Monorail suspended conveyor system

Traction drive means for a rail suspended conveyor having a plurality of carriages connected together and suspending from said rail, said carriages having an open extent extending longitudinally therethrough and means carried by said carriages for supporting an orbital material conveying belt within said open extent, said drive means comprising:

• (a) a traction drive unit cooperable with said rail for movement therealong;
• (b) an elongated drive framework suspended from said rail and located in the proximity of said drive unit in between two adjacent carriages, said framework having end portions each being interconnected to an adjacent carriage and spaced longitudinally outwardly from the respective ends of said drive unit with a rigid frame member interconnecting said opposite end portions;
• and
• (c) link means interconnecting each of the ends of said drive unit to said rigid frame member respectively, such that upon movement of said drive unit in a given direction, the link means on the end of the drive unit opposite to the driven direction is put in tension in providing a force transmitting path through said rigid frame member to an adjacent carriage whereas said other link means is in a relaxed position and does not transmit force to the other adjacent carriage.

In an overhead rail material conveying system having a plurality of carriages suspended from the overhead rail and connected to one another in single file fashion, means carried by said carriages for supporting an orbital conveying belt, and traction drive means for moving said carriages along said overhead rail, said traction drive means comprising:

• (a) a traction drive unit cooperable with said rail and operable for movement therealong;
• (b) an elongated framework suspended from said rail and disposed within the vicinity of said traction drive unit, said framework being connected to at least one of said carriages and having portions spaced outwardly from the opposite longitudinal ends of said traction drive unit and a force transmitting member interconnecting said opposite portions and shaped so as to bridge around said traction drive unit;
• and
• (c) link means connecting the ends of the traction drive unit to said opposite portions respectively such that when one of said link means is placed in tension the other one of said link means is incapable of transmitting a force to the other one of said opposite portions.

In a conveyor adapted to be suspended from overhead rail means and including a plurality of carriages each having an open extent extending longitudinally therethrough and being interconnected to one another in single file fashion so as to be moved as a unit below and along said overhead rail means, belt support means carried by said carriages for supporting an endless belt, an improved power means connected to at least one of said carriages for moving said unit of carriages along said overhead rail means, said improved power means comprising:

• (a) at least a pair of transversely spaced apart rotatable traction drive wheels cooperable with said overhead rail means, said wheels being disposed on opposite sides of said overhead rail means;
• (b) a pair of transversely spaced power units, each power unit being disposed on an opposite side of said open extent and driveably coupled to and supported by one of said traction drive wheels;
• (c) means for pivotally connecting said power units spaced below said drive wheels;
• and
• (d) means for pivoting said power units toward and away from one another so as to maintain said drive wheels in drive traction relationship with said overhead rail means for thereby moving said unit of carriages along said overhead rail means.