Patent GB-684798-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to conveyors
IPC: B65H29/12
Filed: 1950-11-07
Abstract: 684,798. Sheet delivery apparatus. IGRANIC ELECTRIC CO., Ltd. Nov. 7, 1950 [Nov. 7, 1949], No. 27205/50. Class 100 (i). [Also in Group XXX] A conveyer is driven by a prime mover through a plurality of drive shafts spaced apart along its path and interconnected in train, whilst an alternating current torque motor, which is energised when the prime mover is supplying power, supplies supplementary driving power to one of the said shafts and is incapable of driving the conveyer alone. A conveyer system for delivering printed newspapers from a press folder 11 associated with a printing press consists of a delivery belt 10 and a series of opposed endless belts 13-19 each consisting of a plurality of parallel bands carried at opposite ends on pulleys carried by shafts 31, 32, 37, 38, 39, 40, 44, 45, 46, 47, 51, 52 common to adjacent belts. Any desired number of extra belts may be arranged between belts 16 and 17. Adjacent pairs of shafts 31, 32, &c., are geared together to rotate at equal speeds in opposite directions. Shafts 32, 40, 47 and 54 also support pulleys on which are mounted transfer belts 33, 41, 48 and 56 respectively, each of which also consists of parallel bands intermeshing with the bands of adjacent conveyer belts, and which act to deflect the newspapers from a horizontal to a vertical conveyer, or vice versa. The main drive to the system is taken from the drive of the press folder, which has two motors 21 and 22, 21 being for normal running while 22, of lower power, being for slow running while setting up type in the press which the motors also drive. The drive is taken from the press folder by a sprocket connection to one member of an overrunning clutch 68 the other member of which is similarly connected to shaft 31. Delivery belt 10 of the press folder is driven from shaft 31 by a gear connection between shaft 31 and shaft 34 supporting the pulleys for belt 10. When the press is not in operation a motor 24 can be energised, which is coupled to shaft 31 through a second over-running clutch 70. Thus either clutch 68 or clutch 70 free-wheels depending on whether one of the motors 21, 22 or the motor 24 is energised. The drive is transmitted from shaft 31 to the shafts 37, 39, 44, 46, 51 and 54 of the system by sprocket connections. In order to reduce the stress on the various shafts in the enclosure 25 due to motor 24, 21 or 22 having to drive the whole conveyer system, auxiliary motors 87, 88 are adapted to drive intermediate shafts 44 and 51. Each auxiliary motor is an alternating current torque motor with a torque which falls off rapidly over, say, 160 r.p.m., the working speed of the system, and furthermore neither auxiliary motor, nor the two auxiliary motors together, is or are capable of driving the conveyer system without motor 24, 21 or 22 also being energised. The auxiliary motors thus synchronise themselves with whichever main motor is in operation. Whenever motor 24, 21 or 22 is switched on or off, relay contacts cause the simultaneous operation of motors 87 and 88. Owing to the fact that, upon switching on, motors 87 and 88 first act on the shafts 44 and 51 before these are acted on by the sprocket chain transmission from one of the main motors 24, 21, 22, a spring tensioning device is inserted in each of the sprocket chains immediately preceding shafts 44 and 51 to absorb the shocks in these chains when the effect of the main motors reaches them.