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US 4,223,780 AGranted
Accumulation conveyors
AssigneeRapistan, Incorporated
InventorCharles W. Saur
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
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AssigneeRapistan, Incorporated
InventorCharles W. Saur
Estimating the term…
An accumulator is disclosed in which the articles are transported on a bed of carrier rollers. Beneath the rollers a plurality of devices, arranged in tandem lengthwise of the conveyor, provide vertical support for the propelling member. Each support has a bracket pivotally mounted between its ends with a propelling member support pulley at one end and a bracket manipulating propelling member tracking roller at the other end. The tracking roller is tapered and is mounted for rotation about a shaft extending transversely of the propelling member. The shaft is longer than the roller permitting the tracking roller a limited amount of axial travel. By changing the angular relationship between the roller and propelling member, the point of contact between the propelling member and tracking roller is shifted lengthwise of the roller, resulting in pivotal movement of the bracket which raises and lowers the propelling member to effect drive and release of the carrier rollers forming the conveyor bed. Article actuated sensors control the angular position of the tracking roller.
An actuator for an accumulator, said accumulator having a driven, strand-like propelling member and a frame and a plurality of carrier rollers collectively forming an article supporting and transporting surface, a plurality of cable support members beneath said cable, each of said members having a bracket, said actuator characterized in that each bracket has a cable supporting pulley at one end and a cable tracking element at the other end thereof, means supporting said bracket on said frame intermediate said pulley and tracking element for rocking motion in a plane common with the centerline of said propelling member;
An actuator for a cable driven accumulator, said accumulator having a frame and a plurality of rollers collectively forming an article supporting and transporting surface, a plurality of cable support members beneath said cable, each of said members characterized by a pulley and a cable tracking element spaced apart lengthwise of said cable;
An actuator for a cable driven accumulator, said accumulator having a frame, a cable and a plurality of carrier rollers collectively forming an article supporting and transporting surface, a plurality of cable support members beneath said cable, each of said members characterized by a cable tracking element beneath said cable having a cable engaging surface inclined transversely of said cable, shaft means mounting said element for rotatable and axial movement horizontally and transversely of the axis of said cable for changing the point of tangency between said cable and said inclined surface;
A propelling member support for an accumulator conveyor of the type having a plurality of carrier rollers forming an article transporting surface and a driven propelling member beneath said carrier rollers, said support characterized in that it has propelling member supporting and tracking elements beneath said propelling member, each of said tracking elements being of tapered cross section in an axial direction, a shaft mounting each tracking element for rotation and axial travel therealong;
An accumulator conveyor, the conveyor having a plurality of carrier rollers forming an article transporting surface, a driven propelling member beneath said carrier rollers and supports for said propelling member, said supports characterized in that each has a propelling member supporting and tracking element beneath said propelling member, each tracking element being vertically aligned with at least one of said carrier rollers, each of said tracking elements being of tapered cross section in an axial direction, a shaft mounting each tracking element for rotation and axial travel therealong;
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.