Transporting apparatus

An apparatus for transporting articles, such as electrode plates, comprising:

• a first conveyor having a first conveyor member adapted to have said articles deposited thereon and transported thereby, said first conveyor member extending substantially horizontally and having a loading station and a discharge station associated therewith for respectively permitting articles to be loaded on and removed from said first conveyor member, and a first power device interconnected to said first conveyor member for drivably moving same;
• a second conveyor having a second conveyor member adapted to have groups of said articles deposited thereon and transported therealong, each said group containing a preselected number of adjacent articles, said second conveyor member extending substantially horizontally and having supply and removal stations associated therewith for respectively permitting the articles to be deposited on and removed from said second conveyor member, and a second power device interconnected to said second conveyor member for drivably moving same;
• feeding means associated with said first conveyor for sequentially depositing said articles one-by-one on said first conveyor member at said loading station;
• transfer means movable back and forth between said first and second conveyors for transferring articles from the discharge station of said first conveyor member to the supply station of said second conveyor member, said transfer means including a movable carriage;
• drive means for causing said carriage to be moved back and forth between a pickup position wherein said carriage is disposed over said first conveyor member and a discharge position wherein said carriage is disposed over said second conveyor member;
• said transfer means also including article engaging means supported on said carriage for vertical movement relative thereto, and motor means coacting between said carriage and said article engaging means for controlling lifting and lowering of said article engaging means;
• first control means for detecting the presence of a group of articles on said first conveyor member when said carriage is moving rearwardly from said second conveyor toward said first conveyor for stopping said carriage and energizing said article engaging means for lifting said group upwardly from said first conveyor member;
• second control means coacting between said transfer means and said second conveyor when said carriage is being moved forwardly from said first conveyor toward said second conveyor for detecting the presence of a preselected space on said second conveyor member of a size capable of permitting said group to be deposited thereon, said second control means preventing lowering of said group onto said second conveyor member so long as said preselected space is not present;
• and
• third control means for detecting the presence of the rearmost article on said second conveyor member and for stopping said carriage and energizing said motor means whereby said group is lowered into engagement with said second conveyor member, said third control means being operable only after said second control means has been activated so as to indicate the presence of said preselected space;
• and
• fourth control means for activating said transfer means to return said carriage toward said first conveyor upon depositing of the group of articles on said second conveyor member.