SELF-STEERING CARRIER FOR VARIOUS CONVEYOR SYSTEMS

• US 3,817,476 A
• Filed: 10/02/1972
• Issued: 06/18/1974
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/1971
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Rene Jean Martin
• Original Assignee: Rene Jean Martin
• Inventors: Martin, Rene Jean
• Primary Examiner(s): Blunk, Evon C.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Rowland, James L.
• Application Number:
  US05/293,945
• Time in Patent Office: 624 Days
• Field of Search: 243/16R,16M,36,38,39 198/38 104/88 246/2R
• US Class Current: 406/37
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 47/49 without bodily contact between article or load carrier and automatic control device , e.g. the destination marks being electrically or electronically detected

Abstract

This carrier or container for conveyor systems, notably for pneumatic dispatch systems by tubular lines, comprises at least two conducting lateral strips, resistors inserted between one of said strips and the other strip through one or a plurality of said resistors, switch means for presetting or indexing the resistance value through said carrier, whereby, when said carrier travels past a suitable reading device comprising notably a Wheatstone bridge, the carrier can be switched to selectively follow any predetermined one among a plurality of routes. (FIG.

Claims

1. Self-steering carrier for conveyor systems of the type of pneumatic tube dispatch systems and the like, comprising a carrier body, at least tWo lateral conducting strips carried by said carrier body, a plurality of resistors of different values each connected by one end to one of said conducting strips, at least one selecting switch adapted to connect selectively the other end of said resistors to the other conducting strip, a Wheatstone bridge, a conveyor system for said carrier, contact elements of said conveyor system adapted to co-act with said conducting strips and connected to two successive apices of said Wheatstone bridge, said Wheatstone bridge being such to be in a state of equilibrium for the predetermined value of one said resistors corresponding to the destination controlled by said bridge, and means associated with said Wheatstone bridge to control, when said bridge is in a state of equilibrium, said carrier travel in said conveyor system.

2. Self-steering carrier as set forth in claim 1, wherein said lateral conducting strips are oriented in the direction of travel of said carrier.

3. Self-steering carrier as set forth in claim 2, wherein said lateral conducting strips are constituted by conducting rings disposed transversally in relation with the direction of travel of said carrier.

4. Self-steering carrier as set forth in claim 1, wherein each of said lateral conducting strips is oriented in different directions.