WO1999018017A1

WO1999018017A1 - Belt conveyor with drop-nose

Info

Publication number: WO1999018017A1
Application number: PCT/DK1998/000431
Authority: WO
Inventors: Jens SØGAARD
Original assignee: Caljan A/S Loading Systems
Priority date: 1997-10-07
Filing date: 1998-10-07
Publication date: 1999-04-15
Also published as: DK114397A

Abstract

In connection with belt conveyors used especially for manual loading and unloading, it is known to use a so-called 'drop-nose' in the form of a platform element which as a receiving table can be placed protruding out from a loading end on the conveyor or, when an unloading end is involved, from here in a downwardly-swung ramp position. With the invention, the platform element is integrated with the belt conveyor in that it is housed as a telescopic element herein. Moreover, the element is configured as an active or passive conveyor element, preferably with a conveyor belt in the form of a loop of the main belt.

Description

Title: Belt conveyor with drop-nose

The present invention concerns a belt conveyor, mainly of the telescopic type, and of the kind which at a loading or an unloading end has a platform element which can be swung downwards to a ramp position. This typically involves conveyors used for the loading and unloading of goods between a truck or container and a despatcher or receiver, and it is namely in connection with the loading of goods into a truck that it is advantageous to use such a platform. This can be used as a horizontal plate part for temporary support of the arriving goods, but it is well-known that e.g. after slight extension from this position it can be swung down to said ramp position. The relevant element is often called a "drop-nose". With the invention it has been realised that with many applications it will be an advantage not to arrange this element as a slide surface but as an active or passive conveyor element, e.g. as a roller track or with a free-running belt, and also with greater extent than normal. According to the invention, this is made possible in practice by the conveyor element being engaged as an actual telescopic element in the main conveyor, in that this is configured with power-driven activating means for the inwards and outwards displacement of the conveyor element and the control of this for swinging downwards and upwards. It is hereby no hindrance that the element is configured with such a weight and size that it is hardly able to be operated or manoeuvred manually. In a telescopic system, use can well be made of a loop of the main belt in the formation of an active conveyor surface. The invention will now be described in more detail with reference to the drawing, where

Fig. 1 is a side view of an outer conveyor end with a built-in "drop-nose" in accordance with a first embodiment of the invention, Fig. 2 is a corresponding view showing the drop-nose extended and lowered,

Fig. 3 is a side view corresponding to fig. 2 of a second embodiment of the invention. In Fig. 1 is shown an end part 2 of a conveyor, especially an outer section of a telescopic conveyor, which supports a conveyor belt 4 and an outer reversing roller 6 for said belt 4. In front of this roller, the chassis of the end part 2 supports a short, downwardly-sloping roller track 8, and below this and the belt 4 in a lower cavity in the end part, there is placed a roller-track section 10 with rollers 12 which rearwards at 13 is hinged together with a feeding carriage 14, which with projecting side rollers 16 is engaged between opposing, longitudinal tracks 18 in the sides of the conveyor chassis. The carriage 14 is connected at the rear with activation means such as cylinder 20 with associated piston rod 22, by means of which the carriage 14 and herewith the section 10 can be fed forwards, i.e. towards the right in the figure. Down under the hinge 13, between low points 24 and 26 on the carriage 14 and the section 10 respectively, a cylinder 28 with piston rod 30 is inserted.

By said displacement outwards to the right, the section 10 is brought into the extended position shown in Fig. 2, from which by operation of the cylinder 28 it can be swung to the downwardly-inclined ramp position also shown in Fig. 2. In both positions it will receive articles conveyed from the belt 4 via the roller track 8, and since it can now have a considerable length without giving rise to problems with regard to manual changeover, it can herewith display a high buffer capacity, in that the great length is combined with the capability of the transported articles to slide very easily downwards.

For the retraction of the section 10, the cylinder 28 is first activated for the swinging upwards of the section, af- ter which the cylinder/actuator 20 is controlled for retraction of the carriage 14 and herewith of section 10.

It should be noted that with lighter conveyors, it will be a realistic possibility to allow the section 10 to be ca- pable of completely manual operation.

With the configuration shown in Fig. 3, a quite corresponding result is achieved solely by a horizontal outwards displacement of the section 10, in that the section merely passes out over a foremost support roller 32 on the conveyor chassis, while towards the end of the outwards displacement it engages with the rearmost side roller 34 in an upwardly- curved guide track 36, so that a more or less extensive outwards displacement in the end phase will result in a more or less extensive swinging-down of the section 10. A subsequent swinging-upwards of this section will occur as an automatic function of a horizontal retraction of the rear end of the section at the side rollers 34.

In Fig. 3 it is shown that the conveyor section 10 can be provided with a conveyor belt 38 instead of rollers 12. This belt can be driven separately, but especially with conveyors which are configured beforehand as telescopic conveyors, it is fully realistic to let the belt be a part of the main belt 4, i.e. when the conveyor is provided with a compensation arrangement which allows the desired changes in length.

Claims

C L A I M S

1. Belt-conveyor, preferably of the telescopic type, and of the kind which at a loading or unloading end has a platform element which can be swung downwards to a ramp position, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the platform is configured as an active or passive conveyor element which is engaged as a telescopic element in the main conveyor, in that this is provided with power-driven means of activation for inwards and outwards displacement of the conveyor element and the controlling of this for swinging downwards and upwards.

2. Conveyor according to claim 1, c h a r a c t er i z e d in that the conveyor element is a roller track or has a separate, free-running conveyor belt.

3. Conveyor according to claim 1, c h a r a c t er i z e d in that the conveyor element carries a conveyor belt consisting of a loop of the main belt.

4. Conveyor according to claim 1, c h a r a c t er i z e d in that the conveyor element is housed in an en- gagement channel in the chassis of the belt conveyor, and innermost is in hinged connection with a carriage link, in that elements are inserted between this and the conveyor element for controlled downwards and upwards swinging of the conveyor elements when this, together with the carriage, is displaced outwards to a position in which said hinge lies immediately at the free end of the belt conveyor.

5. Conveyor according to claim 1, c h a r a c t er i z e d in that the conveyor element is housed in a feeding channel in the chassis of the belt conveyor, in that at its inner end it has laterally-protruding cam-follower parts which, during the main part of the forwards displacement, by abutment against control edge parts prevent a swinging down of the conveyor element, but which during the last part of the displacement co-operates with such inclined control edge parts in such a manner that the rear end of the conveyor element is allowed to swing upwards to enable a swinging downwards of elements around an outer support portion on the belt conveyor .

6. Conveyor according to claim 5, c h a r a c t er i z e d in that the control edge parts are configured in such a manner that they automatically give rise to a swinging upwards of the conveyor element at the start of the retraction of the outwardly-extended and downwardly-swung conveyor element.