Conveyor arrangement

• US 4,712,484 A
• Filed: 06/25/1986
• Issued: 12/15/1987
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/1983
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Stiwa-Fertigungstechnik Sticht Gesmbh
• Original Assignee: Stiwa-Fertigungstechnik Sticht Gesmbh
• Inventors: Sticht, Walter
• Primary Examiner(s): Reeves, Robert B.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kearns, Thomas W.
• Application Number:
  US06/878,342
• Time in Patent Office: 538 Days
• Field of Search: 104/165, 104/168, 104/247, 198/465.1, 198/465.2
• US Class Current: 104/165
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 35/06 comprising a load-carrier moving along a path, e.g. a closed path, and adapted to be engaged by any one of a series of traction elements spaced along the path effecting drive at two or more points spaced along the length of an endless conveyor B65G23/32
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 37/02 Flow-sheets for conveyor combinations in warehouses, magazines or workshops

Abstract

A conveyor arrangement for conveying a workpiece carrier in a conveying direction, the carrier having two opposite sides, and a guide for laterally guiding the carrier in this direction, the guide comprising a drive associated with one of the carrier sides for advancing the carrier in the conveying direction, the drive including a succession of entrainment elements engaging the one carrier side, and a guide track having two sides spaced apart in a direction transverse to the conveying direction and extending in the conveying direction, one of the guide track sides being opposite the drive in the transverse direction and the drive being biased towards the one guide track side, and guide elements mounted on the carrier and guided without play along the one guide track side.

Claims

1. A conveyor arrangement for conveying a workpiece carrier in a conveying direction, the carrier having two opposite sides, a respective one of the carrier sides being constituted by a support ledge extending in the conveying direction and having a first side face and a second side face spaced from the first side face in a direction transverse to the conveying direction, and a guide means associated with the support ledge for vertically and laterally guiding the carrier in said direction, the guide means comprising

(a) a means for advancing the carrier in the conveying direction, the advancing means including

(1) a succession of entrainment elements engaging the first support ledge side face and spaced in the conveying direction,

(b) a guide ledge having an upper guide face for vertically guiding the carrier and a side guide face for laterally guiding the carrier, the upper and side guide faces extending along the second side face of the support ledge, and

(c) a succession of guide elements mounted on the support ledge and spaced in the conveying direction, a first group of said guide elements engaging the side guide face of the guide ledge without play for laterally guiding the carrier and a second group of said guide elements engaging the upper guide face and mounted on the second side face of the support ledge for vertically guiding the carrier, the entrainment elements exerting a pressure having a vertical force component directed against the upper guide face on the guide elements of the second group, the guide elements of the second group being staggered in the conveying direction from the guide elements of the first group.

2. The conveyor arrangement of claim 1, wherein the entrainment elements are conveyor rollers of an elastic synthetic resin and driven about an axis, the distance between the roller axis and the inside face of the support ledge being less than the radius of the conveyor roller.

3. The conveyor arrangement of claim 1, wherein the first support ledge side face is an inside face and the second side face is an outside face, and the entrainment elements have entrainment faces inclined towards the inside face of the support ledge.

4. The conveyor arrangement of claim 3, wherein the side guide face of the guide ledge extends substantially parallel to the inside face of the support ledge, the guide elements of the first group are conveyor rollers rotatable about a vertical axis, and the guide elements of the second group are conveyor rollers rotatable about a horizontal axis.

5. The conveyor arrangement of claim 1, wherein the first support ledge side face is an inside face and the support ledge has an outside face, the second side face extending intermediate the inside and outside faces, the inside and outside faces being spaced apart a distance less than the distance between the opposite sides of the carrier, the entrainment elements are conveyor rollers having elastically deformable surfaces arranged for engagement with the inside and outside faces of the support ledge, and the guide elements are mounted on the support ledge between the inside and outside faces.

6. The conveyor arrangement of claim 5, wherein the guide ledge is arranged between the inside and outside faces of the support ledge, the side face of the guide ledge extending substantially parallel to the faces of the support ledge, the guide elements include rollers engaging the side face of the guide ledge for laterally guiding the carrier and rotatable about a vertical axis, and an additional guide ledge defines an additional side face for laterally guiding the carrier, the side faces of the guide ledges being spaced apart a distance exceeding the diameter of the guide rollers.

7. The conveyor arrangement of claim 1, wherein the first support ledge side face is inclined towards the upper guide ledge guide face.

8. The conveyor arrangement of claim 1, wherein each of the carrier sides is constituted by a support ledge and guide means is associated with each support ledge, the guide ledges being spaced farther apart in a direction transverse to the conveying direction than the support ledges.

9. The conveyor arrangement of claim 8, wherein the support ledges project downwardly from the carrier.