The Buschman Company

The E. W. Buschman Company

Thomas C Yu

Robert K Vogt

John J Wilkins

Richard W Kelsey

George M Triantafilou

Robert R Babel

A sortation conveyor for packages and products comprising a frame defining a main line of the conveyor and at least one branch outlet extending laterally therefrom. An endless conveying apron is supported for movement on the frame along the main line. The apron comprises a pair of endless chains joined together by a plurality of cross tubes affixed to the chains and extending transversely of the frame in parallel spaced relationship. A pusher element is slidably mounted on and between each adjacent pair of cross tubes throughout the length of the apron. The pusher elements are moveable with and by the apron in the conveying direction. Diverter structure is provided for shifting a desired number of pusher elements transversely of the apron along those cross tubes to which they are mounted to divert a desired package or product onto the branch outlet. A low-friction layer is located on each of the cross tubes and a package or product contacting cap is located on each of the pusher elements. Each cap has at least one package or product contacting surface sloping upwardly and inwardly of the cap to impart to the package or product a lifting force as well as a horizontal force such that the weight of the package or product on the cross tubes and thus the sliding friction forces are reduced, whereby the sortation conveyor can accommodate products with high-friction surfaces.

Pusher elements and cross tubes for a sortation conveyor for products

In a package sortation conveyor comprising an endless apron supported for movement on a frame defining a main line and one or more side outlets therefrom, and a plurality of pusher elements mounted for sliding movement on the apron from one side thereof to the other to push a package through one of the side outlets, each pusher element has a guide pin depending therefrom and an anti-friction bearing on the upper part of the guide pin for cooperation with a switching mechanism and a camming bar in such manner that when a pusher element is diverted from its rest position at one side of the apron, the bearing thereon will engage the camming bar during the balance of its travel across the apron. In addition, special guide members are provided for preventing any incompletely diverted pusher element from jamming against a stationary part of the conveyor and for preventing any pusher element from jamming against a package which has been held against forward movement on the apron.

Package sortation conveyor

A freerunning roller for use in a roller conveyor system comprises a cylindrical tube having saw cut ends providing a rough edge on each end which is relied upon to effect frictional interengagement with a relatively soft plastic cup dimensioned for force fitting into the tube and also dimensioned internally to receive a ball bearing in force fitted relation. The bearing assembly is completed by a bushing which is force fitted into the bearing and also has a hexagonal bore for receiving a hexagonal shaft by which the roller is mounted in a conveyor frame.

Method of fabricating rollers for use in roller conveyor systems

In a low pressure accumulator conveyor of the type where cartons are conveyed on a surface defined by successive freely rotatable rollers which are driven from beneath by frictional engagement with a continuous belt, the belt is held in periodically released driving engagement with the rollers by a plurality of vertically movable supporting assemblies, each of which includes a compound sheave wherein the bottom wall of the groove supporting the belt includes a major portion cylindrically curved about the rotational axis of the sheave, and a minor portion convexly curved about a radius which varies at a substantially uniform rate from a maximum at each end thereof equal to the radius of the major portion of the groove wall to a centrally located minimum less than that of a cam lobe on the sheave which thereby periodically disengages the belt from its associated carton-carrying roller.

Accumulating conveyor of the low pressure type

In a sortation conveyor for cartons and the like wherein selected cartons can be diverted out of the main line to a branch line by means of diverter wheels which are directed obliquely with respect to the main line and which pop up into the path of a carton traveling on the main line to divert it to an associated branch line, the diverter wheel assembly comprises a plurality of diverter wheels arranged in two rows extending transversely across the main conveyor line, with all of these wheels being skewed with respect to the main line so that they define a course directed toward their associated branch line, and also a single further diverter wheel which is located downstream from the two rows of wheels at a position overlapping but spaced from the adjacent side edge of the main conveyor belt or other main conveying means so that if a carton, particularly a large carton, extends beyond the two rows of diverter wheels, the extra diverter wheel will prevent such carton from making frictional contact with the main line conveying means and will at the same time propel it toward the branch line. Preferably this single diverter wheel is driven at a higher linear speed than the other diverter wheels so that it not only prevents a diverted carton from being pulled back onto the main conveyor line, but accelerates its movement to the associated branch line.

Diverting conveyor

A continuous apron type sortation conveyor having carton pushers which travel with and crosswise of the apron is provided with branch lines arranged in pairs directly opposite each other along the main line to which oppositely angled guide tracks for the pushers lead from positions adjacent the center of the conveyor. The successive carton pushers enter the upstream end of the conveyor on the opposite side of the apron from the side to which they will deliver the carton assigned thereto, and immediately thereafter, they are caused to travel approximately half-way across the apron to a centered position thereon, while at the same time pushing the carton assigned thereto to a position close to the side edge of the apron from which they are to be delivered to a branch line.

Sorting conveyor with cross-over

A continuous apron type sortation conveyor having carton pushers which travel with and crosswise of the apron is provided with branch lines arranged in pairs directly opposite each other along the main line. A pair of oppositely angled guide tracks for the pushers is positioned between each opposed pair of branch lines, but these tracks are interrupted at their crossing point to provide a gap, and a switching assembly in this gap is movable between aternative positions wherein it fills the interruption in one or the other track to enable pusher elements to travel across from either side of the apron as desired to deliver a carton to one or the other of an opposed pair of branch lines.

Growing community of inventors

Cincinnati, OH, United States of America

Thomas C Yu