GB1036466A - Power erected accumulating conveyor - Google Patents

Abstract

1,036,466. Endless conveyers; roller conveyers. RAPIDS-STANDARD CO. Inc. April 22, 1963 [June 26, 1962], No. 15774/63. Heading B8A. Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 6 show an accumulating conveyer 10 comprising article supporting wheels 13 mounted on shafts 12 with an endless belt 15 continuously driven and carried by support assemblies 20 which may be raised to bring the belt 15 into article engaging position or retracted to disengage the belt 15 from the articles (not shown). Each support assembly 20 has a sprocket 28 engaged with teeth 29 on the underside of the belt 15, the sprocket 28 being mounted on an arm 25 pivoted about a shaft 24 and is provided with a ratchet 26 connected by a rod 35 to a sensing unit 43. Each sensing unit 43 is normally biased by a spring into a raised position so that the connecting rod 35 pulls the ratchet 26 into engagement with the teeth on the sprocket 28 preventing it from rotating freely so that movement of the belt 15 drags the support unit 20 from its retracted position (Fig. 3) into its raised position (Fig. 6) whereby the belt 15 is brought into driving engagement with articles (not shown) supported on the wheels 13. When a sensing unit 43 is depressed by an article the connecting rod 35 moves the arm 25 carrying the sprocket 28 counterclockwise so that the support assembly 20 is retracted and the belt 15 drops out of engagement with any article on the associated part of the conveyer so that if any article is obstructed the appropriate sensing unit 43 disengages the drive of the belt 15 from a following article. As the sensing units 43 are spaced along the conveyer with associated support assemblies 20 for the belt 15 articles successively come to a halt on the conveyer until the obstruction is cleared, release of a sensing unit 43 elevating the associated support assembly 20 so that conveying is recommenced. Figs. 10, 13 and 14 show an accumulating conveyer 80 with solid rollers 81 normally driven by engagement of an endless belt 15a raised by support units 20a. The support units 20a are raised and lowered by a rachet arrangement controlled by a sensing unit 43a in a similar fashion to that described above.