Oscillating-accumulating conveyor system

In a conveyor system, comprising in combination:

• an elongated stationary structure, including a pair of horizontally elongated guide rails disposed in parallel but sidewardly-spaced relationship, said guide rails defining thereon a pair of inwardly-facing guide surfaces which are disposed opposite one another and are maintained a preselected distance apart;
• a horizontally elongated conveyor unit positioned between said guide rails, said conveyor unit including a plurality of parallel spaced-apart freely-rotatable rolls which are individually rotatable about horizontal axes which extend substantially perpendicular to the elongated direction of said rails, and drive means connected to said conveyor unit for cyclically reciprocating the latter back and forth through a selected linear stroke which extends parallel with said elongated direction;
• a skid structure including a base rollingly supported on said conveyor rolls for displacement along said conveyor unit in said elongated direction, the base of said skid structure having a width slightly less than said preselected distance so that said skid structure is slidably guided by and confined between said opposed guide surfaces;
• one-way drive means coacting between said stationary structure and said skid structure for causing the skid structure to be intermittently unidirectionally moved in a steplike manner along said elongated direction in response to the cyclic reciprocation of said conveyor unit;
• said one-way drive means including a pair of parallel but sidewardly spaced-apart elongated reaction surfaces fixedly associated with one of said structures, and a pair of sidewardly spaced-apart holding arms mounted on the other of said structures and disposed for reactive engagement with an adjacent one of said reaction surfaces, each said holding arm being swingably mounted on said other structure and being urged into a position wherein an edge of said arm is engaged with its respective reaction surface, each said arm being swingably mounted on said other structure for swingable displacement about a pivot axis which lies substantially within a plane which extends substantially perpendicular to said direction, said arm being swingably movable between first and second positions of engagement with its respective reaction surface, said arm when in said first position extending at an angle with respect to said perpendicular plane so that the edge of said arm engages the reaction surface at a location spaced on one side of said perpendicular plane for causing unidirectional movement of the skid structure only during the forward stroke of the conveyor unit movement, said arm when in said second position extending at an opposite angle relative to said perpendicular plane so that the edge thereof engages said reaction surface at a location spaced from and disposed on the opposite side of said perpendicular plane for causing oppositely-directed unidirectional movement of the skid structure only during the return stroke of the conveyor unit movement.

In a conveyor system, comprising in combination:

• an elongated stationary structure including horizontally elongated guide rail means;
• a horizontally elongated conveyor unit positioned adjacent and in parallel relationship with said guide rail means, said conveyor unit including a plurality of parallel spaced-apart freely-rotatable rolls which are individually rotatable about horizontal axes which extend substantially perpendicular to the elongated direction of said rail means, and drive means connected to said conveyor unit for cyclically reciprocating the latter back and forth through a selected linear stroke which extends parallel with said elongated direction;
• a skid structure including a base rollingly supported on said conveyor rolls for displacment along said conveyor unit in said elongated direction, said skid being slidably guided by said guide rail means;
• one-way drive means coacting between said stationary structure and said skid structure for causing the skid structure to be intermittently unidirectionally moved in a steplike manner along said elongated direction in response to the cyclic reciprocation of said conveyor unit;
• said one-way drive means including an elongated reaction surface which extends in a direction substantially parallel with said guide rail means and is fixedly associated with one of said structures, and a holding arm mounted on the other of said structures and disposed for reactive engagement with said reaction surface, said holding arm being swingably mounted on said other structure and being urged into a position wherein an edge of said arm is engaged with said reaction surface, said arm being swingably mounted on said other structure for swingable displacement about a pivot axis which lies substantially within a plane which extends substantially perpendicular to the elongated direction of said reaction surface, said arm being swingably movable between first and second positions of engagement with said reaction surface, said arm when in said first position extending at an angle with respect to said perpendicular plane so that the edge of said arm engages said reaction surface at a location spaced on one side of said perpendicular plane for causing unidirectional movement of said skid structure only during the forward stroke of the conveyor unit movement, said arm when in said second position extending at an opposite angle relative to said perpendicular plane so that the edge thereof engages said reaction surface at a location spaced from and disposed on the opposite side of said perpendicular plane for causing oppositely-directed unidirectional movement of the skid structure only during the return stroke of the conveyor unit movement.