Syncing apparatuses, process dollies, and conveyor assemblies
AssigneeToyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc.
InventorMichael P. Meyer
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A syncing apparatus for synchronizing a process dolly to a conveyor includes a mounting frame and a sync arm. The mounting frame is configured to be mounted to a frame of the process dolly. The sync arm is coupled to the mounting frame and includes a wheel and a biasing member coupled to the wheel and configured to bias the wheel to an extended position. The wheel is configured to contact a contact feature of the conveyor to synchronize the process dolly to a movement of the conveyor when biased to the extended position. Compression of the biasing member moves the wheel to a retracted position wherein the wheel is configured to traverse the contact feature of the conveyor and the process dolly is unsynchronized from the movement of the conveyor.
Claims20
A syncing apparatus for synchronizing a process dolly to a conveyor, the syncing apparatus comprising:
- a mounting frame configured to be mounted to a frame of the process dolly;
- and
- a sync arm coupled to the mounting frame, the sync arm comprising:
- a wheel;
- and
- a spring coupled to the wheel and configured to bias the wheel to an extended position, wherein:
- the wheel is configured to contact a contact feature of the conveyor to synchronize the process dolly to a movement of the conveyor when biased to the extended position;
- and
- compression of the spring moves the wheel to a retracted position wherein the wheel is configured to traverse the contact feature of the conveyor and the process dolly is unsynchronized from the movement of the conveyor.
A process dolly, comprising:
- a frame, and
- a syncing apparatus coupled to the frame and configured to synchronize the process dolly to a movement of a conveyor, wherein the syncing apparatus comprises a sync arm comprising:
- a wheel;
- and
- a spring coupled to the wheel, the spring biasing the wheel to an extended position, wherein:
- the wheel is configured to contact a contact feature of the conveyor to synchronize the process dolly to the movement of the conveyor;
- and
- compression of the spring moves the wheel to a retracted position wherein the wheel traverses the contact feature of the conveyor and the process dolly is unsynchronized from the movement of the conveyor.
A conveyor assembly comprising:
- a conveyor having a contact feature;
- and
- a process dolly configured to be synchronized to a movement of the conveyor, the process dolly comprising:
- a frame, and
- a syncing apparatus coupled to the frame and configured to synchronize the process dolly to the movement of the conveyor, the syncing apparatus comprises a sync arm comprising:
- a wheel;
- and
- a spring coupled to the wheel, the spring biasing the wheel to an extended position, wherein:
- the wheel is configured to contact the contact feature of the conveyor to synchronize the process dolly to the movement of the conveyor;
- and
- compression of the biasing member spring moves the wheel to a retracted position wherein the wheel traverses the contact feature of the conveyor and the process dolly is unsynchronized from the movement of the conveyor.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.