Multi-stage conveyor system

A multi-stage conveying system comprising

• (A) a loading unit for receiving a material to be conveyed from a lower level place of delivery, such as a ship's hold or the like, to a higher level depositing facility,
• (B) a steeply lifting elevator unit, to the lower end of which material is transferred from said loading unit,
• (C) a depositing transom unit for taking up material from the upper end of said elevator unit and transferred to said depositing facility,
• each of said units having a central longitudinal axis;
• wherein
• said elevator unit comprises
• (1) an endless elevator belt having an outer elevator belt face and an inner elevator belt face, and
• (2) a row of material-receiving receptacles, borne between said elevator belt faces, and adapted for being loaded with said material via said outer elevator belt face,
• said endless elevator belt being adapted for moving through an inner ascending reach and an outer descending reach in said elevator unit;
• and through a terminal branch in said transom unit and joined at an angle to the upper ends of said ascending and descending reaches,
• (a) an endless standard belt having an outer standard belt side and an inner standard belt side, and being adapted for moving through an inner ascending standard belt reach and an outer descending standard belt reach in said elevator unit, and through a delivery branch joined at an angle to the upper ends of said elevator belt reaches in said elevator unit,
• said inner reach of said standard belt sealingly covering said outer elevator belt face of said inner ascending reach of said elevator belt in said elevator unit;
• (b) angle-adjusting means associated with said elevator unit and said standard belt delivery branch in said transom unit and adapted for adjusting an angle between said central longitudinal axis of said elevator unit and of said delivery branch in said transom unit, said angle-adjusting means comprising a position-setting device having an adjustable transverse length and being articulatedly connected with each of said elevator unit and transom unit,
• (c) a head station between the upper end of said elevator unit and the adjoining transom unit, and
• (d) direction-changing swivel means in said head station between said elevator unit and said transom unit, said swivel means being adapted for carrying out a swivelling action of said terminal branch of said elevator belt relative to said elevator unit and having a swivel axis extending transversely relative to said central longitudinal axes of said elevator unit and said elevator belt terminal branch;
• (e) means for operational drive of said elevator belt and said standard belt in the same sense in said inner ascending reaches thereof in said elevator unit and head station, and for synchronous speed thereof, at parallel positioning of said ascending reaches of said two belts,
• the distance between said inner face and outer side, respectively, of said two belts in said ascending reaches in said elevator unit and head station thereof being such as to correspond to the height of said receptacles and thereby to cover said receptacles sealingly by said outer side of said standard belt;
• said elevator belt moving about said direction-changing swivel means in said head station and through an adjoining part of said transom unit above said outer side of said endless standard belt in the upper reach thereof passing through said last-mentioned unit;
• said standard belt outer side in said ascending reach thereof remaining in covering contact with said outer elevator belt face in said ascending reach thereof over the arc of a segment of said swivelling action of said direction changing swivel means and, in the remaining portion of said swivelling action, detaching itself from said elevator belt and continuing conveyance of said material toward said depositing facility;
• and
• (f) said terminal elevator belt branch comprising belt-reversing means and extending from said head station into said transom unit, and adapted for having a lower reach thereof lifted upwardly off said upper reach of said standard belt delivery branch in said transom unit, thereby opening said receptacles for emptying the material therefrom onto said upper reach of said standard belt, and
• (g) said direction-changing swivel means in said head station and said angle-adjusting means being adapted for a cooperation such that a lower reach of said terminal elevator belt branch is lifted off by a determined small opening angle from an upper reach of said standard belt delivery branch, thereby opening said receptacles of said elevator belt at their lower face for discharge of material therefrom on to said delivery branch.