Variable speed endless conveyor

Claim 2

Variable speed endless conveyor constituted by an endless chain in the form of a horizontal closed loop, said loop being formed by at least one set of bars comprising a first series of bars and a second series of bars elastically deformable in the horizontal plane but rigid in the vertical plane, the bars of the first series being articulated on the bars of the second series, in the vicinity of the ends of the bars and in the vicinity of the middles of the bars, thereby forming an uninterrupted sequence of curvilinear diamonds so that the four sides of a given diamond are constituted by four different bars each bar forming part of two consecutive diamonds, means being provided for driving the chain in a direction along the loop, at low speed in at least two zonEs of a first type in which the diamonds are flattened perpendicularly to the direction along the loop, and at high speed in at least two other zones of a second type in which the diamonds are flattened in the direction along the loop, the speed of the chain varying in continuous manner in the portions of the chain situated between the two types of zones, the said bars bearing plate elements which partly overlap and remain throughout said loop in the same substantially horizontal plane to form a horizontal receiving surface of continuous general configuration.

Claim 3

Conveyor according to claim 1, wherein the loop formed by the chain is flattened and comprises two neighboring parallel strands and two portions substantially in the form of semi-circles.

Claim 4

Conveyor according to claim 1, wherein the endless chain is constituted by several sets of superposed bars each set forming an uninterrupted sequence of diamonds, articulations being provided at each crossing of a bar of a given set with a bar of another set.

Claim 5

Variable speed endless conveyor constituted by an endless chain in the form of a horizontal closed loop, said loop being formed by at least one set of bars comprising a first series of bars and a second series of bars elastically deformable in the horizontal plane but rigid in the vertical plane, the bars of the first series being articulated on the bars of the second series, in the vicinity of the ends of the bars and in the vicinity of the middles of the bars, thereby forming an uninterrupted sequence of curvilinear diamonds so that the four sides of a given diamond are constituted by four different bars each bar forming part of two consecutive diamonds, means being provided for driving the chain in a direction along the loop, at low speed in at least two zones of a first type in which the diamonds are flattened perpendicularly to the direction along the loop, and at high speed in at least two other zones of a second type in which the diamonds are flattened in the direction along the loop, the speed of the chain varying in continuous manner in the portions of the chain situated between the two types of zones, the said bars bearing plate elements which partly overlap and remain throughout said loop in the same substantially horizontal plane to form a horizontal receiving surface of continuous general configuration, wherein the end of a plate element of an odd row which occurs on the inner side of the loop is articulated on a bar of the first series of a first set and its opposite end is also articulated on the same bar of the first series of the first set, whilst the ends of a plate element of an even row which occurs also on the inner side of the loop is articulated on one of the bars of a second set and its opposite end on a bar of the second series of the first set.

Claim 6

Variable speed endless conveyor constituted by an endless chain in the form of a horizontal closed loop, said loop being formed by at least one set of bars comprising a first series of bars and a second series of bars elastically deformable in the horizontal plane but rigid in the vertical plane, the bars of the first series being articulated on the bars of the second series, in the vicinity of the ends of the bars and in the vicinity of the middles of the bars, thereby forming an uninterrupted sequence of curvilinear diamonds so that the four sides of a given diamond are constituted by four different bars each bar forming part of two consecutive diamonds, means being provided for driving the chain in a direction along the loop, at low speed in at least two zones of a first type in which the diamonds are flattened perpendicularly to the direction along the loop, and at high speed in at least two other zones of a second type in which the diamonds are flattened in the direction along the loop, the speed of the chain varying in continuous manner in the portions of the chain situated between the two types of zones, the said bars bearing plate elements which partly overlap and remain throughout said loop in the same substantially horizontal plane to form a horizontal receiving surface of continuous general configuration, wherein the end of a plate element of an odd row which occurs on the inner side of the loop is articulated on a bar of the first series of a first set and its opposite end is also articulated on the same bar of the first series of the first set, whilst the ends of a plate element of an even row which occurs also on the inner side of the loop is articulated on one of the bars of a second set and its opposite end on a bar of the second series of the first set.

Claim 7

Conveyor according to claim 4, wherein one of the ends of each plate element is articulated on the corresponding bar through an axle mounted so as to be able to undergo a slight translation movement in the direction of the length of said plate element.

Claim 8

Conveyor according to claim 1, wherein the articulations of at least one of the ends of the constituent bars of the chain bear roller means and guide means cooperating with a guide which is situated inside or outside the loop and which follows a contour which merges with the corresponding edge of the loop formed by the chain constituting the conveyor.

Claim 9

Conveyor according to claim 1, wherein the chain bears at the level of the middle articulation of the bars, guide means cooperating with a guide, the end articulations of the bars bearing roller means which support the chain.

Claim 10

Conveyor according to claim 7, wherein the roller means provided at the end articulations of the bars are arranged so that they can cooperate with lateral guides provided at least at certain places of the loop formed by the chain.

Claim 11

Conveyor according to claim 1, wherein each guide has a U-shape section, roller and support means borne by the end articulatioNs comprising a vertical axle of which the lower end is provided with an orientable roller resting in the bottom of a lateral guide the guide means borne by the articulations being constituted by at least one directing roller co-operating with two inner lateral faces of the said guide, if necessary with the interposition of projecting horizontal rails.

Claim 12

Conveyor according to claim 1, when the drive of the chain is ensured by mobile drive elements in engagement with lower extensions of the middle articulation axles of the constituent bars of the said chain and described a path corresponding to that of the said axles, under the action of motor means to which they are connected.

Claim 13

Conveyor according to claim 10, wherein the mobile drive elements, arranged under parallel strands of the chain are constituted by a perforated belt or a horizontal endless chain of which the upper strand is in engagement with the lower extensions of the middle articulation axles of the chain.

Claim 14

Conveyor according to claim 10, wherein the mobile drive elements, arranged under each of the two end portions substantially in the form of semi-circles of the chain, are constituted by a gear wheel which is borne by a vertical drive shaft coaxial with the corresponding semicircle and of which the teeth are in engagement with the lower extensions of the middle articulation axles of the chain.

Claim 15

Conveyor according to claim 1, wherein the bars of one of the two series of bars which form successive diamonds of the chain are double so that they grip at the level of the articulations of the bars of the second series of bars.

Claim 16

Conveyor according to claim 1, wherein the loop comprises rectilinear zones of slow constant speed between circular zones of slow constant speed and zones of variable speed which connect them to rectilinear zones of high speed.

Claim 17

Conveyor according to claim 1, wherein the drive means for the semicircular zone and the constant low speed rectilinear adjacent zones comprise three drive chains of which one is situated inside the loop and corresponds in shape with the whole of the semi-circular shape of the latter, the two others being situated outside the loop on a portion of the length of the two constant speed rectilinear zones, said chains co-operating with drive means provided at the level of the end articulations.

Claim 18

Conveyor according to claim 15 wherein the drive means are constituted by hooks borne by one of the series of bars forming diamonds.

Claim 19

Conveyor according to claim 1, wherein the plate elements bear combs whose orientation is such that, when the conveyor is at its lowest speed, the grooves of the combs of two successive plate elements are in extension of one another and occur over a parallel to the axis of the conveyor so that the combs borne by the plate elements can then cooperate with a fixed comb borne by the arrival platform.

Claim 20

Conveyor according to claim 1, wherein the plate elements bound the surface limited by the diamonds towards the outside of the loop.

Claim 21

Conveyor according to claim 1, comprising a handrail constituted by telescopic tubular elements driven in synchronism with the corresponding portions of the conveyor chain which accompany them.

Claim 22

Conveyor according to claim 19, wherein the telescopic tubular elements which constitute the handrail comprise a series of identical assemblies each of which is formed by at least two telescopic tubular elements of which the open lower portion slides on a substantially vertical fixed wall, the longitudinal linkage between these two elements being ensured by two levers articulated on one another and bearing a roller which rolls against a fixed ramp of which the distance to the upper portion of the aforesaid fixed wall is, at each point of the conveyor, a function of the relative position of the plate elements, the drive of the handrail being ensured in constant speed zones by an endless inextensible flexible link which is moved along the fixed vertical partition at the speeD of the endless drive chain of the plate elements and which is connected to a point of each assembly of telescopic tubular elements of the handrail.

Claim 23

Conveyor according to claim 20 in which each assembly of telescopic tubular elements of the handrail comprises more than two elements, wherein the supplementary elements are connected between themselves and to two first elements by a system of articulated braces.