Patent GB-763944-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to conveyor systems
Inventor: BURROWS ARTHUR THOMAS CHARLES
IPC: B65G17/48
Filed: 1953-12-03
Abstract: 763,944. Discharging from endless conveyers at desired points. KING, Ltd., G. W. Nov. 25, 1954 [Dec. 3, 1953], No. 33556/53. Class 78 (1). In a conveying system including individual load carriers supported or/and propelled by an endless driven chain, auxiliary mechanism, e.g. for effecting transfer at a selected point of certain load carriers, is operated at the selected point by trip mechanism with which a selector device on each load carrier engages, the trip mechanism comprising an operating plunger normally retained in an inoperative position by a latch member having a pivoted lever engaged by each load carrier, the latch member in turn being retained by a plurality of finger elements engaged by the selector devices and responsive to a selector device exhibiting a predetermined combination to assume a setting such as to allow movement of the latch member under the action of the pivoted member to release the plunger. As shown, the selector device 11 on each carrier 10 consists of three vertically adjustable plungers 12, 13, 15 and one fixed member 14, each of the plungers 12, 13, 15 having four notches 19 by which it can be locked in a desired position by a pivoted spring-urged plate 20 releasable by engagement of an integral cam 23 with a ramp 41, Fig. 4, at a setting station. The setting station consists of three spaced pairs of tracks 24, 25, 26 adapted to engage the tops and bottoms of the respective plungers, each having diverging entry and exit portions (Fig. 3, not shown) and each vertically adjustable by means of a vertical tubular link, the links 30, 34, 38, Fig. 5, being arranged one within the other. Associated with the tubular links are beams 29, 33, 37 to which the respective links are pivoted at a point a third the length of the beam from one end. Solenoids 27, 31, 35 act on one end of the respective beams and solenoids 28, 32, 36 on the other ends, each having a stroke equal to the spacing between the lowermost and uppermost notches in each plunger. By energizing one or both solenoids associated with each tubular link, any one of four positions corresponding to required settings of the plungers can be given to any of the pairs of tracks 24, 25, 26. As the selector device 11 enters the setting device the plungers are unlocked by ramp 41 and a roller 18 on the selector device enters a guide 40 to position the selector device vertically relative to the tracks 24, 25, 26. After setting, while the plungers are still engaged with the tracks, ramp 41 is discontinued to lock the plungers in set position. Each trip device, which is adapted to control the supply of fluid to a transfer device as described in Specification 763,943, consists of a rotary fluid control valve 44 controlled by a lever 46 pivoted at 47 to a plunger 48 urged downwardly against an abutment on a slide 59 by a spring 50. Slide 59 is urged to the right to engage plunger 48 by a spring 64 acting on a lever 62 engaging an abutment 63 and pivoted at 61 to a plate 60 extending outwards from the slide 59. A downward extension of lever 62 is engaged by the fixed member 14 on each passing selector device to move the slide and plate 60 to the left until it engages upstanding arcuate portions of pivoted fingers 67, 68, 69 normally resting on a stop 75, this movement itself being insufficient to release plunger 48. Just prior to the engagement of lever 62, however, the fingers 67, 68, 69 are acted on by the plungers 12, 13, 15 of the selector device so that if the latter is set for that particular station notches 73 in the arcuate portions of the fingers are raised into line with plate 60 which can then move further forwards upon engagement of lever 62 by member 14 and thereby release the plunger 48. The latter is now held temporarily by a spring-loaded lever 76 which is subsequently moved out of the way by member 14 engaging a lower extension of this lever whereby plunger 48 drops, actuating the valve 44 to cause transfer of the carrier from the conveyer. As a result of this a slide 54 is withdrawn, swinging the anchorage of spring 50 about a pivot 52 to the opposite side of lever 40, thereby de-actuating valve 44 and returning plunger 48, lever 76 and slide 59 ready for the next operation. Transfer may be prevented by arranging that a plunger 80 is projected into the path of plunger 48 when conditions are unfavourable, e.g. when a carrier is already present on the conveyer to which a carrier is to be transferred. Specifications 701,610 and 719,888 are referred to in the Provisional Specification.