U-shaped accumulator device with endless belts

An accumulator device to regulate the transfer of products between an upstream unit and a downstream unit, which device is composed of a first linear conveyor (4) with fixed ends, with an endless belt (5), adapted to receive the products from the upstream unit, and of a second linear conveyor (7), also with fixed ends and with endless belt (8), arranged parallel to the first conveyor (4), adapted to deliver the products towards the downstream unit, whereas these first and second conveyors (4, 7) are communicating via a conveyor (10) with endless belt (11), with semicircular trajectory, provided above said first and second conveyors (4, 7) and borne by a mobile carriage (16) driven by a translation movement parallel to said first and second conveyors (4, 7), whereas the transport plane of the products, with variable length according to the position of the semicircular conveyor (10) is composed of the upstream section of the upper side of the belt (5) of the first conveyor (4), of the upper side of the belt (11) of the semicircular conveyor (10) and of the downstream section of the upper side of the belt (8) of the second linear conveyor (7), whereas the mobile carriage (16) is fitted with means for guiding (20, 21, 22, 23) the upper side of the belt (5) of the first conveyor (4), adapted to lower the downstream section (5′) of said upper side situated beneath the semicircular conveyor (10) and which does not serve as a transport plane of the products, said lowering enabling to place in the same plane, the transport plane of the first conveyor (4) and the transport plane of the semicircular conveyor (10), and the section of endless belt (5) forming the transport plane of said first conveyor (4) is associated with retractable supporting means (30), characterised in that said mobile carriage (16) comprises means for direct manoeuvring of said retractable supporting means (30).