Rack and pinion drive trolley with slip-ring drive wheel
OwnerGeorg Uttscheidinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A motor-driven overhead trolley conveyor is described which comprises a rail having horizontal sections and inclined sections. Rack sections or chain sections are associated to the inclined sections. Each trolley comprises its own drive motor. In the horizontal sections the driving force is transmitted exclusively through a drive roller. In inclined sections the drive is effected by means of a gear meshing with the rack or chain and being driven with the same angular velocity as the drive roller. The drive roller comprises a drive wheel connected with the drive shaft as well as a ring mounted on the periphery of the drive wheel in a slide bearing fashion. By this feature, a cold working of the drive roller surface and the rail surface due to alternate stresses caused by the gear is avoided.
Claims7
Motor-driven overhead trolley conveyor with a runway rail comprising horizontal sections and inclined sections and with parallel drive sections associated to the inclined rail sections and with trolleys, each of which comprises its own motor drive, which drives with equal angular velocity at least one load carrying roller rolling on the rail and at least on gear meshing with the drive sections of the rail, wherein the load carrying roller comprises a drive wheel connected with the motor drive, said load carrying roller further comprising a ring which is mounted in a slide bearing fashion on the periphery of the drive wheel so as to be rotatable but axially confined with respect to the drive wheel, said drive wheel frictionally engaging said ring whereby said ring drives the trolley along horizontal sections of the rail.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.