Patent ID: 7658275

Claim:
A carrier type conveying apparatus comprising, in a traveling route of conveying carriers, a rear-pushing traveling district having, at an inlet thereof, a rear-pushing drive means for propelling the conveying carriers at a constant speed, and at an outlet thereof, a speed control drive means for sending out the conveying carriers at a first constant speed and a high-speed traveling district in which the conveying carriers exiting the rear-pushing traveling district travel at a second speed higher than the first speed, and a carrier connection system which connects fore and after adjacent conveying carriers to each other, wherein the carrier connection system comprises carrier connection means, a connection engagement means provided at the inlet of the rear-pushing traveling district, and a connection release means provided at the outlet of the rear-pushing traveling district, the connection engagement means switches the carrier connection means at the inlet of the rear-pushing traveling district to connect fore and after conveying carriers whose end parts are in contact with each other, and the connection release means switches the carrier connection means at the outlet of the rear-pushing traveling district to release the connection between the fore and after conveying carriers and disable the connection between fore and after conveying carriers in the high-speed traveling district, and wherein the carrier connection means comprises a connected part provided on either one of the front and rear end parts of each conveying carrier and a movable connector provided on the other of the front and rear end parts of each conveying carrier, and the movable connector can be switched between a connecting position and a connection releasing position and is shaped so as to be held in the connecting position by an urging force and so as not to automatically engage with the connected part when conveying carriers approach each other while the movable connector is at the connecting position, and the connection engagement means switches the movable connector from the connecting position to the connection releasing position and then returns the movable connector to the connecting position in a state that the end parts of the fore and after conveying carriers are in contact with each other to engage the movable connector to the connected part as a connecting mate, and the connection release means switches the movable connector from the connecting position to the connection releasing position, and returns the movable connector to the connecting position after the fore conveying carrier travels at the second speed and separates from the after conveying carrier.