. 24, 1948]. Nos. 29740/48, 29741/48, 29742/48 and 29743/48. Class 78 (1) Apparatus for picking up articles at a loading station, transporting them through operating stations and delivering them at an unloading station comprises a first endless conveying chain having a first mechanism on it, e.g. a grab or operating tool, and a second endless conveying chain or a stationary element having a second mechanism on it, e.g. a holder for an article, the motion of the first conveyer chain in the region of a loading, operating or unloading station being so related to the motion in an adjacent portion of its path of the second conveyer chain or to the location of the stationary element that no relative movement exists within said region or regions in the conveying path of an article carried by one of said mechanisms between the first and second mechanisms, each conveyer chain being engaged at each end of said region or regions by sprockets splined on separate shafts and guided within said region by fixed guides. As shown, Fig: 7, in the regions S, grabs 11, 13, 15 carried by respective conveyer chains 10, 12, 14 move successively into position against the delivery ends of respective feeding shoots or magazines .32, the chains being guided in an arc of a circle so that the pincers of the grabs are maintained stationary throughout the movement of the grabs by the chains. The pincers of each grab are held open as they move into position against delivery ends of a shoot 32, and as shown in Fig. 8 are closed during movement of the grabs through each region S, by the action of a fixed evolute 38 on a follower roller 33 coupled by links 28, 29 to the pincers which are spring-biased to the closed position so that they remain closed when roller 33 runs off the end of the evolute. An article 7 is thus picked up from the delivery end of each shoot 32 by the grabs 11, 13 and 15. In the regions S<SP>1</SP> the articles are deposited on holders 17 on a faster moving conveyer chain 16 by arranging portions of the conveyer chains 10, 12 and 14 in arcs concentric with arcuate portions of conveyer chain 16 of larger radius such that no relative movement occurs between the pincers of the grabs 11, 13 or 15 and the holders 17 while passing through the regions S<SP>1</SP>, the pincers of each grab in a region S<SP>1</SP> being opened by the action of a second fixed evolute 38<SP>1</SP> on the follower roller 33. By means of grabs 19 carried by a further conveyer chain 18 moving at the same speed as conveyer chain 16 and similar pincer-closing and pincer-opening mechanism, wherein the evolutes are replaced by straight wedge-shaped cam tracks, the articles are picked up from the holders 17 in the region S<SP>2</SP> where .the conveyer chains 16 and 18 run parallel and are deposited in the region S<SP>3</SP> on holders 21 on a processing conveyer chain 20 also moving at the.same speed as conveyer chain 16. Alongside various straight portions of the conveyer chain 20 are positioned co-operating endless chains 22, 24, 26, each of which has a number of operating devices 23, 25, 27 respectively mounted on it for acting on the articles carried by the holders 21 in each of the regions S<SP>4</SP>, S<SP>5</SP>, S<SP>6</SP>. The chains 22 and 26 travel at the same speed as conveyer chain 20 while chain 24 travels at a faster speed such that each operating device 25 thereon in the region S<SP>5</SP> always lies on a normal to the conveyer chain 20 passing through a holder 21. Thus if the article 7 is metal strip this can be bent or broken off in various lengths by suitably actuating the devices 25 which may, e.g. be shears. The double chain 26 runs in a plane at right angles to the plane of conveyer chain 20. After processing the articles are removed from the holders 21 to holders 31 on a delivery conveyer or further processing conveyer chain 30 by a conveyer chain 28 having grabs 29 operating in the region 57, 58 in the same manner as the grabs 19 in the regions 52, 53. The Specification as open to inspection under Sect. 91 describes the operations of the chains 22, 24 and 26 in greater detail. In one such embodiment the holders 21 on the processing conveyer chain 20 are mounted on shafts each rotatable in bearings carried by the chain 20 and are rotated by engagement of a sprocket chain travelling directly underneath the chain 20 at a different speed with a sprocket wheel mounted on each shaft so as to enable a more complex operation on an article than that of picking up and depositing to be performed by suitable mechanism carried by the chain 22 or 26. In the case of chain 24 there is shown an embodiment wherein the holders 21 on the conveyer chain 20 are mounted on shafts slidable transversely of the chain 20 in the plane of divergence of the chains 20 and 24 and are caused to slide during passage through the region S' by the engagement of roller projections on the chain 24 with flanges on the slidable shafts. This subject-matter does not appear in the Specification as accepted.