Patent ID: 8061510

Claim:
A conveyor apparatus including an endless conveyor, a frame having first and second adjacent portions movable with respect to each other, a drive sprocket for supporting and driving one end of said conveyor, a return sprocket for supporting the other end of said conveyor, tensioning means mounted on said frame and spanning the first and second portions of said frame to move said first and second portions to move said drive sprocket and said return sprocket with respect to each other, said endless conveyor including two spaced apart chains, and a plurality of spaced apart conveyor flights, each conveyor flight being connected between said two spaced apart chains, a first sensor positioned adjacent to one of said chains and attached to said frame, said first sensor being disposed to measure changes in said one chain's tension, a second sensor positioned adjacent to the other of said chains and attached to said frame, said second sensor being disposed to measure changes in said other chain's tension, and means for comparing the output of said first and second sensors to detect a difference in chain tensions.