Mid-West Conveyor Company, Inc.

Leendert A Vanderlinde

Byron T Collier

A transport assembly for use with a storage conveyor is provided. Generally, the transport assembly is for use in a warehousing system including a plurality of storage conveyors each having a surface thereon for storage of objects. The storage conveyors do not, independently, include a drive motor. Rather, the transport assembly is provided with means for engagement with a selected storage conveyor, to drive same. In particular, the transport assembly includes a pivotable arm having a powered drive wheel thereon, capable of selectively engaging a conveyor drive wheel. In the preferred embodiment, the arm comprises a yoke having first and second side members. Preferably, the side members include notches therein facilitating proper alignment and secure engagement between the arm and the storage conveyor. Two transport assemblies are disclosed, one for use with a charging end of a storage conveyor and the other for use with a discharge end. Also, an operational combination of a transport assembly with a storage conveyor is disclosed.

Transport assembly for use with storage conveyor, and combination

A line shaft driven conveyor includes a right angle drive unit in each of a plurality of accumulation zones. A clutch in each zone couples between the right angle unit and a belt and pulley arrangement which transfers drive from the clutch to the rollers in the zone. The clutch is controlled by a rotating collar which declutches when the collar is immobilized. A clutch control pawl in each zone is slidably mounted and is resiliently urged toward a stop position engaging and thus immobilizing the clutch control collar. A control rod extends between and is slidably engaged with the pawl of a zone and the pawls in the upstream and downstream zones adjacent thereto. Each rod has an abutment at each end for engagement with one of the pawls associated therewith in one direction of movement of the control rod. A sensor roller is positioned in each zone for engagement by an article in that zone and is connected with one of the rods associated with the pawl in that zone. The engagement of an article with the sensor roller of a zone causes the movement of the associated control rod in such a manner to decouple the line shaft from the rollers in that zone and moves an abutment on the other end of the rod away from the pawl in the next upstream zone to enable the decoupling of drive in the upstream zone when an article engages the sensor roller thereof.

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Kansas City, MO, United States of America

Leendert A Vanderlinde