GB1216927A - Carriage blocking means for use with endless conveyors having carriages - Google Patents

Abstract

1,216,927. Spreading meat carcasses. FÍRDERANLAGEN BAUTZEN, VEB. 15 Nov., 1968, No. 54344/68. Heading A2U. [Also in Division B7] A conveyer for handling meat carcasses, having means to spread the carcasses to facilitate skinning, eviscerating and cutting- up operations, comprises pairs of carriages 14, 16, from which the carcasses are susyended and which run on rail track 17, the leading carriage 14 of each pair being adapted to be engaged by a driving dog 18 on endless driving chain 20, and the trailing carriage 16 being adapted, after spreading, to engage a retaining dog 19 on the chain 20, wherein the spreading is effected by blocking means consisting of two piston-and-cylinder devices 4, 8 acting respectively longitudinally and transversely of the conveying direction, the former being mounted on a fixed plate and the latter on a plate moved longitudinally upon operation of the device 4, limit switches (2, 3, Fig. 1, not shown) being disposed on the fixed plate for operation by an arm carried by the moving plate such that, by operation of limit switch 2, the device 8 is automatically operated after it has been moved rearwardly by the device 4, to project a blocking member 8a into the path of the trailing carriage 16, and (by operation of limit switch 3) the blocking member is withdrawn following reverse operation of device 4 to return the device 8. Further limit switches 9, 10 and 11 are provided along the track for operation by the leading carriage 14 to control the device 4, operation of switch 9 initiating the operation of device 4 via a selector valve (12, Fig. 1) to cause carriage 16 to be blocked as described above, whilst subsequent operation of a selected one of the switches 10, 11, either of which can be preselected according to the amount of carcass spreading desired, causes the selector valve to reverse the operation of device 4 and bring the device 8 back to its starting position, whereupon the blocking member 8a is withdrawn as described above. The limit switches 2 and 3 control the device 8 through a further selector valve (13, Fig. 1).