Belt type conveyor for conveying wire segments

A conveyor for conveying wire segments or the like from an infeed end to an output end of the conveyor comprising:

• a pair of endless flexible belts;
• means for rotatably supporting said belts so that a flight in one belt confronts and engages a flight in the other belt whereby a wire segment can be entrapped between the engaged confronting flights, said means comprising a guide rail for each confronting flight and a pulley at each end of each guide rail, each guide rail including a first movable portion on which a pulley is mounted and one of said guide rails including a second movable portion between said first movable portion and the output end of said conveyor;
• biasing means for biasing the guide rail of at least one of the confronting flights towards the other to facilitate engagement of said flights with each other and entrapment of a wire segment therebetween;
• means for intermittently driving said belts so that the confronting flights move simultaneously at the same speed and in the same direction from an infeed end to a discharge end and convey a wire segment entrapped therebetween in said direction;
• first separator means operable to selectively and temporarily separate the engaged confronting flights at said infeed end by moving the movable portions of said guide rails to effect movement of both belts away from each other and for maintaining the belts separated for an interval of time when the belts are not being driven to facilitate initial axial insertion of a wire segment between the confronting flights in a direction transverse to said direction of belt travel prior to reengaging said flights to effect entrapment of said wire segment for transport by said conveyor;
• first separable members disposed adjacent the confronting flights on one side thereof at a location where said flights are separated by said first separator means,
• said first separable members having a closed position when said flights separate wherein said separable members define a hole for receiving and directing a wire segment between the separated flights,
• said separable members also having an open position when said flights reclose to enable a wire segment to be moved from between said separable members by said belts;
• said second separator means operable to selectively and temporarily separate the engaged confronting flights at a location between said first separator means and the discharge end of said conveyor by moving said second movable portion of one of said guide rails to effect movement of one belt away from the other and for maintaining the belts separated for an interval of time when the belts are not being driven to facilitate axial shifting of a wire segment between the confronting flights in a direction transverse to said direction of belt travel prior to reengaging said flights to effect entrapment of said wire segment for transport by said conveyor.

In combination in a conveyor:

• means for moving wire segments along a first path;
• a driven pair of endless flexible belts having engageable confronting flights for receiving and conveying said segments along a second path transverse to said first path while maintaining each segment so that its longitudinal axis is transverse to said second path, said flights comprising an infeed end and an output end;
• first means for periodically separating and reclosing a first portion of said confronting flights near said infeed end to facilitate initial reception of a wire segment therebetween for conveyance;
• second means for periodically separating and reclosing a second portion of said confronting flights at a location between said first portion and said output end between which a wire segment is already entrapped;
• and shifter means for shifting an untrapped wire segment while said second portion of said confronting flights is separated and said untrapped wire segment is free to move.