Conveyor with slow down section

• US 4,456,117 A
• Filed: 11/23/1981
• Issued: 06/26/1984
• Est. Priority Date: 11/23/1981
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Cross Company Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Lasalle Machine Tool Incorporated
• Inventors: Szczepanski, Francis A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Reeves, Robert B.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hubbuch, David F.
• Application Number:
  US06/323,853
• Time in Patent Office: 946 Days
• Field of Search: 104/172 R, 104/172 B, 104/249, 104/250, 198/339, 198/461, 198/779
• US Class Current: 198/459.8
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 47/31 by varying the relative speeds of the conveyors forming the series

Abstract

A power and free conveyor having a slow down section through which conveyed articles travel at reduced speed. The slow down section comprises an endless auxiliary chain traveling at a speed less than the speed of the main drive chains with stops at selected locations along the auxiliary chain. The stops are pivotally mounted and gravity controlled to assume active positions upon entry into the path of travel of the articles so as to interact with an oncoming article to slow the article to the speed of the auxiliary chain. The pivotal motion of the stops with respect to the auxiliary chain is controlled so that the stops are pivoted to an inactive position and carried by the auxiliary chain during return of the chain.

Claims

1. A power and free conveyor having an endless main drive chain for conveying articles forwardly along a conveyance path and a slow down section for slowing the conveyance of articles to a lesser speed than that imparted to the articles by the main drive chain without changing the speed of the main drive chain, said slow down section comprising an endless auxiliary chain which travels forwardly coextensive with the main drive along a portion of the conveyance path but at a lesser speed than the main drive chain, said auxiliary chain having forward and rear turn-arounds, one or more stops each pivotally mounted on the auxiliary chain and operable over an arc spanning an acute angle subtending its pivotal mounting relative to the auxiliary chain between an active position wherein, when the stop is traveling forwardly with the auxiliary chain along said portion of the conveyance path, it is disposed to slow an article being conveyed by the main drive chain so that the speed of conveyance of said article is reduced from that of the main drive chain to that of the auxiliary chain and an inactive position which is ineffective to slow articles, each such stop being arranged in a pivotally unbalanced condition on the auxiliary chain so as to be gravity-biased toward the active position during forward travel of the stop along said portion of the conveyance path, means against which each such stop is gravity-biased during forward travel of the stop along said portion of the conveyance path thereby serving to establish the active position of the stop, means effective to return the stop to the inactive position via said arc as the auxiliary chain traverses its forward turn-around and to maintain the stop in the inactive position during return to the rearward turn-around of the auxiliary chain until the stop reaches a point where the pivotal imbalance becomes effective to cause the stop to be displaced over said arc to the active position by force of gravity, each stop having a notch at the rear end thereof for engagement with an article to thereby slow the article, and a roller on the stop adjacent the notch which is adapted to engage an overlying workpiece to prevent the stop from assuming the active position if in fact there is an overlying article on the stop when the stop enters the conveyance path.

2. A conveyor as claimed in claim 1 wherein each stop also includes a roller at the forward end thereof, and wherein said means against which each such stop is gravity-biased during forward travel of the stop comprises a rail extending lengthwise of said portion of the conveyance path, each such forward end roller abutting and rolling on the rail when the stop is in the active position during forward travel thereof along said portion of the conveyance path.

3. A conveyor as claimed in claim 2 wherein the rail includes a circular contoured segment at the forward turn-around of the auxiliary chain which is concentric and coextensive with a circular contoured segment of the auxiliary chain forward turn-around path, each such forward end roller continuing to be gravity-biased against the circular contoured segment of the rail during at least a portion of the forward turn-around of the auxiliary chain.

4. A conveyor as claimed in claim 3 wherein said means to return each stop to the inactive position comprises means on the stop disposed for engagement by the auxiliary chain during completion of the forward turn-around thereof, said last-mentioned means continuing to be engaged by the auxiliary chain so as to maintain the stop in the inactive position until a point is reached on the rear turn-around where gravity is effective to once again bring the stop to the active position.