E. B. Eddy Forest Products Ltd.

Eddy Forest Products, Ltd.

Herbert E Gladish

Ronald C Hallett

Christopher L Raiskums

Richard C Blair

The invention relates to an active linear induction motor system that has particular advantage with a SAILRAIL.RTM. air guided and supported air bearing system. In this case the secondary for the motor is the support rail, which rail can have a convex or a concave operating surface, is electrically conductive, and has ferromagnetic material in close proximity to the operating surface. The primary for the motor is found in a runner which cooperates with the rail and supports the load to be carried in the system. The primary includes a plurality of laterally adjacent, longitudinally extending and articulated ferromagnetic laminations having a longitudinally toothed surface that is transversely arcuate to be complementary to the rail operating surface. Electrical windings are wound about selected groups of teeth of the laminations as a LIM primary. A compliant pad adjacent the laminations is capable of deformation under load and at least partial recovery after load removal. Electrical power is continuously provided to the primary as it moves along the rail and polyphase electrical current is fed to the electrical windings. Cooling fluid is continuously provided to the laminations during operation of the primary. The system also provides pressurized fluid at high velocity into the space between the rail operating surface and the compliant pad, to support the primary member above the operating surface and to provide a minute pressurized magnetic and suspension gap between the primary and secondary members for efficient linear motor operation.

Pressurized air-gap guided active linear motor suspension system

Apparatus for moving two individual bins between their separate loading stations and a common unloading station includes a length of conveyor on which one bin always rests and a set of pivotable lever arms, the other bin being connected to one end of one set of lever arms. Another set of lever arms is connected to the first lever arms and carries cam followers which are constrained to simultaneously follow two sets of cam tracks, one of which is stationary within the apparatus and the other of which is affixed to the one bin. When a bin at the unloading station is empty the apparatus will move that bin to its own loading station while bringing the other bin from its loading station to the unloading station. Interaction between the cam followers and the cam tracks moves the one bin back or forth on the conveyor while the other bin member is moved in a vertically arcuate path. The loading station of the other bin is vertically spaced above the loading station of the one bin.

Apparatus for moving bins simultaneously in arcuate and linear paths

Apparatus for wrapping web material about an elongated object, particularly one which is asymmetrical to a rotational axis thereof, includes a frame, a cylindrical support member mounted in the frame and an annular resilient sleeve loosely surrounding the support member longitudinally thereof. The object is mounted so that it creates a nip with the sleeve and the web material is fed into the nip. The object is rotated on its rotation axis to draw the web material through the nip and to wrap the material on the object. As the object rotates the sleeve will also rotate on the support member and it will deform radially to conform to the object as material is wrapped thereon. The deformation and almost instant changes in angular velocity of the sleeve reduces tension variations in the web material and result in a uniform covering of the object as it is wrapped.

Web winding apparatus

An accumulation and storage system, preferably for palletized loads, utilizes a SAILRAIL (trade mark) air support system for guiding and supporting an elongated deck during reciprocal movement thereof. Alongside each edge of the deck is a pallet lifting/lowering mechanism which uses an elongated inflatable tube, such as a fire hose, to raise or lower an inverted U-shaped lifting member. When the lifting members are raised a pallet can be placed thereon and the deck can reciprocate therebelow. When the lifting members are lowered the pallet rests on the deck and can be moved along the system to a subsequent position where it is raised clear of the deck so that the deck can return to pick up another pallet at the input station. Logic controls can be used to operate the system quickly, efficiently and automatically.

Accumulation and storage system for palletized loads

An improved runner for use with a sailrail hydrostatic bearing levitation system is disclosed. The runner uses a substantially solid core having a degree of flexibility in a vertical plane, a thin pad of flexible, compliant material covering at least the transversely convex lower surface of the core, and an outer flexible, compliant cover enclosing the pad and the core. In another embodiment there is pad material on the upper surface of the core as well. The runner can be secured to a pallet and provides specific advantages over prior art runners which had a larger profile, were more expensive and were not as efficient as the low profile runner of this invention.

Minimum filler runner for air conveyor system

A fluid levitated generally convex support member particularly useful in supporting a pallet, plate or belt such that the pallet, plate or belt load may be moved in an air powered track system, the system including at least one concave track with means for supporting and guiding the convex member and the pallet, plate or belt thereabove on a thin film of pressurized air jetting from nozzles in the track. The support member includes a generally tubular, flexible and partly deformable outer member and means for internally stressing the outer member so that under load there will be controlled deformation thereof. The deformed member will be closely complementary to the track surface to maximize load carrying capacity while minimizing fluid support power requirements and the detrimental effect of track deformities. Of particular significance is the ability of the support assembly covering to vibrate at high frequency at the track surface in response to the track jets and the wedge flow of the fluid support film to provide a pumping action which propagates and augments the pressure of the support film. Also, the small air film provides a controlled air gap which permits the use of electromagnetic propulsion member installed as part of the track for reaction with suitable secondary devices included in the support means. Under load removal there will be controlled recovery of the shape of the outer member. The support member exhibits excellent wear, cleanliness, cushioning, manufacturing, and select frequency response and damping characteristics.

Deformable load support member having a transversely stiff core

Improvements to the various components of hydrostatic bearing levitation systems, systems wherein fluid pressure between a load and the rails of a track system supports and guides the load, are described. The rail has a plurality of lengthwise extending ports and nozzles communicating from the innermost ports through the curved upper wall to the interface area between the rail and the load. The nozzles are arranged in longitudinally aligned groups and in a pair of parallel rows with the groups of one row being longitudinally staggered with respect to the groups of the other row. The nozzles can be inexpensively produced by boring an oversize hole through the upper wall and fixing a cannula, such as a hypodermic needle, in the bore. The cannula's internal diameter is the desired nozzle diameter. The load support member has a compliant outer cover, a central core, and a filler material wound tightly on the core. The filler material is a cellulosic sheet material having a high percentage of groundwood and little or no crepe. The improved components cooperate together to provide a low-cost load/mover whether for palletized loads in a warehouse or even for inter- or intra-urban transportation systems.

Air conveyor components

Load supporting member

A fluid levitated generally convex support member particularly useful in supporting a pallet, plate or belt such that the pallet, plate or belt load may be moved in an air powered track system, the system including at least one concave track with means for supporting and guiding the convex member and the pallet, plate or belt thereabove on a thin film of pressurized air jetting from nozzles in the track. The support member includes a generally tubular, flexible and partly deformable outer member and means for internally stressing the outer member so that under load there will be controlled deformation thereof. The deformed member will be closely complementary to the track surface to maximize load carrying capacity while minimizing fluid support power requirements and the detrimental effect of track deformities. Of particular significance is the ability of the support assembly covering to vibrate at high frequency at the track surface in response to the track jets and the wedge flow of the fluid support film to provide a pumping action which propagates and augments the pressure of the support film. Also, the small air film provides a controlled air gap which permits the use of electromagnetic propulsion means installed as part of the track for reaction with suitable secondary devices included in the support member. Under load removal there will be controlled recovery of the shape of the outer member. The support member exhibits excellent wear, cleanliness, cushioning, manufacturing, and select frequency response and damping characteristics.

Air film supported endless belt conveyor system

Air film supported and guided load support member

The present invention provides a system for overriding the prior art automatic levelling system for vehicles riding on fluid suspensions such as air bags. Such systems utilize a link extending between the vehicle axle and a regulating valve whereby the valve is responsive to vertical axle movement to alter the pressurization of the air bags and hence the clearance height between the vehicle bed and the axle. In the present invention the link is replaced by a cylinder and piston actuator which is connected to a master control via a conduit. An incompressible fluid fills the actuator chamber, the conduit and the master control chamber. The master control chamber may be varied in volume to produce a corresponding change, via the fluid, in the actuator chamber resulting in relative movement between the actuator cylinder and piston and hence operation of the regulating valve. By appropriately operating the master control it is possible to selectively effect pressurization or bleeding of the air bags to raise or lower the vehicle bed and hence achieve a desired elevation of the vehicle bed relative to a reference elevation. The invention permits rapid adjustment of the vehicle bed elevation to bring it parallel to, for example, the loading dock of a warehouse to speed the loading or unloading process.

Suspension override system

The described apparatus has utility as a doctor on a paper machine, as a drying element in an aircap dryer and as a sealing element in such a dryer. It involves a foot portion having an outer surface generally conforming to the curvature of the cylinder surface on which it is used. It is resiliently supported in close juxtaposition to the cylinder surface so that a gap diminishing in thickness towards one longitudinal edge of the foot portion is provided. At least two rows of nozzles communicate through the foot portion in order to project pressurized air into the gap. Each nozzle is angled relative to three orthogonal planes, one of which is tangent to the cylinder surface at the point where the nozzle axis meets the surface, another of which is parallel to the longitudinal edge of the foot portion. The flow from the nozzles is such as to support the foot portion and to seal the support flow from any disorganized flows. The jetting air will tend to aid in doctoring a paper sheet from the cylinder surface or to dry a paper sheet passing thereunder or to seal an opening from the passage of air therethrough if the opening is defined by a cylindrical surface.

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Ottawa, Canada

Herbert E Gladish