Cart coupling assembly

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10954082-B2
Application number	US-201916702048-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 3, 2019
Priority date	Aug 20, 2018
Publication date	Mar 23, 2021
Grant date	Mar 23, 2021

Abstract

Various embodiments described herein, relates to a sortation conveyer system comprising a cart coupling assembly for coupling two adjacent carts. The cart coupling assembly includes a coupling disc having: (a) a control slot, (b) a bearing slot, and (c) one or more arcuately shaped mounting slots. The coupling disc is mounted on a cart such that, upon rotation of the coupling disc, a control slot cavity defined by the control slot slid ably moves about a position register screw along the control slot cavity and a cavity defined by a respective mounting slot slid ably moves relative to a respective mounting pin received in the mounting slot.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A cart coupling assembly, comprising:
a coupling disc configured to couple to an adjacent cart, wherein the coupling disc comprises:
a bearing slot adapted to hold a bearing, wherein the bearing slot is located at a center of the coupling disc, wherein the bearing slot is configured to engage, with a bearing hub assembly of the adjacent cart;
a mounting slot through which a bolt can be fastened to the adjacent cart; and
a control slot with one or more position registers defined along a control slot cavity of the control slot, the one or more position registers configured to one of restrict or allow a sliding movement of the control slot cavity, while the coupling disc rotates relative to the bearing slot, and wherein in response to rotation of the coupling disc, a gap distance between the cart coupling assembly and the adjacent cart varies without transverse movement of the coupling disc.

2. The cart coupling assembly of claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of mounting slots that define a plurality of mounting slot cavities along which a set of mounting pins slide, upon the rotation of the coupling disc.

3. The cart coupling assembly of claim 2 wherein, the control slot cavity and the mounting slot cavities defined by a structure of the control slot and each of the mounting slots respectively, facilitates a continual linear translation of a center of rotation about the bearing of the coupling disc, as the coupling disc is rotated causing the control slot and each of the mounting slots slide on each respective one of the position register screw and the set of mounting pins.

4. The cart coupling assembly of claim 2 , wherein, in an instance, when the coupling disc is rotated in a clockwise direction, the control slot and each of the mounting slots slide on each respective one of the position register screw and the set of mounting pins respectively to produce translational movement of the bearing to change the gap between a first and a second carts in a downstream direction of a sortation conveyor system, and in an instance, when the coupling disc is rotated in a counter-clockwise direction, the control slot and each of the mounting slots slide on each respective one of the position register screw and the set of mounting pins respectively to produce translational movement of the bearing to change the gap between the first and second carts in an upstream direction of the sortation conveyor system.

5. The cart coupling assembly of claim 4 , wherein a rotational motion of the coupling disc is translated to linear motion based on a continual translation of a center of rotation of the coupling disc, to change a gap between the first and second carts, thereby, causing displacement of the coupling disc along a front end of the first cart.

6. The cart coupling assembly of claim 4 , wherein the coupling disc is mounted on a front end of the first cart and the bearing hub assembly is mounted on a distal end of the second cart and wherein the coupling disc engages to the bearing hub assembly, via the bearing slot, for coupling the first cart adjacent to the second cart.

7. The cart coupling assembly of claim 2 , wherein a size of the position register screw is different from the size of each mounting pin.

8. The cart coupling assembly of claim 2 , wherein the plurality of mounting slots includes a first mounting slot, a second mounting slot, and a third mounting slot, that are used to mount the coupling disc via the set of mounting pins on a front plate attached at the end of a first cart.

9. The cart coupling assembly of claim 1 , wherein the one or more position registers of the control slot are configured to:
restrict the sliding movement of the control slot cavity relative to position register screw in a first direction based on the rotation of the coupling disc along the control slot cavity of the control slot in a second direction, wherein, the first direction corresponds to a counter-clockwise direction, in an instance, when the second direction is a clockwise direction and wherein the first direction corresponds to a clockwise direction, in an instance, when the second direction is a counterclockwise direction of rotation of the coupling disc; and
lock the position register screw in one of the one or more position registers, upon the sliding movement of the control slot cavity relative to the position register screw along the control slot cavity of the control slot.

10. The cart coupling assembly of claim 1 , wherein the coupling disc comprises at least two pairs of spanner holes positioned opposite to each other, wherein the pairs of spanner holes are configured to engage with a spanner wrench for adjusting a position of the coupling disc on a cart.

11. A coupling disc configured to couple to an adjacent cart, wherein the coupling disc comprises:
a bearing slot adapted to hold a bearing, wherein the bearing slot is located at a center of the coupling disc, wherein the bearing slot is configured to engage, with a bearing hub assembly of the adjacent cart;
a mounting slot through which a bolt can be fastened to the adjacent cart; and
a control slot with one or more position registers defined along a control slot cavity of the control slot, the one or more position registers configured to one of restrict or allow a sliding movement of the control slot cavity, while the coupling disc rotates relative to the bearing slot, and wherein in response to rotation of the coupling disc, a gap distance between a cart coupling assembly and the adjacent cart varies without transverse movement of the coupling disc.

12. The coupling disc of claim 11 , wherein the position register of the coupling disc is configured to:
restrict a sliding movement of the control slot cavity relative to the position register screw in a first direction based on the rotation of the coupling disc along the control slot cavity of the control slot in a second direction, wherein, the first direction corresponds to a counter-clockwise direction, in an instance, when the second direction is a clockwise direction and wherein the first direction corresponds to a clockwise direction, in an instance, when the second direction is a counterclockwise direction of rotation of the coupling disc; and
lock the position register screw in one of the one or more position registers, upon the sliding movement of the control slot cavity relative to the position register screw along the control slot cavity of the control slot.

13. The coupling disc of claim 11 , wherein,
in an instance, when the coupling disc is rotated in a clockwise direction, the control slot slide on each respective one of the position register screw to produce translational movement of the bearing to change the gap between a first and second carts in a downstream direction, and
in an instance, when the coupling disc is rotated in a counter-clockwise direction, the control slot on each respective one of the position register screw produce translational movement of the bearing to change the gap between the first and second carts in an upstream direction.

14. The coupling disc of claim 11 , wherein the bearing hub assembly comprises a castle nut, a spacer ring, and a carter pin and wherein the bearing hub assembly is on an end of a rear hitch plate and is configured to engage in the bearing slot of the cart coupling assembly.

15. The coupling disc of claim 11 , wherein the coupling disc comprises plurality of mounting slots, wherein each of the mounting slots receive one of the respective of mounting pins that are engaged on a front hitch plate of the first cart, as the bearing slot of

Assignees

• Intelligrated Headquarters Llc

Inventors

• Best Richmond Emory
• Vegh Mark Kenneth

Classifications

• B65G47/962 Primary

  tilting about an axis substantially parallel to the conveying direction · CPC title

• B60D1/02

  Bolt or shackle-type couplings · CPC title

• B65G35/00 Primary

  Mechanical conveyors not otherwise provided for · CPC title

• B65G35/08

  comprising trains of unconnected load-carriers, e.g. belt sections, movable in a path, e.g. a closed path, adapted to contact each other and to be propelled by means arranged to engage each load-carrier in turn · CPC title

• B60D1/42

  for being adjustable · CPC title