GB2170168A - Curved conveyor - Google Patents

Abstract

A continuous conveyor for eggs comprises a plurality of interconnected parallel rods. Synchronised shafts 14, 15, which have toothed wheels 16, 17 at their ends for meshing with the conveyor rods, are disposed at the ends of curved portions of the conveyor, drive being transmitted from one shaft to the other by a chain 18 such that the conveyor is tensioned between the shafts. Sensing elements may be provided to count the eggs passing thereover. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Conveyors The present invention refers to improvements to continuous egg conveyor circuits, the characteristics of which substantially better the technical and functional qualities of known conveyor trains specifically useful for transporting eggs, proportioning clear improvements to both their mechanical structure, especially in the variation curves of the path thereof, as well as to the special incorporation of a system for counting the stacked eggs or the eggs arranged in a disorderly manner, inspired by the mathematical morphology.

Thus the improvements of the invention reside in a continuous conveyor train based on a conveyor belt comprised of a successive plurality of parallel rods, interconnected at their ends in the form of a ladder chain, forming between each two rods a surface for the free seating of a variable number of eggs, depending on the width of the conveyor belt.

This type of conveyor chain is currently dragged by means of a driver shaft and a driven shaft including pairs of identical, coaxial toothed wheels meshing with the rods constituing the links of the chain, in a closed circuit, determining two chain strands, an upper or operative, between shafts, and a lower or return. Naturally, the driving between the driven and the driver shafts is effected by the conveyor chain itself which will produce a tension between links, the stress of which will be equitatively distributed at both sides of the chain, when the conveyor belt travel is rectilinear between both the driven and the driver shafts.

This type of conveyor chain poses problems when a curve must be made in the path of the conveyor belt and when, in spite of the fact that the chain is collaterally directed between guides, the tensions at the sides of the chain are different and, therefore, all types of disadvantages are present: excess tensile stress between links on the outside of the curve which tends to raise the conveyor belt; excess friction, for this same reason, against the retention guides, etc.

One aspect of the improvements of this invention is precisely to solve these problems in the variation curves of the path of the conveyor belt, by disposing at the commencement and termination of each curve of the conveyor circuits, shafts transversal to the conveyor and parallel to the chain rods, which shafts incorporate at their ends toothed wheels meshing with the chain rods, the shafts synchronizing with each other by any mechanical means, such as a chain transmission, advantageously on the outside of the curve, by means of which the rotating movement of a driver shaft indistinctly coupled to a motor or moved by the dragging itself of the conveyor belt, is transmitted to the other driven shaft, so that between the said shafts is produced a strain of the conveyor element which is permanently maintained.

Another chracteristic of the improvements of the invention mainly consists in incorporating a bulk egg counter due to the special arrangement of proximity sensing or detecting elements, below the passage of the operative strand of this type of rod conveyor chain.

Thus, according to the improvements of the invention, there is disposed, parallel to the egg conveyor rods and specifically therebelow, a battery of conveniently spaced apart sensing elements which mark, by means of an electric signal, the passage of the eggs on the conveyor chain, the said battery of sensing elements being combined with an independent auxiliary sensing element, dephased with respect to the battery of counting sensing elements, at approximately half of the conveyor belt pitch, so that said auxiliary sensing element marks the passage of the conveyor rods, unblocking the transmission of signals from the battery of sensing elements, precisely when it faces the eggs wedged between two rods.

The assembly of signals obtained from the battery of sensing elements is processed successively by conventional electronic means, converting them to digital numerals representing the sum of the number of eggs which have passed in front of the battery of sensing elements.

Description of the drawings Figure 1 shows front elevational and plan views of the configuration of the rod constituting the link of the continuous conveyor chain.

Figure 2 shows a plan view of a series of interconnected links in the form of a ladder chain supported on sliding guides, illustrating with dotted lines various eggs wedged between two bars.

There is also represented the plan arrangement of the battery of sensing elements and the auxiliary sensing element with respect to the rods of the conveyor chain.

Figure 3 shows a vertical transverse section of the conveyor train, illustrating the arrangement of the battery of sensing elements and the auxiliary sensing element, below the operative strand of the conveyor chain and on the return strand.

Figure 4 shows a partial schematic profile view of the conveyor chain, and the special arrangement between its operative and return strands of the battery of sensing elements and the auxiliary sensing element permitting the eggs transported in each pitch of the conveyor chain to be counted.

Figure 5 represents a plan view of a number of rods or links of the conveyor chain, at a path variation curve of approximately 15 , illustrating the special arrangement thereof between the maximum extension ranges, on the outside of the curve, and the minimum extension or maximum contraction, on the inside of the curve, due to the special configuration of each rod or link of the conveyor chain, as illustrated in Figure 1.

Figure 6 represents a schematic plan view of a 90 degree path variation curve of the conveyor chain, between rectilinear pitches thereof, illustrating the mechanical transmission device between the recilinear pitches, outside the conveyor chain, to achieve a complete strain of the links of the curve.

Finally, Figure 7 represents a transversal section of the conveyor chain, at the vertical of the linkage point between rectilinear and curved pitches thereof.

From the aforegoing comments and accompanying drawings, the constitution and functioning of the improvements of the invention, which will now briefly be described, can practically be deduced.

The improvements to continuous egg conveyor circuits consist in a conveyor train, specifically for transporting and counting eggs, based on a conveyor chain having links specially formed of rods 1 (Figure 1), the ends of which are bent and shaped like collateral hooks 2 and 3 to be successively coupled together in the form of a ladder chain.

The endless conveyor chain is supported by a frame comprised of collateral side members 4 and 5 (see Figures 2 and 3) constituted of metal profiles establishing horizontal sliding guides 6 and 7 both of the operative strands 8 of the conveyor chain and of the return strands 9, between the corresponding chain wheels 10 of the horizontal shafts 11 determining the ends of stroke, in an open circuit, of the conveyor belt 8.

Due to the special shape of the rods or links 1,2 and 3 of the conveyor chain, it can adapt itself to the curves of the path, by the arrangement of the links 1 (Figure 5) in such a manner that on the outside 12 of the curve the arms 2 of the links 1 are at their maximum extension or separation between links, whilst on the inside 13 of the curve the arms 3 are at the least extension or separation between links.

This arrangement of the links at the curves will be maintained without tensile stress between links 1, due to the arrangement at the ends of the curve or linkage points with the straight pitches, of two shafts 14 and 15 (Figure 6) incorporating at their ends toothed wheels 16 and 17 meshing with the rods 1 of the conveyor, the said shafts 14 and 15 synchronizing by any mechanical means, such as for example, a transmission chain 18 between the corresponding chain wheels 19 and 20 coupled to the ends of the said shafts 14 and 15 and advantageously on the outside of the curve.

Depending on the direction of travel of the conveyor chain, one of these shafts will be the driver 14 and the other driven 15, in the event the tensile stress of the links 1 of the straight pitch 21 transmit movement to the first shaft 14, which traction will be transmitted through the other chain 18 to the other shaft 15 and from there to the other straight pitch 22 of the conveyor chain, the links comprised in the curved pitch not having the tensile stress of the conveyor train.

In another event, the shaft 14 (Figure 7) of one of the ends of the curve will receive the transmission movement from a motor reducing group 23 which will be coupled to the other end of the driver shaft 14 through the corresponding pinion 24 and transmission chain 25.

With this mechanical structure at the curves, the links comprised in the corresponding curved pitch, maintaining the prior order of arrangement of maximum and minimum strain between links respectively at the outer and inner arms, jointly pull the sliding guides through the simultaneous inlet and outlet of the end links, this inlet and outlet of the curves by the two shafts 14 and 15 being effected without tensile stress between links.

Furthermore, the special arrangement of a battery of sensing elements 26 can be seen (Figures 2, 3 and 4) in transversal alignment with the direction of the conveyor chain, combined with an independent auxiliary sensing element 27, which special arrangement below the rods 1 of the operative strand 8 of the conveyor chain favours the incorporation of a bulk egg counter or a counter of the eggs 28 moving in a disorderly manner, wedged between each two rods 1 of the conveyor.

The separation between the sensing elements 26 arranged in battery is so established that one egg can be detected by one or two sensing elements 26, but never by three, the electric signals of which pass through an electronic decodifier which analyses and removes the successive repeated signals, using the mathematical logic, to transmit these signals to the counter itself.

The independent auxiliary sensing element 27 specially detects the passage of each link of rod 1 of the conveyor chain, whose signal unblocks the signals from the battery of sensing elements 26.

This independent auxiliary sensing element 27 is dephased in half a pitch of the conveyor chain, with respect to the sensing elements aligned in battery 26, in such a manner that each pitch of a rod 1 permits the detection of the battery of sensing element which will be positioned between two rods 1 and will, therefore, count in each chain pitch, the eggs wedged between each two rods 1 which will successively be added up by the digital counter.

Claims (3)

1. Improvements to continuous conveyor circuits intended particularly for conveying eggs, said circuits comprised of a continuous plurality of chain links formed by parallel rods interconnected at their ends and suitably spaced apart, forming between each two rods a free seating and transporting surface for a plurality of eggs, characterised by disposing at the commencement and at the termination of each one of the curves of the circuit, a shaft transversal to the conveyor and parallel to the chain rods, the said shafts incorporating at their ends toothed wheels meshing with the conveyor rods and the shafts synchronizing with each other by any mechanical means, such as a chain transmission, advantageously on the outside of the curve, by means of which the rotating movement of a driver shaft, indistinctly coupled to a motor or moved by the dragging of the chain, is transmitted to the other driven shaft, in such a manner that between the said two shafts is produced a strain of the conveyor element which is permanently maintained.

2. Improvements to continuous egg conveyor circuits according to claim 1, characterised by disposing parallel to the rods of the egg conveyor chain and specifically below it, a battery of suitably spaced-apart sensing elements which mark, by means of an electric signal, the passage of the eggs on the conveyor chain, the battery of sensing elements being combined with an independent auxiliary sensing element dephased with respect to the battery of sensing elements, in approximately half a chain pitch, so that the said auxiliary sensing element is activated by the passage of the rods of the conveyor and unblocks the transmission of signals precisely when the battery of sensing elements face the eggs wedged at the top between two rods, so that the assembly of signals obtained from the battery of sensing elements is then processed by conventional electronic means, converting them to digital numerals representing the number of eggs which have passed in front of the battery of sensing elements whilst the conveyor was operating.

3. A continuous conveyor substantially as described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings.