Conveyor transfer assembly

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10343853-B2
Application number	US-201815980964-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 16, 2018
Priority date	Dec 9, 2015
Publication date	Jul 9, 2019
Grant date	Jul 9, 2019

Abstract

A conveyor system with a pop-up transfer assembly for transferring articles off the end of conveyor belt having protrusions extending above the belt's outer conveying surface. The transfer assembly is cantilevered over the reversing path of the conveyor belt from a pivot. When a protrusion from the belt hits the transfer assembly, the transfer assembly pivots away from the belt about the pivot. When the protrusion is clear, the transfer assembly drops, by gravity, back to its home position proximate the belt. A bilateral transfer assembly is cantilevered in opposite directions to transfer articles off the end of one conveyor belt onto another conveyor belt that may or may not have protrusions. The transfer assembly can have powered driving surfaces to aid the transfer of articles.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A transfer assembly for transferring articles off a conveyor, the transfer assembly comprising:
a shaft;
a drive coupled to the shaft to rotate the shaft;
a carrier including:
a pivot portion resting on the shaft to pivot freely about the shaft without enough engagement to rotate with the shaft;
a cantilevered portion extending from the pivot portion to a distal tip;
a drive surface at the tip for supporting transferring articles;

wherein the shaft is coupled to the drive surface to advance the drive surface as the shaft is rotated by the drive.

2. A transfer assembly as in claim 1 wherein the carrier includes a wheel at the tip and a drive belt trained around the wheel and the shaft and rotated by the shaft.

3. A transfer assembly as in claim 2 wherein the wheel has a groove receiving the drive belt.

4. A transfer assembly as in claim 3 wherein the groove in the wheel is deep enough so that the drive belt is recessed radially inward of the outer periphery of the wheel and the wheel provides the drive surface for the articles.

5. A transfer assembly as in claim 3 wherein the groove in the wheel is shallow enough so that the drive belt extends radially outward of the outer periphery of the wheel and the drive belt provides the drive surface for the articles.

6. A transfer assembly as in claim 1 wherein the carrier includes a stationary bar at the tip and a drive belt trained around the wheel and the shaft and rotated by the shaft, wherein the drive belt provides the drive surface for the articles.

7. A transfer assembly as in claim 1 wherein the carrier includes a drive belt and wherein the shaft includes a groove receiving the drive belt.

8. A transfer assembly as in claim 1 wherein the carrier includes a first wheel mounted on the shaft for rotation with the shaft, a second wheel at the tip of the carrier, and a drive belt trained around the first wheel and the second wheel to rotate the second wheel as the shaft and first wheel rotate.

9. A conveyor system comprising a transfer assembly as in claim 1 and:
a conveyor belt having an inner side and an outer conveying side and advancing at a belt speed;
a reversing wheel engaging the inner side of the conveyor belt and rotating as the conveyor belt advances;
a master pulley coupled to the reversing wheel to rotate with the reversing wheel;
wherein the drive for the transfer assembly includes a slave pulley coupled to the shaft of the transfer assembly and rotated by the master pulley to advance the drive surface of the transfer assembly at a speed related to the belt speed.

10. A conveyor system as in claim 9 wherein drive surface advances at the belt speed.

11. A transfer assembly for transferring articles off a conveyor, the transfer assembly comprising:
a pivot portion having a bore;
a cantilevered portion extending from the pivot portion to a distal tip;
a shaft extending through the bore and having a diameter less than the diameter of the bore and defining a pivot axis about which the first pivot portion and the first cantilevered portion are freely pivotable away from a home position when the tip is subjected to an upward force and back to the home position by gravity when the tip is not subjected to an upward force;
a first wheel mounted on the shaft in the pivot portion;
a second wheel rotatably mounted in the cantilevered portion to rotate about an axis parallel to the pivot axis;
a drive coupled to the shaft to rotate the shaft and the first wheel;
a drive belt trained around the first wheel and the second wheel so that the second wheel rotates with the first wheel.

12. A transfer assembly as in claim 11 wherein the diameter of the first wheel is greater than the diameter of the second wheel.

13. A transfer assembly as in claim 11 wherein the first wheel and the second wheel are cylindrical rollers with an outer periphery and wherein the drive belt is trained around the outer periphery of the first wheel and the outer periphery of the second wheel.

14. A transfer assembly as in claim 11 wherein the first wheel has a first portion with a first diameter D 1 and a second portion with a smaller diameter d 1 and wherein the second wheel has a first portion with a first diameter D 2 and a second portion with a smaller diameter d 2 and wherein the drive belt is trained around the second portions of the first and second wheels.

15. A transfer assembly as in claim 14 wherein d 1 /D 1 =d 2 /D 2 .

16. A transfer assembly as in claim 11 further comprising a plurality of first wheels mounted on the shaft.

17. A transfer assembly as in claim 16 wherein the cantilevered portion includes a plurality of pins extending parallel to the pivot axis and a plurality of second wheels rotatably mounted on the pins.

18. A transfer assembly as in claim 11 further comprising a third wheel disposed in the cantilevered portion between the first and second wheels.

19. A transfer assembly for transferring articles off a conveyor, the transfer assembly comprising:
a shaft defining a pivot axis;
a carrier freely pivotable about the shaft on the pivot axis over an angular pivot range;
a first wheel mounted on the shaft for rotation with the shaft;
a second wheel rotatably mounted in the frame to rotate on an axis parallel to the pivot axis;
a drive coupled to the shaft to rotate the shaft and the first wheel;
a drive belt trained around the first wheel and the second wheel so that the second wheel rotates with the first wheel.

20. A transfer assembly as in claim 19 wherein the carrier includes:
a first side rail and a second side rail;
a connecting pin connected between the first and second side rails so that the first and second side rails pivot together about the pivot axis;
wherein the second wheel rotates on the connecting pin.

Assignees

• Laitram Llc

Inventors

• Yasinski Elena Rose
• Guernsey Kevin W
• Deroche Timothy J
• Lee Brian R

Classifications

• F16H7/02 Primary

  with belts; with V-belts · CPC title

• B65G47/841 Primary

  Devices having endless travelling belts or chains equipped with article-engaging elements · CPC title

• B65G47/844

  the article-engaging elements being pushers transversally movable on the supporting surface, e.g. pusher-shoes · CPC title

• B65G47/66

  Fixed platforms or combs, e.g. bridges between conveyors · CPC title