US 10,703,579 B2Granted

Tipping actuator for a conveyor system

AssigneeCompac Technologies Limited

InventorsIsaac James Anstis, Simon Richardson, Sam Voschezang, Sheldon Phillip White

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Abstract

The invention relates to a tipping actuator for a conveyor system that comprises a plurality of article carriers moving on an endless conveyor in a conveying direction, each article carrier having a carrier frame for bearing an article, the carrier frame being pivotally mounted on the article carrier and operable to tip to enable discharge of the article borne on the carrier frame. The tipping actuator comprises a trigger member for contacting the article carriers to tip them and is configured such that, when in a non-contact position, the article carriers are able to at least partly tip towards the trigger member such that the contact portion of the trigger member is received by a portion of the article carrier. In another embodiment, a contact portion of the trigger is sloped with two different gradients. An electromagnet may be used to cause actuation of the trigger. The tipping actuator may be able to allow tipping in opposite directions of adjacent carriers, for example in some embodiments the trigger may be formed of upstream and downstream parts.

Claims21

Dependent claims

A tipping actuator for a conveyor system, the conveyor system comprising a plurality of article carriers moving on an endless conveyor in a conveying direction, each article carrier having a carrier frame for bearing an article, the carrier frame being pivotally mounted on the article carrier and operable to tip to enable discharge of the article borne on the carrier frame, the tipping actuator comprising:

a trigger member having a contact portion for contacting the article carriers;
and
an armature coupled to the trigger member, the armature comprising or having mounted thereon an armature magnet;
and
an electromagnet comprising a magnetic core;
wherein the electromagnet is switchable between on and off states to cause the armature magnet to be attracted to and repelled from the electromagnet, movement of the armature causing the trigger member to move between a contact position, in which the contact portion is positioned in the path of the article carriers to make contact therewith and effect tipping thereof, and a non-contact position, in which the contact portion is positioned out of the path of the article carriers so as to avoid contact therewith,
wherein, when the electromagnet is in an off or de-activated state, the armature magnet is attracted to the magnetic core of the electromagnet and, when the electromagnet is in an on or activated state, the armature magnet is repelled from the electromagnet.

4 more elements

a trigger member having a contact portion for contacting the article carriers;
and
a pivotally mounted armature coupled to the trigger member, the armature comprising or having mounted thereon an armature magnet;
and
an electromagnet;
wherein the electromagnet is switchable between first and second states to cause the armature magnet to be attracted to and repelled from the electromagnet and to thereby cause the armature to pivot, pivoting of the armature causing the trigger member to move between a contact position, in which the contact portion is positioned in the path of the article carriers to make contact therewith and effect tipping thereof, and a non-contact position, in which the contact portion is positioned out of the path of the article carriers so as to avoid contact therewith.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 16/015,862Filed 22 Jun 2018 · continuation
Priority: 17 Nov 2016
Published: US 2018/0370738 A127 Dec 2018
Granted: 7 Jul 2020
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification6 codes

B65G 47/38
Devices for discharging articles or materials from conveyor: by dumping, tripping, or releasing load carriers
B65G 47/94
Feeding, transfer, or discharging devices of particular kinds or types: devices for flexing or tilting travelling structures; Throw-off carriages
B65G 47/96
Devices for flexing or tilting travelling structures; Throw-off carriages: devices for tilting links or platform
B65G 47/962
Devices for tilting links or platform: tilting about an axis substantially parallel to the conveying direction

Family

PCT/NZ2013/000157Parent of this continuation · filed 4 Sep 2013
Application15/354,757Parent of this continuation · filed 17 Nov 2016
US 2018/0370738 A1Pre-grant publication · published 27 Dec 2018
US 10,011,440 B2Parent of this continuation
Application14/426,528Parent of this continuation
US 9,527,680 B2Parent of this continuation
US 2015/0232285 A1Published application
US 2017/0190517 A1Published application
US 10,703,579 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.