Conveyors: power-driven – Conveyor section – Live roll
Patent
1983-03-29
1986-01-07
Valenza, Joseph E.
Conveyors: power-driven
Conveyor section
Live roll
198783, B65G 1306
Patent
active
045629200
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to improvements in friction-driven live roller conveyors for pressureless accumulation loads, whether regularly spaced or not.
In materials handling the practical interest of accumulating industrial or commercial loads for insuring the regular operation of machines, processing equipment, packaging machinery and the like has long been recognized. Abutment systems are thus known which hold back accumulated loads by contact with a relatively small force.
More recently, conveyors have been proposed comprising successive sections of disengageable friction driven rollers, or chain and sprocket driven rollers. Each section is equipped with a load detector or sensing means which when sensing a load disengages the friction drive or the chain and sprocket drive from the rollers of the section immediately upstream so that these rollers freewheel or rotate freely and the load carried by this section is slowed and then stopped, and so forth. This arrangement which progressively stops loads along the conveyor has the drawback of requiring an adjustment of the device as a function of the weight of the loads and therefore does not permit the conveyor from handling loads which vary in weight and size from one to another. In addition, the stopping of a load in a section remains uncertain as does satisfactory accumulation operation.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
To prevent the above inconveniences, an object of the invention is to improve such live roller conveyors for pressureless accumulation, in particular by giving them greater versatility of use and enabling them to transport loads of different size and weight, whether individualy or in containers, or even empty containers.
Another object of the invention is to provide such results with reduced investment, maintenance and operating costs.
According to the improvements of the invention, the rollers of the load carrying sections are blocked against rotation by the load itself, and the sections of the conveyor are arranged so that in the rest condition the means blocking against rotation the rollers of one loaded section are simultaneously retained by the sensing means for the section and by sensing means for the section immediately downstream thereof. Means are provided in a first or leading section of a group of accumulation sections for releasing the rollers to restart the conveyor.
According to a first embodiment of the invention a friction driven, disengageable, roller conveyor includes sections, each of which is equipped with a load sensing means which when detecting a load disengages the rollers of the section immediately upstream so that the section is free wheeling. The conveyor is characterized first by the fact that each section has a pawl and ratchet or slotted wheel associated with the rollers thereof for blocking them against rotation, and second by coupling the blocking means of two consecutive sections, with the load sensing means for these sections so that the rollers of the upstream loaded section can only be blocked against rotation when the downstream section is itself loaded. On the other hand, when the sensing means is in the rest position it holds the pawl in position permitting the rotation of the rollers.
According to another feature of the invention, there is provided at the head of the first accumulation section, means such as a hydraulic or electromagnetic actuator for driving the means for blocking the rollers of the leading first accumulation section in order to restart the conveyor.
In an alternative embodiment, the various sections are modular sections and may comprise a plurality of rollers surrounded by a continuous belt, some of the rollers being friction driven and equipped with releasable means for blocking the rollers against rotation.
Various embodiments of the invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic longitudinal sectional view of a load accumulation conveyor formed by roller sections.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3537568 (1970-11-01), Leach
patent: 4212385 (1980-07-01), Leach
patent: 4215775 (1980-08-01), Gebhart
patent: 4362238 (1982-12-01), Rivette
Holmes Jonathan D.
Valenza Joseph E.
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