Tilting cart for a package sorting conveyor
AssigneeMantissa Corporation
InventorsJ. David Fortenbery, David Patrick Erceq
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A two-axis, tilting conveyor cart for a sorting conveyor for transporting objects and unloading objects at one or more unloading stations adjacent the conveyor. Each of the tilting conveyor carts includes a trailer frame base, a carrying tray for holding the objects and a two-axis tiltable support apparatus for supporting the carrying tray above the trailer frame base and for allowing tilting of the carrying tray towards at least one side of the conveyor to unload objects into unloading stations on at least one side of the conveyor.
Claims94
A conveyor cart for a sorting conveyor for transporting objects and unloading objects at one or more unloading stations adjacent the conveyor, said sorting conveyor including:
- a conveyor track;
- a train of said tilting conveyor carts connected end-to-end;
- and a linear induction motor power source for moving said conveyor carts on said conveyor track, each of said tilting conveyor carts comprising:
- (a) a trailer frame base, including:
- (i) a roller structure for engaging said conveyor track, (ii) a vertically oriented metal fin responsive to said linear induction motor power source, and (iii) a hitch mechanism for connecting each tilting conveyor cart to an adjacent conveyor cart, wherein said linear induction motor and said metal fin are both vertically oriented beneath said trailer frame base and wherein said metal fin is generally parallelogram-shaped with rearwardly angled front and rear edges;
- (b) a carrying tray for holding the objects;
- (c) a tiltable support apparatus for supporting said carrying tray above said trailer frame base and for allowing tilting of said carrying tray towards at least one side of the conveyor to unload objects into unloading stations on at least one side of the conveyor;
- and
- wherein said linear induction motor power source includes at least two vertically oriented out-of-phase electromagnets mounted in fixed positions relative to said vertically oriented metal fin.
A two-axis tiltable support apparatus for supporting a carrying tray on a conveyor cart of a package sorting conveyor and for allowing tilting of said carrying tray towards at least one side of the package sorting conveyor to unload packages into unloading stations on at least one side of the sorting conveyor, said tiltable support apparatus comprising:
- (a) an upper support structure having a front support member and a back support member, said upper support structure joined to said carrying tray;
- (b) a lower support structure mounted atop a frame structure of the sorting conveyor cart;
- (c) an angled pivot structure pivotally connecting said upper support structure along a pivot axis, wherein the pivot axis is disposed at an angle to a line of travel of the sorting conveyor so as to impart two axial components to the tilting of said carrying tray and wherein said angled pivot structure comprises an axle that passes through said front support member, said lower support structure, and said back support member.
A conveyor cart for a sorting conveyor for transporting objects and unloading objects at one or more unloading stations adjacent the conveyor, said sorting conveyor including:
- a conveyor track;
- a train of said tilting conveyor carts connected end-to-end;
- and a power source for moving said conveyor carts on said conveyor track, each of said tilting conveyor carts comprising:
- (a) a trailer frame base, including:
- (i) a roller structure for engaging said conveyor track, (ii) a driven member responsive to said power source, and (iii) a hitch mechanism for connecting each tilting conveyor cart to an adjacent conveyor cart;
- (b) a carrying tray for holding the objects;
- (c) a two-axis tiltable support apparatus for supporting said carrying tray above said trailer frame base and for allowing tilting of said carrying tray above said trailer frame base and for allowing tilting of said carrying tray towards at least one side of the conveyor to unload objects into unloading stations on at least one side of the conveyor, said tiltable support apparatus including:
- (i) an upper support structure having a front support member and a back support member, said upper support structure joined to said carrying tray, (ii) a lower support structure joined to said trailer frame base, and (iii) an angled pivot structure connecting the upper support structure to the lower support structure along a pivot axis, wherein the pivot axis is disposed at an angle to a line of travel of the sorting conveyor so as to impart two axial components to the tilting of said carrying tray and wherein said angled pivot structure comprises an axle that passes through said front support member, said lower support structure, and said back support member;
- and
- (d) a tilting mechanism for tilting said carrying tray on said tiltable support apparatus to thereby unload objects into one of the unloading stations adjacent the conveyor.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.