Litton Systems, Inc.

Hk Systems, Inc.

Litton Industrial Automation Systems, Inc.

Other

Western Atlas Inc.

Weston R Loomer

Randall P Coons

Jerry A List

Thomas T Von Handorf

Timothy A Koeninger

Michael J Kramer

A pre-fabricated monorail track section (104, 105) can be bent vertically quickly and easily, without using any special tools, so as to effect any of a number of desired incremental inclination changes in the rail section (104, 105) and without plastically deforming the rail section (104, 105). The rail section (104, 105) incorporates one or more slots 242 about which the rail can be bent to effect the desired inclination change. A filler block (248, 306, 314) is positioned in the slot (242) after bending (and possibly during bending under some circumstances) and mounted in place to maintain rail integrity and to permit conveyance devices to travel over the rail section without interference from the slots (242).

Rail incorporating elevation change and method for its production

A plurality of extruded aluminum structural modules of selected different peripheral sizes are configured to be disposed in adjacent coacting positions so that a selected number of such modules assembled together form a peripherally enclosed modular structural member. Each module includes components of module positioning elements in the form of splines sizes and configured to coact with mating module positioning elements of the other structural modules to facilitate assembly of modules into a structural member. Force applying devices, such as HELICOILS are disposed to urge the module positioning elements together to insure the integrity of the assembled modular structural member. Each structural module further is configured with openings that may be threaded so that plates and the like may be attached to the member by threaded devices and elongated slots, such as 'T' slots that receive and mount members, such as 'T' bolts or nuts, through which other elements, components and devices may be carried by and mounted to the structural members. The structural members may be extended in length by staggered connection of modules or module sets and may be secured together by bolts or the like to form various constructions.

Modular structural members

A monorail vehicle used for material handling purposes comprises a number of cars which run on a track. The cars are linked together in one or more trains and each train has a master car and several slave cars. An embedded computer in the master car keeps track of the location on the train on the track by means of pulses from a Hall effect sensor in a brushless DC motor which powers the train. A central computer in an off board work station issues commands to the train and by monitoring its position on the track loop, the embedded computer in the master car of the train determines when to execute the command. A special jumper is used to connect the cars of the train together which distributes control signals to the various cars in the train without regard to the position of the cars in the train.

Control system for a monorail vehicle

An apparatus for optimizing the gap between objects on a roller conveyor is provide which enables independent precise speed and acceleration control of individual rollers and articles carried thereon using small, relatively inexpensive motors and control equipment. The present invention consists of adding a differential drive to the roller, arranged so that the majority of the power is transmitted from a common drive through a low ratio input of the differential drive of each roller. A smaller motor capable of more precise control is connected to the high ratio input of the differential drive of each roller. Thus the speed of an individual roller can be altered by adding to or subtracting from the speed of the main drive.

Gap optimizer

A splice plate for monorail track sections includes a mechanism for drawing the sections together and for leveling the top surfaces of the track with respect to one another. A hanger bracket which is used to attach the track to a support structure connects to the track without the use of through bolts thus eliminating the need to predrill holes in the track in order to receive such bolts. The supports themselves are commercially available hardware items and thus are less expensive than supports which are specifically designed for monorail track.

Monorail track structure

A carrier cell is provided for use in a high-speed sortation system having an I-beam monorail with vertically spaced upper and lower horizontal plates connected by a web. The carrier cell includes a cover having a horizontally-extending top surface above the rail, and a downwardly extending, tapered side panel with a lower edge which extends adjacent to the lower plate of the rail. A pair of upper wheel assemblies are mounted in the cover. Each upper wheel assembly includes a load wheel mounted for rotation about a horizontal axis to provide driving support for the cell along a top surface of the upper plate, a semi-spherical housing for each load wheel, and a support associated with each housing. The supports are mounted to the upper cover surface and shaped to allow the housings to rotate within the supports. A plurality of upper guide wheels are mounted for rotation about vertical axes in contact with a side of said upper plate. The vertical axes of the guide wheels are connected to the semi-spherical housing such that the housing pivots in response to changes in the position of the guide wheels. At least one lower wheel assembly is mounted to the cover in spaced, vertical relation to the upper wheel assemblies. The lower wheel assembly includes guide wheels which contact a side of the lower plate such that the cell load is counterbalanced between the upper and lower guide wheels as the cell traverses the rail. The upper guide wheels follow the path of the rail to pivot the semi-spherical housing and load wheel within the support, to provide conical steering for the load wheel. The conical steering enables the load wheel to have a natural tendency to travel in a curved path through the turns, thereby eliminating the skidding and friction normally associated with cylindrical load wheels. In addition, the upper and lower guide wheels are positioned to provide three point suspension which enables the carrier cell to tip towards the center of a turn, thereby stabilizing the load on the carrier.

Carrier cell for a monorail sortation system

An unscrambling conveyor includes two side-by-side sets of rollers arranged in a herringbone pattern on either side of a central axis. The rollers of the two sets are positioned at different angles with respect to the axis and the drive speeds for the rollers are chosen to provide equal and opposite forces in the lateral direction and unequal but similarly directed forces in the axial direction. The sets of rollers are divided into zones having progressively increasing roller speeds in the downstream direction with the zones staggered with respect to one another on either side of the central axis. The lateral and axial forces drive articles on the conveyor toward and away from the center axis depending on the roller speeds in the staggered zones and in the downstream direction while imparting a twist to the articles. The successive zones of increasing speed stretch a randomly arranged mass of articles into a single file line. Two unscrambling conveyors may be positioned side-by-side to form a flow splitting-unscrambling conveyor.

Unscrambling conveyor

A plurality of work stations are provided each with a plurality of containers, each containing sliver rope, disposed in first and second arrays in proximity to a spinning machine to alternately provide sliver rope to respective spinning positions so that yarn or thread may be spun by each spinning machine. A container support platform supports each array of sliver rope containers in proximity to their respective spinning machine; as well as a container transport assembly which extends the length of the support platform. A number of container moving fingers are pivotally carried in spaced relationship along the length of an elongated, substantially 'U' shaped transport beam and for coaction with cams also carried by the transport beam and disposed for coaction with a stationary beam also carried by the container support. A transport beam drive mechanism is coupled by a quick connect/disconnect coupling to the transport beam and applies thereto an increment doubled, modified harmonic drive first to draw the transport beam in a container moving direction wherein the fingers move up to move all sliver containers upon support platform an incremental step; and thereafter to return transport beam back to its starting position. Transport beam drive mechanism is thereafter cycled and recycled to move the containers in incremental steps without lifting the containers off of the support platform. The modified harmonic drive provides extra pull to the transport beam during the portion of the cycle when containers are to be moved and a quick return during the portion of the return portion of the cycle containers to thus optimize cycle time.

Indexing feed, harmonic drive, quick connect/disconnect coupling and

Diversion-type switches and cross-type switches are provided for inclusion in suspended rail conveyor arrangements to form a rail conveyor system. Each of said switches includes at least one shiftable rail section movable between a first position of cooperation with spaced rails of one conveyor pathway and a second position of cooperation with spaced rails of another conveyor pathway. Rail alignment and load transmitting elements, in the configuration of coacting fingers and seats, are disposed at the respective end of the shiftable rail section and fixed rail section and coact therewith so that load forces acting on the shiftable rail section act to align the shiftable rail section with the spaced rails of the respective conveyor pathways and so that load forces applied to the shiftable rail section are transmitted directly to the fixed rail section. Operating elements, including cams and cam followers are provided to move the shiftable rail section to separate the rail alignment and load transmitting elements to shift the shiftable rail section and to bring together the rail alignment and load transmitting elements.

Rail conveyor and rail switches therefore

Diversion-type switches and cross-type switches are provided for inclusion in suspended rail conveyor arrangements to form a rail conveyor system. Each of the switches includes at least one shiftable rail section movable between a first position of cooperation with spaced rails of one conveyor pathway and a second position of cooperation with spaced rails of another conveyor pathway. Rail alignment and load transmitting elements, in the configuration of coating fingers and seats, are disposed at the respective ends of the shiftable rail section and fixed rail section and coact therewith so that load forces acting on the shiftable rail section act to align the shiftable rail section with the spaced rails of the respective conveyor pathways and so that load forces applied to the shiftable rail section are transmitted directly to the fixed rail section. Operating apparatus, including cams and cam followers are provided to move the shiftable rail section to separate the rail alignment and load transmitting elements to shift the shiftable rail section and to bring together the rail alignment and load transmitting elements.

Diversion-type switches and cross-type switches are provided for inclusion in suspended rail conveyor arrangements to form a rail conveyor system. Each of said switches includes at least one shiftable rail section movable between a first position of cooperation with spaced rails of one conveyor pathway and a second position of cooperation with a spaced rails of another conveyor pathway. Rail alignment and load transmitting means, in the configuration of coacting fingers and seats, are disposed at the respective ends of the shiftable rail section and fixed rail section and coact therewith so that load forces acting on the shiftable rail section act to align the shiftable rail section with the spaced rails of the respective conveyor pathways and so that load forces applied to the shiftable rail section are transmitted directly to the fixed rail section. Operating means, including cams and cam followers are provided to move the shiftable rail section to separate the rail alignment and load transmitting means to shift the shiftable rail section and to bring together the rail alignment and load transmitting means.

A guided vehicle, which follows a guidepath into and out from a work station, is provided with an article carrying table that includes a plurality of cone shaped mounting plates each disposed upon a ball transport unit to provide for relative movement between the article carrier, any article carried thereby, and the body of the vehicle. Each side, of two opposed sides, of the article carrier mounts a number of guide wheels; including entry guide wheels larger in diameter than side guide wheels, with the entry wheels disposed proximate carriers of the carrier and side wheels disposed therebetween. Guide rails disposed at the work station cooperate with the guide wheels to effect relative movement between the article carrier and vehicle body if the vehicle enters the work station out of a centered alignment therewith. A number of position limit rods extend up from the vehicle body through openings in the article carrier so that the sides of the rods cooperate with the walls of the openings to limit side to side and front to back relative movement. Caps are provided on top of the rods for cooperation with the article carrier to limit vertical movement thereof relative to the vehicle body. The mounting of the carrier on the vehicle body is such that the effect of gravity returns the article carrier to a vehicle centered position when the vehicle leaves the work station.

Floating table for article transport vehicle

A stacker-retriever lift carriage is disposed to be raised, lowered and positioned, in selected positions with respect to a pair of spaced support masts, by a flexible wire cable one end of which is connected to a lift carriage drive and the other end of which is connected to the lift carriage through a pair of four bar linkages pivotally connected together in spaced parallel relationship to form a safety brake operating mechanism. The upward pull by the cable upon the brake operating mechanism retracts a pair of opposed brake arms, pivotally carried by the brake operating mechanism, to a brake deactivated position with the back ends of each brake arm abutting each other. Loss of the pull of the cable on the lift carriage, as would occur if the cable severed or if the lift carriage hung up, permits a spring housed between the brake arms to move the brake operating mechanism and the brake arms to a braking position with brake pads carried by the brake arms in friction engagement with the support masts.

Safety brake for vertical lift

A stacker-retriever lift carriage is disposed to be raised, lowered and positioned, in selected positions with respect to a pair of spaced support masts, by a flexible wire cable connected between a lift drive and the lift carriage. The lift carriage carries a telescoping shuttle which includes a shuttle base, middle table and top table disposed one atop the other and for movement with respect to each either in a bi-directional manner. A pair of sheaves are rotatably mounted on the middle table at an acute angle to the surface of the middle table. A pair of cable connect the sheaves to the shuttle base and top table so that drive of the middle table, by table drive means, in a particular direction effects a movement of the top table in a corresponding direction but at twice the relative distance of the middle table. The middle table is fabricated from a pair of identically sized and formed table plates; has a pair of flaps bent therefrom to an acute angle with respect to a top surface of the table plate. The table plates are affixed together in back to back relationship and with their respective flaps aligned to form the mounting for the sheaves.

Growing community of inventors

Walton, KY, United States of America

Weston R Loomer