GB869900A - Improvements in or relating to conveyor systems - Google Patents

Abstract

869,900. Endless chain conveyers. KING Ltd., GEO. W. May 12, 1959 [May 23, 1958], No. 16698/58. Class 78 (1). At one or more stations along a conveyer 10 comprising two endless chains 11, 12, Fig. 4, running on rollers 14 in tracks 16, 17, and supporting and conveying the pallets 15 solely through the frictional engagement between the pallets and the chains, there is provided an auxiliary conveyer which is driven at a faster speed than the conveyer 10 and which is movable as a unit vertically into and out of an operative position wherein it supports and accelerates the pallets clear of the conveyer 10. When a pallet is to be held stationary for a limited time at a selected station along the conveyer 10, an auxiliary conveyer, comprising endless chains 20, 21 driven at a faster rate than the conveyer 10 and mounted on a vertically movable carriage 23, is raised to support the pallet above the conveyer 10 and to accelerate the pallet ahead of the following pallet and into close proximity with the pallet ahead and is then lowered so that the pallet will be supported on fixed supports 28. The pallet is returned to its relative position with respect to the pallets ahead and behind by raising carriage 23 to accelerate the pallet again and then lowering it to return the pallet to the chains of the main conveyer 10. A return conveyer 29, Fig. 1, comprises endless chains 30, 31, Fig. 3, driven at a faster rate than conveyer 10 and inclined downwardly at its delivery end to discharge pallets on to a storage conveyer 37 comprising roller chains 38, 39 provided with pallet supporting rollers 46. Pallets are fed from the conveyer 37 to a roller conveyer 45 aligned with the conveyer 10 by means of a ram 42. The return conveyer 29 may alternatively comprise a single endless roller-topped chain offset from the centre line of the path of the pallets and running parallel to a row of rollers on a stationary support.