Conveyors: power-driven – Conveyor arrangement for selecting among plural sources or... – By loading or unloading section at selected one of a...
Reexamination Certificate
2000-07-05
2002-03-26
Gordon, Stephen T. (Department: 3612)
Conveyors: power-driven
Conveyor arrangement for selecting among plural sources or...
By loading or unloading section at selected one of a...
Reexamination Certificate
active
06360869
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a transverse conveyance apparatus that is disposed in a roller conveyor line for transporting articles in a longitudinal direction, wherein the apparatus is designed to take the articles away from, or deliver them to, the roller conveyor line by transferring said articles transversely thereof.
Further, the present invention relates to a lift device capable of being incorporated in any apparatus that comprises such parts movable up and down as in the transverse conveyance apparatuses adapted to the roller conveyors.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Conveyor lines are used for transportation of articles in assembly lines for assembling products of various types and also in certain distributing stations. Generally, each conveyor line consists of a roller conveyor or a belt conveyor for moving the articles thereon longitudinally thereof. A plurality of such conveyor lines are usually arranged lengthwise and crosswise, instead of simply forming only one straight line. An article receiving/delivering apparatus is disposed at any desired point on each conveyor line. By operating the receiving/delivering apparatus, those articles having moved on one conveyor line will leave it to transfer onto another conveyor line. Sequence of such transferring and transporting operations will cause the articles to advance towards and arrive at a desired destination.
Transverse conveyance or feed apparatuses (sometimes called “cross-feeders”) that have been known as the article receiving/delivering apparatuses do each comprise unit belt conveyors as main parts respectively interposed between two adjacent rollers forming a roller conveyor line. The transverse conveyance apparatus of this type for moving the articles lying on the conveyor line will deflect them to advance transversely of the conveyor line, as disclosed for instance in Utility Model Laying-Open Gazette Hei. 5-3224 and Patent Laying-Open Gazette Hei. 6-312832.
The known cross-feeder consists of a crosswise feeding mechanism and a lifting mechanism. While the articles on a conveyor line are transported along a main lengthwise conveying line, the upper support plane of the crosswise feeding mechanism will be kept below that of the lengthwise conveying line. If and when the articles are to be taken sideways off the conveyor line or the latter is to be loaded with the articles, a stopper or any appropriate means will operate to hold those articles still above the cross-feeder. The lifting mechanism will then be activated to raise the upper support plane of cross-feeding mechanism above the upper surface of the lengthwise conveying line, to thereby lift the articles. Subsequently, the crosswise feeding mechanism will be turned on so as to transfer those articles onto another conveyor or to receive therefrom those articles.
The Gazette Hei. 6-312832 discloses a motor-installed roller as the drive source for the lifting mechanism that is built in the cross-feeder, wherein the roller comprises a cylindrical member enclosing a motor and a reducer.
FIG. 13
is a scheme of the cross-feeder disclosed in the Gazette Hei. 6-312832. This feeder
100
consists of a crosswise feeding mechanism
101
and a lifting mechanism
102
, and a motor-installed roller
105
is utilized as the principal member of said mechanism. Rings
106
are attached to the outer peripheral zones of the motor-installed roller
105
. A link
108
has its one end connected by a pin
107
to each ring
106
, with the other end of the link being connected to the crosswise feeding mechanism
101
.
With the pin
107
taking its uppermost position, the crosswise feeding mechanism
101
will have its upper face lifted above the conveying surface of the conveyor line as seen in FIG.
13
. When the feeding mechanism
101
has to take refuge from the conveying surface of said line, the motor-installed roller
105
will be turned on to rotate a quarter of a circle so that the pin
107
is put down and said body
101
descends.
The cross-feeder disclosed in the Gazette Hei. 6-321832 has a compact overall size, because its lifting mechanism
102
employs the roller
105
having the motor installed therein.
However, such a prior art cross-feeder
100
is somewhat disadvantageous in that its crosswise feeding mechanism
101
will not necessarily be so stable in its position when raised by the lifting mechanism
102
.
In detail, the reducer installed together with the motor in the roller
105
as mentioned above has backlash of a designed degree. Although such backlash causes no problem while the motor is rotating, the cylindrical casing of the roller will become shaky due to the backlash once the motor is inactivated. In general, the reducer accommodated in said roller is of such a structure as to make itself a reverse rotation within a certain angle. Thus, the crosswise feeding mechanism
101
raised in the prior art cross-feeder
100
is not so stable but considerably shaky.
Further, the motor-installed roller
105
in the prior art cross-feeder
100
must repeat to turn forwards and then backwards. This is because the rings
106
integral with the cylindrical casing of said roller are operatively connected by the pins
107
to the crosswise feeding mechanism
101
. The lifting mechanism
102
illustrated in
FIG. 13
has its links
108
possibly interfering with the roller's
105
cylindrical casing, so that this motor-installed roller cannot rotate 360 degrees. Therefore, in the prior art cross-feeder
100
, the roller
105
has to turn about a quarter of a circle in a forward direction to raise the feeding mechanism
101
and then to turn backwards also about a quarter of the circle to lower the crosswise feeding mechanism
101
.
As a result, the reducer and other relevant parts in the motor-installed roller
105
tend to become abraded in part, thereby early causing troubles in operation.
In addition, the roller
105
is driven fore and aft an angle of only a quarter of circle in the prior art cross-feeder
100
, so that a vertical stroke thus rendered relatively small has been felt unsatisfactory. Further, the rings
106
necessitated in building the prior art feeder has undesirably increased the number of constituent parts thereof.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is thus to provide a transverse conveyance apparatus not only smaller in size and freer from troubles but also comprising a crosswise feeding mechanism that is much more stabilized in positions thereof. Another object is to provide a lift device designed effective to resolve problems similar to those which have been discussed above.
A transverse conveyance apparatus proposed herein for roller conveyors does comprise a frame, a crosswise feeding mechanism mounted to the frame and a lift device for raising and lowering the frame. The crosswise feeding mechanism has rotating portions, such as pulleys, rollers or conveying belts, so that articles are transported in a direction crossing that in which the articles are to advance on and along the roller conveyor. Each of the rotating portions is of a width freely movable through between two adjacent rollers of the conveyor.
The lift device comprises a cylinder, lids closing opposite ends of the cylinder, fixed shafts protruding outwards and longitudinally of the cylinder that is coaxial with said shafts capable of rotating relative to the lids, a motor built in and driving the cylinder to rotate around and relative to the fixed shafts, a reducer built in the cylinder so as to reduce the motor's rotational speed transmitted thereto, and a resistance unit also built in the cylinder and increasing resistance against rotation of said cylinder.
In the apparatus of the invention, attachment-engaging portions are formed on the respective lids and disposed longitudinally of the cylinder to face outwards so that the attachment-engaging portions and the cylinder do rotate together in unison with each other, the attachment-engaging portions having axes arranged offset with respect to axes of the fixed sh
Itoh Kazuo
Morimoto Yoichi
Tachibana Toshiyuki
Blankenship G.
Gordon Stephen T.
Itoh Electric Company Limited
Wood Phillips VanSanten Clark & Mortimer
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