Conveyor system including roller-guided carriage assemblies
First Claim
1. A conveyor system for transporting articles, the conveyor system comprising:
- an endless conveyor path defined by an inner tubular guide rail and an outer tubular guide rail, the inner and outer tubular guide rails being parallel to each other and spaced from each other by a constant distance over the entire conveyor path;
a plurality of carriage roller assemblies for traveling along the endless conveyor path between the inner and outer guide rails, each of the carriage roller assemblies including;
a first roller assembly having a pair of inner guide rollers positioned to guide the carriage roller assembly along the inner guide rail and a pair of outer guide rollers positioned to guide the carriage roller assembly along the outer guide rails;
a second roller assembly rotatably connected to the first roller assembly, the second roller assembly having a pair of inner guide rollers positioned to guide the carriage roller assembly along the inner guide rail and a pair of outer guide rollers positioned to guide the carriage roller assembly along the outer guide rails;
a center shaft extending through the first roller assembly and the second roller assembly, the first roller assembly and the second roller assembly being independently rotatable about the center shaft; and
a carriage mounted to the center shaft, the carriage including a deck to support the articles being transported;
a conveyor chain extending parallel to the endless conveyor path and connected to the center shaft of each conveyor roller assembly, the conveyor chain being driven to move the attached carriage roller assemblies along the conveyor path.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A conveyor system for transporting articles between various locations along a conveyor path including multiple sections extending in different directions. The conveyor system includes a conveyor roller assembly that includes an articulated conveyor body. The articulated conveyor body includes a plurality of front guide rollers and a plurality of back guide rollers. The front and back guide rollers support the carriage assembly between a tubular inner guide rail and a tubular outer guide rail. The tubular inner and outer guide rails define a conveyor path along which each of the individual carriage roller assemblies travel. Each conveyor roller assembly includes a center shaft about which the front guide rollers and rear guide rollers are independently rotatable. The center shaft is connected to a driven conveyor chain that moves each of the individual carriage roller assemblies along the conveyor path. A leveling arm connects the center shaft to a leveling chain that is driven at the same speed as the carriage chain to maintain the coupling arm at a constant position. A carriage, including a support platform, is attached to the center shaft and remains in a constant horizontal position as the individual carriage assemblies travel along the conveyor path. The articulated body of the carriage roller assembly allows the carriage roller assembly to travel around corner sections of the conveyor path while maintaining the carriage at a constant horizontal position.
87 Citations
16 Claims
-
1. A conveyor system for transporting articles, the conveyor system comprising:
-
an endless conveyor path defined by an inner tubular guide rail and an outer tubular guide rail, the inner and outer tubular guide rails being parallel to each other and spaced from each other by a constant distance over the entire conveyor path;
a plurality of carriage roller assemblies for traveling along the endless conveyor path between the inner and outer guide rails, each of the carriage roller assemblies including;
a first roller assembly having a pair of inner guide rollers positioned to guide the carriage roller assembly along the inner guide rail and a pair of outer guide rollers positioned to guide the carriage roller assembly along the outer guide rails;
a second roller assembly rotatably connected to the first roller assembly, the second roller assembly having a pair of inner guide rollers positioned to guide the carriage roller assembly along the inner guide rail and a pair of outer guide rollers positioned to guide the carriage roller assembly along the outer guide rails;
a center shaft extending through the first roller assembly and the second roller assembly, the first roller assembly and the second roller assembly being independently rotatable about the center shaft; and
a carriage mounted to the center shaft, the carriage including a deck to support the articles being transported;
a conveyor chain extending parallel to the endless conveyor path and connected to the center shaft of each conveyor roller assembly, the conveyor chain being driven to move the attached carriage roller assemblies along the conveyor path. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
-
-
10. A conveyor system for transporting articles, the conveyor system comprising:
-
an endless conveyor path defined by an inner tubular guide rail and a parallel outer tubular guide rail, the inner and outer guide rails being spaced from each other by a constant distance over the entire endless conveyor path, the endless conveyor path including at least a first section and a second section each extending in different directions, the first and second conveyor sections being joined by a corner section;
a plurality of carriage roller assemblies for traveling along the endless conveyor path between the inner and outer guide rails, each conveyor roller assembly including an articulated body centered about a pivot axis, the articulated body having a plurality of front guide rollers and a plurality of back guide rollers that contact the inner and outer guide rails to support the carriage roller assembly therebetween, the plurality of front guide rollers and the plurality of back guide rollers being independently pivotable about the pivot axis;
a conveyor chain extending parallel to the endless conveyor path and connected to the articulated body of each carriage roller assembly, the conveyor chain being driven to move the carriage roller assemblies along the conveyor path; and
a carriage mounted to each carriage roller assembly for supporting an article being transported by the conveyor system;
wherein the articulated body of each carriage roller assembly allows the plurality of front guide rollers to pivot about the pivot axis and travel around the corner section independently of the plurality of rear guide rollers. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
-
Specification