PALLET TRANSFER DEVICE

• US 20130088554A1
• Filed: 11/29/2012
• Published: 04/11/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/10/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Industrial Printing Ltd (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Industrial Printing Ltd (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Veis, Alex
• Granted Patent: US 8,919,950 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 347/104
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 11/007 Conveyor belts or like feeding devices
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 11/02 Platens
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 11/06 Flat page-size platens or smaller flat platens having a greater size than line-size platens B41J11/0085 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 17/06 having a load-carrying surface formed by a series of interconnected, e.g. longitudinal, links, plates, or platforms
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 17/12 comprising a series of individual load-carriers fixed, or normally fixed, relative to traction element
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 17/123 arranged to keep the load-carriers horizontally during at least a part of the conveyor run
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 17/48 Controlling attitudes of load-carriers during movement B65G17/18 takes precedence; guides B65G21/20; inverting or tilting load carriers to discharge contents B65G47/38
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 37/00 Combinations of mechanical conveyors of the same kind, or of different kinds, of interest apart from their application in particular machines or use in particular manufacturing processes series of co-operating belt conveyor units B65G15/22; series of co-operating chain conveyor units B65G17/26; sequence control of combined conveyors B65G43/10

Abstract

In one example, a pallet conveyor includes: a forward track to guide pallets from an upstream part of the forward track to a downstream part of the forward track; a return track; and a pallet transfer device configured to simultaneously (1) continuously receive pallets from a downstream part of the return track and give pallets to the upstream part of the forward track and (2) continuously receive pallets from the downstream part of the forward track and give pallets to an upstream part of the return track.

Claims

1. A pallet conveyor, comprising:

a forward track to guide pallets from an upstream part of the forward track to a downstream part of the forward track;

a return track; and

a pallet transfer device configured to simultaneously;

continuously receive pallets from a downstream part of the return track and give pallets to the upstream part of the forward track; and

continuously receive pallets from the downstream part of the forward track and give pallets to an upstream part of the return track.

2. The conveyor of claim 1, wherein the pallet transfer device is configured to give each pallet to one track in the same orientation the pallet is received from the other track.

3. The conveyor of claim 1, wherein the pallet transfer device includes:

a first wheel elevator operatively coupled between a downstream part of the return track and the upstream part of the forward track to receive pallets from the return track and give pallets to the forward track; and

a second wheel elevator operatively coupled between the downstream part of the forward track and an upstream part of the return track to receive pallets from the forward track and give pallets to the return track.

4. The conveyor of claim 3, wherein each wheel elevator includes:

a pair of wheels spaced apart from one another on opposite sides of the tracks; and

a holder operatively connected to the pair of wheels to receive a pallet from one track, hold the pallet on the wheels, and release the pallet to the other track.

5. The conveyor of claim 4, wherein each holder includes:

multiple openings along a perimeter of each wheel, each opening on one wheel positioned opposite a corresponding opening on the other wheel and each opening configured to receive an axle on a pallet; and

a retainer to retain the pallet axles in the openings for at least part of one revolution of the wheels as the pallet is transferred from one track to the other track.

6. The conveyor of claim 5, wherein the retainer includes a stationary guide surrounding part of the perimeter of each wheel.

7. A device for supporting print media in a printer, comprising:

multiple pallets;

an endless conveyor to circulate the pallets through a print zone to support a print substrate during printing, the endless conveyor including;

a forward track to guide pallets through the print zone from an upstream part of the forward track to a downstream part of the forward track;

a return track;

a first wheel elevator operatively coupled between a downstream part of the return track and the upstream part of the forward track to receive pallets from the return track and give pallets to the forward track; and

a second wheel elevator operatively coupled between the downstream part of the forward track and an upstream part of the return track to receive pallets from the forward track and give pallets to the return track.

8. The device of claim 7, wherein each wheel elevator is configured to give each pallet to one track in the same orientation the pallet is received from the other track.

9. The device of claim 7, wherein each wheel elevator is configured to give each pallet to one track at the same speed and in the same orientation the pallet is received from the other track.

10. A printer, comprising:

a printhead assembly defining a print zone where ink may be applied to a print substrate;

multiple pallets;

an endless conveyor to circulate the pallets through the print zone to support a print substrate during printing, the endless conveyor including;

a forward track to guide pallets through the print zone from an upstream part of the forward track to a downstream part of the forward track;

a return track;

a first wheel elevator operatively coupled between a downstream part of the return track and the upstream part of the forward track to receive pallets from the return track and give pallets to the forward track; and

a second wheel elevator operatively coupled between the downstream part of the forward track and an upstream part of the return track to receive pallets from the forward track and give pallets to the return track.

11. The printer of claim 10, further comprising a service pallet selectively movable on and off the conveyor and including a device for servicing the printhead assembly.

12. The printer of claim 10, further comprising a rigid print substrate sheet supported on the pallets in the print zone.

13. The printer of claim 10, further comprising a continuous print substrate web supported on the pallets in the print zone.

14. The printer of claim 13, wherein the pallets are configured to move the web through the print zone.