Tsubakimoto Chain Company

Shigekatsu Takino

Hirokazu Kondo

Shinichi Hayashida

Masasumi Murai

Shigeo Fukumori

An article diverging sorting apparatus includes a multiplicity of spherical sorting rollers arranged in plural rows both in a conveyance direction aligned with an article conveyance path or line and in a crosswise direction transverse to the conveyance direction over a plurality of consecutive conveyance areas along the article conveyance line. The spherical sorting rollers contained in every conveyance area are simultaneously turned about respective vertical axes to move between a first position aligned with the conveyance direction and a second position aligned with a sorting direction deflected at an acute angle from the first position such that the angle of deflection of the spherical sorting rollers becomes greater in a downstream one of the conveyance areas than in an upstream one of the conveyance areas. An article is gradually turned or deflected toward the sorting direction as it is conveyed by the spherical sorting rollers. The article is delivered from the downstream conveyance area onto a diverging belt conveyor during which time the orientation of this article is corrected by an orientation correcting member until the article assumes a position aligned with a conveyance direction of the diverging belt conveyor. With this construction, the diverging sorting apparatus can orient articles toward the sorting direction even when the articles are fed at relatively small intervals.

Article diverging sorting apparatus

Spherical sorting rollers are arranged in rows transversely of an article conveyance path, and line shafts, which are connected to a drive source and are rotated thereby, are disposed sideways in parallel with the rows of the sorting rollers. The spherical outer peripheral surfaces of the spherical sorting rollers and the line shafts are brought into abutment with each other to drive the sorting rollers simultaneously. The spherical sorting rollers are each supported individually by a roller supporting frame. The roller supporting frame can turn at a predetermined position about a vertical axis which passes through the center of each roller. The roller supporting frames are turned in a sorting direction simultaneously by a swing mechanism, whereby an article which has been conveyed up to a sorting position is sent out sideways from above the article conveyance path. The sorting and discharging device provided is capable of effecting a sorting operation efficiently with little wear of sorting rollers and little power loss.

Sorting and discharging device with spherical sorting rollers

A duplex chain conveyor system for conveying articles along a conveyance path is provided. The duplex chain conveyor system includes a trolley device which is detachably engageable with a driven engagement member attached to a driving chain which moves within a power rail. When the trolley device is coupled with the driven engagement member, the trolley device is pulled forward on the free rail disposed along a predetermined conveyance path. An article carrier, such as a truck or hanger, is connected to the trolley device for the conveyance of articles along the conveyance path.

Trolley device in a duplex chain conveyor

A pallet conveying system comprising pallet guide rails supported on a frame, a driving shaft extending along the guide rails, motors for driving the driving shaft, a turntable mechanism disposed at the end of the pallet guide rails and having changeover rails alignable with the guide rails and a changeover driving shaft connectable to the driving shaft, a driven roller pivotally attached to the underside of a pallet and pressed against the circumference of the driving shaft with the axis of rotation thereof inclined with respect to the axis of the driving shaft, levers projecting from the front and the rear ends, respectively, of the pallet for causing the axis of rotation of the driven roller to be moved parallel to the axis of the driving shaft when the levers are retracted, and pallet stopping and positioning mechanisms each disposed at a predetermined position on the guide rails and adapted to cause the axis of rotation of the driven roller to be approximately parallel to the axis of the driving shaft and to hold a stopping pin projecting from the underside of the pallet.

Pallet conveying system

A truck conveyor for conveying an article along a selected conveyance path is provided. The truck conveyor includes a series of trolleys which are guided along a trolley rail. An article carrier for receiving articles is connected with the series of trolleys for conveying an article along the rail. A drive mechanism engageable with the trolleys is provided for conveying the trolleys and the article carrier along the rail. A device is provided at the rear of a stopped carrier to automatically disengage the drive mechanism from the trolleys of a trailing carrier when it is carried toward engagement with the stopped article carrier.

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Saitama-ken, Japan

Shigekatsu Takino