GB2225762A

GB2225762A - Curved track for conveyor apparatus

Info

Publication number: GB2225762A
Application number: GB8828732A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Robert James Chambers
Original assignee: KUIKKA GEORGE Ltd; George Kuikka Ltd
Current assignee: KUIKKA GEORGE Ltd; George Kuikka Ltd
Priority date: 1988-12-08
Filing date: 1988-12-08
Publication date: 1990-06-13
Also published as: GB8828732D0

Abstract

Conveyor apparatus for use with a serpentine chain conveyor 10 includes a track which guides the chain conveyor. Part of the track is curved. The track of this curved portion is defined by an outer wall 50 of a low friction material e.g. nylon 6 and an inner wall formed by the periphery of a freely rotatable circular member 30. The member 30 may have an upstanding flange 34 contacting discs 40 forming part of a pallet carried by the chain 10. <IMAGE>

Description

CONVEYOR APPARATUS This invention relates to conveyor apparatus, and particularly although not exclusively to conveyor apparatus which can be used in conjunction with the conveyor system described and illustrated in our U.K. Patent Application No.

88 03565 filed 16th February 1988.

Conveyor systems allowing automatic or semi-automatic machining or assembly apparatus at a series of sequentially arranged work stations are known. Two examples can be seen in British Patents Nos. 1 313 755 and 2 010138. For some manufacturing lines a predominantly straight linear arrangement of the conveyor may be satisfactory. For such lines the arrangement shown in European Published Application No. 36958 may be suitable. However, for many reasons, including efficient utilisation of factory floor space and special requirements for access to the conveyor line a conveyor track configuration which is generally horizontal and includes 900 and 2700 bends and 1800 reversals may be desired.

Many conveyor systems employ a "serpentine chain" of a known kind which is described in our said U.K. Patent Application. Such chains normally run in, and are guided by, a conveyor track having opposed sidewalls and means for supporting the conveyor chains. For a description and illustration of one form of serpentine chain the reader is referred to French Patent Specification No. 2 137 237. Chains of this kind have the capability (unlike the conveyor chain shown in W.A. Smith U.S. Patent 3 779 368) of readily passing around bends and reversals. Pallets carrying articles to be worked on are moved along the conveyor track. This may be achieved by friction or by attaching the pallet to the chain. It has been found that pallets encounter significant frictional resistance from the walls of the conveyor channel, and hence are slowed down, at bends and reversels.

It is an airn of the present invention to cure or alleviate this problem.

According to the invention, conveyor apparatus for use with a serpentine chain conveyor includes a track which guides the chain conveyor and a part of which Is curved, the track of the curved portion being defined by an outer wall of a low friction material and an inner wall formed by the periphery of a Preely- rotatable circular member.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the circular member has an upstanding flange, or other structure dye fining the curved surface of a right circular cylinder, located a short distance radially inwardly of a rim of the circular member. In use, this flange is engaged in turn by discs which are attached to the underside of respective article-carrying pallets. With such an arrangement, there is obtained a significant reduction in the frictional braking effect of the track on the pallet, compared to conventional designs, over the lengths of the bends and reversals. This applies whether the pallet has one or two discs.

In a particular embodiment of the invention, the said low friction material is a synthetic plastics material such as "NYLON 6" (NYLON is a Registered Trade Mark) and the circular member may be of cast aluminium or aluminium alloy.

The invention will be better understood from the following non-lirniting descrlption of an example thereof given with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a diagrammatic plan view of part of a conveyor system; Figure 2 is a plan view of part of the system shown in Figure 1 and illustrating an example of the present invention; and Figure 3 is a cross-section on the line Ill-III in Figure 2.

Referring firstly to Figure 1, the illustrated conveyor system, of which only a part is shown, Is intended for transporting workpieces, e.g. automobile components, through and past a number of work stations, of which only two are shown, at which machinery or other manufacturing or assembly operations are carried out. An endless conveyor element 10, e.g. a serpentine chain of the kind more fully described in our U.K. Patent Application No. 88 03565, passes through work stations 12 and 14. To save floor space and allow improved efficiency, the conveyor track includes bends and reversals. As illustrated, there are two reversals 16 and 18 which form 900 bends 20, 22, 24 and 26.

Workpiece-carrying pallets are illustrated at 28.

Figure 2 illustrates in greater detail one example of conveyor apparatus according to the invention. It is intended to be located at a bend or a reversal.

It includes a circular freely-rotatable member 30 around which runs the serpentine chains 1D. This has a flat upper surface upon which rest disc 40 forming part of pallets 42 which carry workpieces (not shown). Each pallet as shown has two discs 40 but in certain circumstances only one disc may be sufficient. The discs 40 rest on the upper surface of the chain 10 and the movement of the chain imparts motion by friction to the pallets. The circular member 30 takes the form of a wheel freely rotatable about an axis 32. The wheel has a flange 34 which is upstanding frorn its upper surface and is located a predetermined distance radially inwardly of the periphery 36 of the wheel 30.

As seen best in Figure 3, the relative positions and dimensions of the periphery 36 and the flange 34 are such that the periphery 36 engages within grooves provided in the sides of the links 11 of the serpentine chain 10 and the flange 34 has Its outer wall positioned to engage the adjacent portion of disc 42. As the member 30 is freely rotatable, it rotates in use as the serpentine chain moves, and so exerts virtually no frictional retarding force on the chain or the pallet, in contrast to prior known arrangements. An arcuate guide wall 50, made of a low friction material (such as that known under the Trade Name NYLON 6) is located radially outwardly of the circular member 30. The wall 50 forms the inner boundary of a support deck 52.

A circular member as described above is located at each bend or reversal. Practical tests on a conveyor systems have shown that the frictional resistance to chain movement is greatly reduced and there are significant savings in the energy needed to drive the chain. Also, the movement of the workpieces on the pallets is made smoother and less jerky.

It will be understood that the conveyor apparatus herein described can be employed with advantage at any reversal and any change of direction of the conveyor track.

Claims

1. Conveyor apparatus for use with a serpentine chain conveyor including a track which in use guides the chain conveyor and a part of which is curved, the track of the curved portion being defined by an outer wall of a low friction material and an inner wall formed by the periphery of a freely-rotatable circular member.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1 in which the circular member has an upstanding flange or other structure defining the surface of a right circular cylinder, located a short distance radially inwardly of a rim of the circular member.

3. Apparatus according to claim 1 or claim 2 in combination with a serpentine chain as hereinbefore defined.

4. Conveyor apparatus substantially as herein described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

5. Any novel combination or sub-combination disclosed and/or illustrated herein.