Continuous actuator driven material handling system for vertical and inclined shafts
AssigneeNordic Minesteel Technologies Inc.
InventorROCKY LYNN WEBB
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A continuous actuator driven material handling system for raising and lowering bins in a vertical or inclined shaft, comprising: a first pair of actuator assemblies, each of the first pair of actuator assemblies configured to alternately raise a first bin by increments; a second pair of actuators assemblies, each of the second pair of actuator assemblies configured to alternately lower a second bin by increments; a further plurality of first pairs of actuator assemblies mounted on a wall of the shaft to thereby successively raise the first bin up the shaft; and, a further plurality of second pairs of actuator assemblies mounted on the wall of the shaft to thereby successively lower the second bin down the shaft.
Claims14
A continuous material handling system, comprising:
- a plurality of bins, each bin having a plurality of bin lugs mounted on a wall of the bin, first and second bin lugs being vertically spaced on the wall of the bin;
- a first actuator assembly having a first rod, the first actuator operable to move an upper end of the first rod between a first retracted position and a first extended position, a first lifting link being pivotally attached to the upper end of the first rod, the first lifting link configured to engage one of the bin lugs;
- and,
- a second actuator assembly having a second rod, the second actuator operable to move an upper end of the second rod between a second retracted position and a second extended position, a second lifting link being pivotally attached to the upper end of the second rod, the second lifting link configured to engage another one of the bin lugs;
- wherein the first lifting link engages the first bin lug and the first actuator assembly moves the bin from a first lower position to a second higher position when the upper end of first rod moves between the first retracted and first extended positions;
- wherein the second lifting link engages the second bin lug and the second actuator moves the bin from the second higher position to a third still higher position when the upper end of the second rod moves between the second retracted position and the second extended position;
- and, wherein the first lifting link disengages from the first bin lug after the second lifting link engages the second bin lug.
A continuous actuator driven material handling system for raising and lowering bins in a vertical or inclined shaft, comprising:
- a first pair of actuator assemblies, each of the first pair of actuator assemblies configured to alternately raise a first bin by an increment, a first actuator assembly of the first pair raising the first bin by the increment before handing the first bin off to a second actuator assembly of the first pair, the second actuator assembly of the first pair raising the first bin by the increment before handing the first bin back to the first actuator assembly of the first pair;
- a second pair of actuators assemblies, each of the second pair of actuator assemblies configured to alternately lower a second bin by the increment, a first actuator assembly of the second pair lowering the second bin by the increment before handing the second bin off to a second actuator assembly of the second pair, the second actuator assembly of the second pair lowering the second bin by the increment before handing the second bin back to the first actuator assembly of the second pair;
- a further plurality of first pairs of actuator assemblies mounted on a wall of the shaft to thereby successively raise the first bin up the shaft;
- and,
- a further plurality of second pairs of actuator assemblies mounted on the wall of the shaft to thereby successively lower the second bin down the shaft.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.