Conveyors: power-driven – Conveyor section – Endless conveyor having means for suspending load
Patent
1996-10-01
1998-09-15
Valenza, Joseph E.
Conveyors: power-driven
Conveyor section
Endless conveyor having means for suspending load
1986871, 1984654, B65G 1732
Patent
active
058066578
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The invention relates to a suspension conveyor system comprising a plurality of roller apparatuses displaceable on a rail network, the lower end of each roller apparatus being provided with a load carrying means including a load receiving means having a load hook for receiving a coat hanger hook, wherein the side of the load hook oriented in the conveying direction comprises a hook portion extending upwardly, the upper end of the hook portion being confined by an aperture.
The invention solves the problem of how to design a suspension conveyor system of the abovementioned type such as to allow the load receiving means of the roller apparatuses to be automatically charged and discharged as easily as possible.
According to the invention, this object is achieved by the features that the load receiving means is hinged to the load carrying means to be pivotable, against the conveying direction, about a horizontal axis up to a raised position in which the aperture is facing to the bottom, that a slide ramp is arranged on the load receiving means on the side of the aperture opposite to the upwardly extending hook portion, that a charging/discharging station is provided having a rail extending parallelly to the conveying direction in the travelling path of the load receiving means, from which rail the coat hanger hooks can be suspended, the end of the rail opposite to the conveying direction comprising a guiding ramp cooperating with the slide ramp to pivot the respective load receiving means to its raised position, the end of the rail oriented in the conveying direction comprising a longitudinal recess opening towards the top and in the conveying direction, said longitudinal recess being formed such as to allow the slide ramp and the hook portion to enter the longitudinal recess.
Thus, when the load receiving means are to be charged with coat hangers suspended from the rail, the empty load receiving means of an arriving roller apparatus is pivoted rearwards, to the raised position, at the guiding ramp. Then, the slide ramp of the raised load receiving means slides over the coat hanger hooks on the rail, and the free end of the hook portion rides over the coat hanger hooks at a distance above the rail, until the load receiving means pivots back behind the last coat hanger hook such that the slide ramp abuts onto the rail. The return pivoting movement of the load receiving means also lowers the free end of the hook portion until said free end contacts the rail, resulting in the free end of the hook portion entraining the last coat hanger hook once the latter has been caught in the aperture of the load hook, and dragging this coat hanger on the rail to the front end thereof. There, the slide ramp of the load receiving means is released by the rail allowing the load receiving means to pivot further downwards. In this way, the slide ramp and the hook portion enter the longitudinal recess in the rail and engage the entrained coat hanger hook from below which then slides into the load hook and is freely suspended therefrom behind the rail.
Conversely, when a coat hanger hook suspended from a load hook of the load receiving means of a roller apparatus arrives at the guiding ramp of the rail, the load receiving means is pivoted upwards to its raised position and the coat hanger hook slips from the hook portion, which slightly descends in this position, until the coat hanger hook is inserted in the aperture and entrained on the rail by the free end of the hook portion until the slide ramp arrives at coat hanger hooks already deposited and retained on the rail, or at a lifter displaced onto the rail, whereby the load receiving means is further raised and releases the coat hanger hook previously entrained.
The charging/discharging station may be arranged at a bypass branch connected to the rail network of the suspension conveyor system through switches.
Preferably, the free end of the hook portion confined by the aperture is in the form of a tip bent outwardly in an oblique manner; thus, the free end of the hook portion can
REFERENCES:
patent: 2816643 (1957-12-01), Klamp
patent: 3454148 (1969-07-01), Harrison
Enderlein Robby
Geiger Hansjorg
Robu Johann
Deuble Mark
MTS Modulare Transport Systeme GmbH
Valenza Joseph E.
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