Conveyor having a carriage
OwnerMichael C. Judgeinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A conveyor with a carriage activates actuators which encourage the carriage along a path. The position of the carriage is detected and used to activate mechanical stimuli to advance the carriage position. Only the portions of the device which are directly advancing the carriage are consuming energy thereby providing an efficient conveyor. Various geometries are suggested such that the conveyor function is independent of carriage path. Various forms of mechanical actuators can be utilized to achieve the same results. The devices have function independent of any particular actuator.
Claims7
An apparatus for moving a carriage along a predetermined path, the apparatus being comprised of:
- a) a path having a shape from the group consisting of linear, curvilinear, or arcuate, said path being either a closed-path or an open-ended path;
- b) a carriage having a periphery, the periphery having a front portion and a back portion, the back portion of the periphery including at least one incline portion where the orientation of the inclination is with respect to the direction of said path;
- and
- c) at least one actuator, linearly movable and arranged to engage and impart a force to said carriage, the actuator being responsive to the position of the carriage along the path.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.