Automotion, Inc.

Thomas L Garzelloni

Howard Berends

Harry E Houghton

An accumulating conveyor includes a frame having generally parallel sides with a plurality of load-carrying rollers rotatably mounted between the frame sides. A plurality of lifting rollers are rotatably mounted between the frame sides beneath the load-carrying rollers. A drive belt extends between the load-carrying rollers and the lifting rollers for rotating the load-carrying rollers in response to the lifting rollers lifting the belt into engagement with the load-carrying rollers. A plurality of sensing roller assemblies are mounted on selected, spaced load-carrying rollers. The sensing roller assemblies each include a carriage pivotally mounted on the axis of a load-carrying roller, a sensing roller mounted on the carriage on one side of the axis and a counterbalance roller heavier than the sensing roller mounted on the opposite side of the axis. The counterbalance roller is effective to bias the sensing roller into the path of movement of articles moving along the conveyor. The sensing roller assembly is operatively associated with actuator means for deactivating the drive to load-carrying rollers upstream of the sensing roller assembly when an article depresses the sensing roller.

Accumulating conveyor

An article conveyor having a frame, a first conveyor with opposite sides for conveying articles in an first path, a wheel mounted to the frame for rotation relative thereto about a first axis and having an article engaging surface which advances articles as an incident of rotation of the wheel, structure for rotating the wheel about the first axis, and structure for selectively changing the orientation of the wheel and first axis between (a) a first position wherein the wheel advances articles engaged thereby in the first path and (b) a second position wherein the wheel advances articles engaged thereby in a second path that is transverse to the first path to thereby divert articles off of the first conveyor.

Diverter assembly for article conveyor

A switch assembly consisting of a first surface for guiding a guide element in a first path, a second surface for guiding a guide element in a second path that crosses the first path, a first opening in the first guide surface for permitting passage therethrough of a guide element moving along the second surface in the second path, a second opening in the second guiding surface for permitting passage therethrough of the guide element moving along the first surface in the first path, a support for the first and second guiding surfaces, a cam actuator mounted for movement relative to the support between first and second positions, a switching wall mounted for movement relative to the support between a first position wherein it blocks the first opening and a second position wherein it blocks the second opening, cooperating structure on the cam actuator and switching wall for moving the wall from its first position to its second position as an incident of the cam actuator moving from its second position to its first position and for moving the switching wall from its second position to its first position as an incident of the cam actuator moving from its first position to it second position. The cam actuator is engagable by a guide element of predetermined size to cause movement of the cam actuator from its first position to its second position as an incident of the guide element moving the first path. The guide element engages the cam actuator to move the cam actuator from its second position to its first position as an incident of the guide element moving in the second path.

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Worth, IL, United States of America

Thomas L Garzelloni