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US 5,985,029 AGranted
Conveyor system with lifting mechanism
AssigneeSpeedline Technologies, Inc.
InventorThomas Purcell
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A conveyor system has a pair of elongated rails that support a pair of conveyors. A lifting mechanism is mounted to the rails for lifting the conveyor itself, or for lifting the circuit board at its edges near the conveyor. A stripping bar is provided in the rails for lifting stop tabs. The stripping bar and the lifting plates are moved by a cylinder that drives a camming plate along a direction of travel, while this motion is translated into motion transverse to the direction of travel.
Claims28
A conveyor system for transporting a workpiece to a working position, the system comprising:
- first and second elongated conveyors for transporting the workpiece along a direction of travel to the working position;
- first and second rails elongated along first and second parallel axes parallel to the direction of travel, the first and second rails being spaced apart, the first and second rails supporting the respective first and second conveyors;
- first and second lifting plates movably mounted under the respective first and second conveyors and movable in a direction transverse to the first and second axes and the direction of travel;
- and
- first and second drivers mounted in the rails for moving the respective first and second lifting plates between a first position in which the lifting plates are spaced from the respective first and second conveyors and a second position in which the lifting plates contact the respective first and second conveyors to move the conveyors and the workpiece along the direction transverse to the direction of travel when the workpiece is in the working position.
2 more elements
A conveyor system for transporting a workpiece to a working position, the system comprising:
- first and second elongated conveyors for transporting the workpiece along a direction of travel;
- first and second rails elongated along first and second parallel axes, the first and second rails being spaced apart, the first and second rails supporting and next to the respective first and second conveyors;
- first and second lifting plates elongated along the direction of travel and mounted to the respective first and second rails, adjacent the respective first and second conveyors, movable in a direction transverse to the first and second axes between a first position and second position, and positioned to contact the workpiece in the second position;
- and
- first and second drivers mounted in the rails for moving the first and second lifting plates in the transverse direction from the first position in which the lifting plates are spaced from the workpiece to the second position in which the lifting plates are in contact with the workpiece.
2 more elements
A conveyor system for transporting a workpiece to a working position, the system comprising:
- a first elongated conveyor for transporting the workpiece along a direction of travel;
- a first elongated rail supporting the first conveyor;
- a bar mounted in the rail and movable along a vertical direction transverse to the direction of travel;
- a stop member rigidly connected to the bar, the stop member in contact with the workpiece when the workpiece is in the working position;
- and
- a first driver for moving the bar along the transverse direction from a first position such that the stop member is in contact with the workpiece to a second position in which the stop member is moved so that the stop member is vertically spaced from the workpiece.
3 more elements
A conveyor system for transporting a workpiece to a working position, the system comprising:
- a first elongated conveyor for transporting the workpiece along a direction of travel to the working position;
- a first elongated rail for supporting the conveyor, the rail being positioned next to the conveyor and elongated in the direction of travel;
- a first lifting plate mounted under the first conveyor and movable in a direction transverse to the direction of travel;
- and
- a first driver mounted in the first rail for moving the first lifting plate against the first conveyor to cause the workpiece to be moved in a direction transverse to the direction of travel when the workpiece is in the working position.
2 more elements
A conveyor system for transporting a workpiece to a working position, the system comprising:
- a first elongated conveyor for transporting the workpiece;
- a first elongated rail for supporting the first conveyor, the first rail being elongated parallel to and next to the first rail;
- first means, mounted in the first rail, for moving the workpiece in a vertical direction transverse to the direction of travel between a first position and a second position when the workpiece is in the working position;
- and
- a stop with a positioning pin for engaging the workpiece to position the workpiece when in the working position, the system further comprising means, coupled to the pin, for stripping the workpiece from the pin.
2 more elements
A conveyor system for transporting a workpiece to a working position, the system comprising:
- a first elongated conveyor for transporting the workpiece;
- a first elongated rail for supporting the first conveyor, the first rail being elongated parallel to and next to the first rail;
- first means, mounted in the first rail, for moving the workpiece in a vertical direction transverse to the direction of travel between a first position and a second position when the workpiece is in the working position;
- a second elongated conveyor for transporting the workpiece;
- a second elongated rail for supporting the conveyor, the second rail being elongated parallel to and next to the second conveyor;
- and
- second means, mounted in the second rail, for moving the workpiece transverse to the direction of travel between the first position and the second position when the workpiece is in the working position, the first and second elongated conveyors and rails being oriented in parallel and space apart.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.