Conveyors: power-driven – Conveyor arrangement for selecting among plural sources or... – By passive material-diverting means placed across the flow path
Patent
1991-09-16
1993-05-11
Olszewski, Robert P.
Conveyors: power-driven
Conveyor arrangement for selecting among plural sources or...
By passive material-diverting means placed across the flow path
198440, B65G 3700
Patent
active
052093387
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
This application is a PCT application. This application claims the priority dates of Mar. 17, 1989 and Jun. 6, 1989 for Great Britain Patent Nos. 8906149.3 and 8913003.3, respectively.
This invention relates to product control apparatus and is particularly concerned with conveying of products in a production line system.
In a high speed production line system, it can be necessary at certain conveying sections to change the orientation of the products being conveyed, and this can often result in having to slow down or even stop the production line. Also it can be necessary to divert respective products into different paths of movement. Such operations have heretofore been carried out by separate systems, inevitably resulting in a relatively large overall machine which is disadvantageous, as optimum use of floor space is highly desirable.
According to the present invention there is provided product control apparatus comprising means for conveying products along a path and means for changing the orientation of the products during conveying movement along the path, the conveying means including a multiplicity of support members extending transversely of the conveying path, at least selected ones of the support members being movable transversely of the conveying path, characterised in that the support members are adapted directly to receive the products, and each of said selected ones of the support members includes means arranged for engagement with the products to change the orientation of the latter relative to the support members.
The product engagement means of each of said selected support members may comprise a projection which is upwardly extending in use.
Each of said selected ones of the support members preferably has cam means engagable in a profiled track to control the transverse movement, and the cam means may extend downwardly of the support members in use.
Preferably the apparatus includes means for automatically changing the position of the products during conveying movement along the path.
Each of the other ones of the support members preferably has cam means engageable in a further profiled track to also be movable transversely of the conveying path. The further profiled track is preferably adapted to divert respective groups of said other ones of the support members into different paths of movement, whereby the products supported by said respective groups can be subsequently moved along said different paths.
Further, means may be provided for feeding products onto the conveying path in synchronism with the positioning of said selected ones of the support members. The product feeding means may comprise a pair of parallel, transversely spaced endless chains with drive means therefor, and a plurality of flight bars extending between the chains at spaced locations, whereby the flight bars are movable into the conveying path to move products through the feed unit.
Preferably an electronic control system is provided for driving the chains of the product feed unit and the product conveying means in a synchronised relation.
An embodiment of the present invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of part of product control apparatus according to the invention;
FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view in detail of part of the apparatus of FIG. 1.
FIG. 3 is a schematic plan view showing further details of the apparatus; and
FIG. 4 is a schematic side elevation of part of the apparatus.
Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawings, a high speed production line system includes a product conveying section having a pair of parallel, transversely spaced outboard precision roller chains 10, 12 driven by suitable drive sprockets. Extending between the chains 10, 12 and fitted to each chain roller pitch are a pair of parallel, spaced crossbars 14. On the crossbars 14 associated with each chain roller pitch is mounted a pallet 16 or 16A formed of two halves fitted together respectively from above and below the bars 14
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Adams, III W. Thad
Gastineau Cheryl L.
Olszewski Robert P.
W. H. Dunn & Son Ltd.
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