Workpiece storage system

In a conveyor,

• A. a body for carrying load pieces,
• B. downwardly sloping track means including a first portion for carrying an unloaded body and a second portion for carrying a loaded body,
• C. a plurality of unpowered axially spaced primary wheels of different diameters mounted coaxially on a common axis for selectively supporting and guiding said pallet body on and with respect to said track means,
• D. retarding means acting between said body and said primary wheels to generate a retarding torque substantially proportional to the angular velocity of each said primary wheel as it moves on an inclined track,
• E. said first and second portions of said track means being spatially related relative to said primary wheels to cause the smaller of said primary wheels to ride on the second portion of said track means when a body is loaded, and the larger of said primary wheels to ride on the first portion of said track means when a body is unloaded thereby creating a larger ratio of retarding force to body velocity for a loaded body than the retarding force to body velocity for an unloaded body.

In a conveyor,

• A. a body for carrying load pieces,
• B. a track means comprising a first downwardly inclined portion for carrying unloaded bodies and a second downwardly inclined portion for carrying load bodies,
• C. a plurality of unpowered axially spaced primary wheels of different diameters mounted coaxially on a common axis for selectively supporting and guiding a body on and with respect to said track surfaces,
• D. retarding means acting between said body and said primary wheels to generate a retarding torque substantially proportional to the angular velocity of each said primary wheel as it moves on an inclined track portion,
• E. said first and second portions of said track means being laterally positioned relative to said primary wheels wherein said smaller of said primary wheels engages the second portion of said track means when a body is carrying a load, and said larger of said primary wheels engages the first portion of said track means when a body is not carrying a load, thereby creating a larger ratio of retarding force to body velocity for a body carrying a load than the ratio of retarding force to body velocity for a body not carrying a load.

In a conveyor,

• A. a body for carrying load pieces,
• B. a downwardly sloping track means including a first portion to carry an unloaded body and a second portion to carry a loaded body,
• C. a plurality of unpowered wheels of different diameters mounted for selectively supporting and guiding said body on and with respect to said track means,
• D. retarding means acting between said pallet body and said unpowered wheels to generate a retarding torque substantially proportional to the angular velocity of each said unpowered wheels as it moves on an inclined track surface,
• E. said first and second track portions having different widths to form a wider section and a narrow section, and said unpowered wheels having coaxial large and small diameter portions on each side of the centerplane of the wheels, the large diameter portions being spaced to engage the wider track sections for carrying unloaded bodies and the small diameter portions being spaced to engage the narrow track sections for carrying loaded bodies thereby creating a larger ratio of retarding force to body velocity for a body carrying a load than the ratio of retarding force to body velocity for a body not carrying a load.