Conveyor systems |
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| 申请号 | US3662906D | 申请日 | 1970-09-02 | 公开(公告)号 | US3662906A | 公开(公告)日 | 1972-05-16 |
| 申请人 | CRISPLANT AS; | 发明人 | CHRISTENSEN SVEND; | ||||
| 摘要 | A conveyor system comprising a number of carrier vehicles each having a load supporting platform operable to receive articles to be conveyed, driving means for said vehicles, and means for guiding said vehicles along a predetermined track, said track extending past a feeding station and at least one unloading station, said feeding station adjacent said track having transfer means operable to transfer articles to said vehicles during presence of vehicles in said feeding station, said unloading station adjacent said track having means operable to effect unloading of said articles from the vehicles, said vehicles being provided with releasable coupling means operable to couple together two consecutive vehicles in such a manner that the load supporting platforms thereof form a substantially unbroken platform of a length bigger than that of the platform of a single vehicle, detector means being provided adjacent said feeding station for detecting the length of each article transferred to said vehicles, said detector means being operatively connected to actuator means for said coupling means so as to effectively provide coupling together of at least two consecutive vehicles in response to said detector means detecting the length of an articles under transfer from the feeding station to exceed the length of the platform of a single vehicle. | ||||||
| 权利要求 | 1. A conveyor system comprising a number of carrier vehicles each having a load supporting platform operable to receive articles to be conveyed, driving means for said vehicles, and means for guiding said vehicles along a predetermined track, said track extending past a feeding station and at least one unloading station, said feeding station adjacent said track having transfer means operable to transfer articles to said vehicles during presence of vehicles in said feeding station, said unloading station adjacent said track having means operable to effect unloading of said articles from the vehicles, said vehicles being provided with releasable coupling means operable to couple together two consecutive vehicles in such a manner that the load supporting platforms thereof form a substantially unbroken platform of a length bigger than that of the platform of a single vehicle, detector means being provided adjacent said feeding station for detecting the length of each article transferred to said vehicles, said detector means being Operatively connected to actuator means for said coupling means so as to effectively provide coupling together of at least two consecutive vehicles in response to said detector means detecting the length of an article under transfer from the feeding station to exceed the length of the platform of a single vehicle. 2. A conveyor system as claimed in claim 1 in which said feeding station comprises stop means mounted adjacent said track and operable to stop an unloaded vehicle during its passage of the feeding station in a position in which the vehicle is ready to commence receiving of an article to be transferred thereto, and release means operable to start said vehicle in response to actual article transfer thereto, said release means being operatively connected to said article length detecting means so as to prevent stopping of the vehicle following said started vehicle in response to said detecting means registering the article length to exceed the length of the platform of the first article. 3. A conveyor system as claimed in claim 2 and further comprising a vehicle accumulation station operable to accumulate unloaded vehicles moving along said track towards said feeding station in a row of closely accumulated consecutive vehicles, means being provided to effect coupling together of the consecutive vehicles before they enter the feeding station, said coupling actuator means in said feeding station having inverted function so as to effectively provide release of the interconnection between the rear end of a vehicle carrying the rear end of an article to leave the feeding station and the front end of the following vehicle. 4. A conveyor system as claimed in claim 3, in which said coupling means are of the type capable of providing interlocking between two consecutive vehicles in response to a following vehicle driving against the rear end of a leading vehicle. 5. A conveyor system as claimed in claim 4, in which said coupling means are adjustable between a position in which they are operable to couple together two consecutive vehicles in response to these vehicles driving against each other and an inoperative position in which they are unable to effect such coupling together, whereas at the entrance to said accumulation station there is provided stationary actuator means operable to cause the coupling means of all vehicles arriving at the accumulation station with their coupling means in said inoperative positions to be brought into said operative positions, whereas said coupling actuator means in said feeding station are operable to bring the coupling means between two interreleased vehicles into their inoperative positions. 6. A conveyor system as claimed in claim 4, in which each vehicle is provided with an article stop member adjacent each end of said platform, said stop members each being individually movable between a raised position in which they extend substantially vertically above the end of the platform and a lowered position at the highest in level with the platform, whereas in connection with the feeding station actuator means are provided for raising the stop member at the front end of the first article receiving vehicle and for correspondingly raising the stop member at the rear end of the last vehicle leaving the station with the particular article, said vehicles having means for releasably retaining the stop members in the raised positions thereof, stationary release means being provided between the last discharging station and the feeding station, said release means being operable to effect lowering of all raised stop members of unloaded vehicles approaching the position of said first article receiving vehicle in the feeding station. 7. A conveyor system according to claim 6, in which the said stop members are constituted by flaps hinged to the front edge, respectively the rear edge of the supporting platforms, whereas the means for interlocking consecutive vehicles are adapted so as to maintain such a spacing between the platforms of the Vehicles that the space therebetween is bridged by the said flaps in swung down horizontal positions thereof. 8. A conveyor system according to claim 7, in which the coupling means are mounted in direct association with said flaps so as to be operative when the flaps assume their swung down horizontal positions. 9. A conveyor system according to claim 2, in which each vehicle is provided with an individual driving motor and with switch means operable to stop the motor in response to the vehicle driving against a preceding, stopped vehicle and to start the motor in response to the preceding vehicle again starting its movement. 10. A conveyor system according to claim 1, in which in the feeding station the vehicles are operable to pass closely underneath a loading table on which the articles to be fed to the vehicles are advanced with a velocity corresponding to the driving velocity of the vehicles so as to move out over the free end of the loading table for being deposited on the vehicles as these are moved past the said free table end, whereas said detector means are constituted by stationary means for registering the passage of the front end as well as the passage of the rear end of each article so as to effect release of the first vehicle in the feeding station in response to passage of the front end of the article past said detector means and to effect disengaging between the vehicle receiving the rear end of said article and the following vehicle in response to passage of said rear end of the article past said detector means. |
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