Patent GB-682520-A (GB)
Title: Improvements relating to endless-band conveyors
IPC: B65G47/68
Filed: 1949-11-22
Abstract: 682,520. Endless conveyers. COOKSON, J. Feb. 22, 1951. [Nov. 22, 1949] No. 29895/49. Class 78 (i) In a conveyer construction for converging two streams of substantially cylindrical articles each carried by a conveyer chain between guide rails to form a single stream carried by a faster moving delivery chain, a retarding device is arranged to retain each article of only one stream until it can enter the space between adjacent articles of the other stream, and a tapered confining passage is situated beyond the retarding device and adapted to resolve the staggered relationship of the two streams into a single stream. In one form, Fig. 1, a stream 14 of bottles, carried by a conveyer 15 which may be inclined, is guided by lateral guides 16, 17, and continuation 46 of guide 16, to the end of the faster moving delivery conveyer 37 which causes the bottles to separate. A second stream 10 of bottles, carried by a conveyer 11 travelling at the same speed as conveyer 15, is guided by lateral guides 12, 13 to a point some distance along conveyer 37 where a deflecting plate 55 transfers the bottles to the spaces between the bottles of the stream 14. The end of guide 12 is curved at 64 to ensure that the bottles of stream 14 lies close against a guide 47 which is a continuation of guide 46, whilst the bottles of stream 10 are retarded by a roller 59 on the plate 55 so that they are deflected between the bottles of stream 14. If a bottle of stream 14 meets a bottle of stream 1.0 as the latter is deflected over roller 59, the latter rotates so as to free the bottles. Convever 37 is driven at somewhat under double the speed of the conveyers 11 and 15 so that the spaces between the bottles on the feed end of conveyer 37 are less than a bottle width. This causes the mixed stream of bottles beyond the plate 55 to assume a staggered formation. The outwardly bent end 62 of a guide 61 forming a continuation of the interrupted guide 12 causes the staggered bottles to form a line which is subsequently delivered to a further conveyer 63. The guides 13, 16, and 47 are laterally adjustable by means of cranks 48 one arm of each crank being pivoted to a lug 51 on one of the guides, while the other arms of the cranks are operated by links 52, 53, 54. Guide 46 is adjustably mounted and plate 55 is hinged at 56 and adjusted by means of a perforated link 57 engaging a pin on a bracket 58. In order to reduce the risk of jamming beyond the plate 55, the bent end 62 may be replaced by a plate 66, Fig. 3, pivoted at 67 to guide 61, and provided either with rollers 71 or with an endless belt passing over freely mounted rollers on it (not shown). A similar set of rollers 72 or an endless band is mounted on the guide 47 opposite plate 66. Plate 66 is adjusted to suit the size of bottles by a perforated link 68 engaging a pin on a bracket 69. In a modification, Fig. 5, guides 12, 13, 47 are replaced by guides 77, 79, 81 extending to the delivery end of conveyers 11 and 37 whereby a deflecting plate 82 performs the functions of both plate 55 and plate 66 of the Fig. 1 form and additionally transfers the bottles to a further conveyer 83, the roller 59 being placed near the beginning of plate 82. In a further modification, Fig. 6, the two streams 10 and 14 of bottles are guided so as to converge towards the same part of the faster moving conveyer 37 where they form a double row. One of the guides 102 is provided with a retarding roller 103 for the stream 10 causing the bottles of stream 10 to enter the spaces between those of stream 14, the bottles then entering converging guides 104, 106 which resolve the bottles into a line. Guides 102, 106 are adjustable to suit various sizes of bottles by perforated supporting brackets while a guide 107 for the final stream. to which guide 106 is hinged at 108, is adjusted by the crank mechanism described above.