Rubber tire individual separation transport apparatus

• US 5,484,048 A
• Filed: 04/04/1994
• Issued: 01/16/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 01/11/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Tsubakimoto Chain Company
• Original Assignee: Tsubakimoto Chain Company
• Inventors: Ohta, Yasuhiro, Kashiwagi, Kenryo, Umemoto, Masaru
• Primary Examiner(s): Valenza, Joseph E.
• Application Number:
  US08/222,100
• Time in Patent Office: 652 Days
• Field of Search: 198/443, 198/449, 198/453, 198/690.2, 198/698, 198/699, 198/397
• US Class Current: 198/397.06
• CPC Class Codes: B29D 30/0016 Handling tyres or parts thereof, e.g. supplying, storing, conveying B29D30/2607 takes precedence; loading and unloading vulcanizing presses B29D30/0603
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 47/1471 Movement in one direction, substantially outwards

Abstract

A rubber tire individual separation transport apparatus including a rubber tire individual conveyor surface section and a rubber tire sliding surface section separately formed on a slat conveyor surface, with the conveyor having a horizontal charge zone, a sharply inclined individual transport zone, and a horizontal discharge zone. Also included is an upright plate erected for contact with the peripheral surface of a rubber tire at one end of each slat in the individual conveyor surface section. A support plate of such a size as to support only one rubber tire laid flat on said individual conveyor surface is mounted at a larger pitch in the direction of transport than the maximum diameter of the rubber tire being conveyed. A stationary side wall is erected along the side edge of the other end of the slat of the sliding surface section. Cooperative action between the selected tire and the side wall causes frictional force on unwanted tires to cause them to fall back to the supply of tires.

Claims

1. Apparatus for conveying and separating annular objects of different diameters including a conveyor having an inclined section, a loading section adjacent one end of said section and a discharge area adjacent the opposite end of said inclined section and a discharge area adjacent the opposite end of said inclined section, said inclined section being moveable to transport annular objects from the loading zone to the discharge zone, said conveyor having a width sufficient to support two of said annular objects in a side-by-side relationship, said conveyor section positioned such that any line traversing said conveyor section and perpendicular to the edges thereof will be generally parallel to the horizontal;

a plurality of support plates on said conveyor section each of a size to support only one annular object laid flat on said conveyor and mounted at a larger pitch in the direction of transport than the maximum diameter of rubber annular objects being conveyed;

a stationary side wall along the side edge of said inclined portion remote from said support plates for guiding others of said annular objects supported on said inclined section and not supported by one of said support plates; and

the traverse distance between the support plates and said side wall being greater than the diameter of annular objects being conveyed whereby annular objects not engaging on said support plates are returned to the loading zone.

9. An apparatus for conveying and separating annular objects as recited in claim 1 further comprising:

a guide member affixed to said stationary sidewall, said guide member projecting over an upper portion of said conveyor in said inclined section.

10. An apparatus for conveying and separating annular objects as recited in claim 9 further comprising:

said guide member includes tapered side edges for contacting said annular objects.

11. An apparatus for conveying and separating annular objects as recited in claim 9 further comprising:

said support plates are trapezoidal having sloping side edges, a major parallel edge proximate to said conveyor surface, and a minor parallel edge located above said conveyor surface.

2. The method for separating and transporting a quantity of annular objects on a conveyor system from a loading zone up an inclined section to a discharge zone wherein the conveyor surface consists of a plurality of slats;

supporting a plurality of annular objects each individually on one of a plurality of support plates, each of said support plates sized to support only one of said annular objects laid flat on said conveyor surface of the inclined section wherein the plate is at a larger pitch in the direction of transport than the maximum diameter of the annular objects being conveyed, said conveyor having a width sufficient to support two of said annular objects in a side-by-side relationship, said inclined conveyor section positioned such that any traversing said conveyor section and perpendicular to the edges thereof will be generally parallel to the horizontal; and

guiding other annular objects in contact with said individual annular object and in contact with said inclined conveyor surface with a stationary side wall along the side edge of at least one end part of the slats to cause said other annular objects to rotate and separate from the individual annular object on said supports.

3. Separation and transport apparatus for annular objects including a conveyor surface section and a sliding surface section separately formed on a conveyor surface and adjacent one another, said conveyor surface including a plurality of slats and having a horizontal charge zone, a sharply inclined individual transport zone, and a horizontal discharge zone;

a plurality of support plates projecting from said conveyor surface section each of such a size as to support only one annular object laid flat on said conveyor surface section, mounted at a larger pitch in the direction of transport than the maximum diameter of the annular objects being conveyed, said conveyor surface in said sharply inclined individual transport zone positioned such that any line traversing said conveyor surface and perpendicular to the edges thereof will be generally parallel to the horizontal; and

a stationary sidewall erected along a side edge of said sliding surface section opposite said conveyor surface section.

12. Separation and transport apparatus as recited in claim 3 further comprising:

a plurality of upright members extending from said slats proximate to a side edge of said conveyor surface section.

4. The method for separating and transporting a quantity of annular objects on a conveyor system including a conveyor surface travelling from a loading zone up an inclined section to a discharge zone wherein the conveyor surface consists of a plurality of slats comprising the steps of:

laying on said conveyor surface a plurality of the annular objects, said conveyor surface having a width greater than two times the maximum diameter of the annular object being conveyed;

supporting in said inclined section one annular object on each of a plurality of support plates projecting from said conveyor surface, each of said support plates dimension so as to as to be able to support only one of the annular objects with said support plates spaced apart from one another at a larger pitch in the direction of transport in the maximum diameter of the annular objects being conveyed, said conveyor surface in said inclined section positioned such that any line traversing said conveyor surface and perpendicular to the edges thereof will be generally parallel to the horizontal;

guiding other annular objects in contact with said annular objects supported on said support plates and also in contact with said conveyor surface in said inclined section with a stationary side wall along the side edge of at least one end part of the slats to cause said other annular objects to rotate and separate from the individual annular object on said supports.

5. A system for transporting and separating annular objects comprising:

a moving conveyor surface travelling from a loading zone through an inclined zone to a discharge zone, said conveyor surface having a width sufficient to support two of the largest of said annular objects in a side-by-side relationship, said inclined zone positioned such that any line traversing said conveyor surface and perpendicular to the edges thereof will be generally parallel to the horizontal;

a plurality of support plates extending from said conveyor surface, said support plates mounted at a pitch in the direction of transport larger than the maximum diameter of the annular objects being conveyed and sized to support only one annular object laid flat on said conveyor surface;

a stationary side wall along the side edge of said inclined zone remote from said support plates for guiding others of said annular objects supported on said inclined section and not supported by one of said support plates.

6. A system for transporting and separating annular objects as recited in claim 5 further comprising:

a guide member affixed to said sidewall, said guide member projecting over an upper portion of said conveyor surface in said inclined zone.

7. A system for transporting and separating annular objects as recited in claim 6 wherein:

said guide member includes tapered side edges for contacting said annular objects.

8. A system for transporting and separating annular objects as recited in claim 5 wherein:

said support plates are trapezoidal having sloping side edges, a major parallel edge proximate to said conveyor surface, and a minor parallel edge located above said conveyor surface.