Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
Background of ~he Invention:
~ his invention relates to a device for trans-
porting materials.
Variousl~ contrived in the past were devices fox
continuously transporting materials under process as
those for automatically and successively making noodles,
such as boiled, steamed or fried noodles. But these are
generally of the constitution, wherein each of buckets
with covers having been dosed with a predetermined unit
amount of materials is mounted one after another keeping
a uniform distance along rows of chains or the like
disposed on both sides thereof, and is continuously or
intermittently advanced in a predetermined speed.
In such a prior art of constitution is found a
defect that the distance from one bucket to the following
one is kept also in a straight line section of trans-
portation a distance the same as that as needed for
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buckets when the chain carrying the buckets runs around the
sprocket wheel keeping buckets apart from each other, so that
buckets advancing along a strai~lt line section must have
idle spaces between adjacent one~; to result in a deficiency
in promoting the transportable amount per unit time of the
material under process.
~here has been proposed another device, wherein, for
the purpose of arranging each bucket with a space as narrow
as possible from the following one, every predetermined
number of buckets are united into a group to be hung as a
unit to the chain. In such an arrangement was also found a
defect in that, a3 the chain and buckets are made to move
separately, buckets hanging on the chain in running tends
to slip off therefrom to result in a trouble~
~ummar~ of ~he Invention:
In view of the defects as stated above, this invention
provides a tra~sporter mechanism, which may suitably adjust
the gap distance between each bucket and the one following
thereto in a manner that, in the straight line section along
which the buckets are advanced, said gap distance is decreased
but in the curved section, in which the chain i8 guided around
the sprocket wheel, said gap is suitably enlarged by R~
extent as needed for making bucket to run along such a ¢urved
section without being contiguous to the neighbouring bucket.
~
~ ig. 1 shows in an elevation a t~ansporter device
according to this invention, which is adapted to be used
in an automatic boiled noodle ma~ufacturing plant;
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Fig. 2 is an enlarged view of a portion of the device
shown in ~ig. l;
~ig. 3 is a side view of the device of Fig. 2 in a
longitudinal sec-tion along the line 3 - 3;
Fig. 4 is a side view of the device of ~ig. 2 in a
lo~gitudinal section along the line 4 - 4;
~ig. 5 is a front view of another embodical example
of this invention depicted in an enlarged scale;
~ig. 6 is a side view of the device shown in Fig. 5;
~ig. 7 is a front view of a further embodical example
of this invention; and
Fig. 8 is an enlarged side view of a portion of the
device shown in ~ig. 7.
Description of Preferred Embodiments:
Referring to an embodical example as depicted in Fig. 1
through ~ig. 4, sprockets 2~ 3 and 4 are rotatably supported
throu~h horizontal axes disposed at both insides of the lower
t~nk 1~ and further sprockets 5 and 6 are rotatably supported
to the frame structure at the upper side of said tank 1. An
endlessl~ circulating chain 7 is hung over above said sprockets
such that, the chain beginning on the sprocket 2 at the inner ~-end of the tank 1 is led transversely in a straight line
towards the sprocket 3 at the other end of said tank, and it
is made to tur~ around the sprocket 3, and is led transversely
in a straight line towards the sprocket 4 located at said end,
and the chain 7 is led to turn around the sprocket 4 to be
led upwards to the sprocket 6. After having been led
straightly forward and backward within the upper tank 1 in
a similar manner as stated above, the chain 7 is guided
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through the cooling tank 8 as well as the sterilizer tank 9,
and then made to turn around the deflector sprockets 10,
11, 12, 1~, 14 and 15 provided outside of the tank, and led
again to the upper sprocket 5.
Now the device for adjusti.ng the gap distances between t
successive buckets will be illustrated: the circulating
chain 7 is assembled in a manner that plurality of link
plates 16, 16' are connected b~ pins 17, hangers 19 are
provided on ever~ fourth one of said link plates 16, 16',
pins 17, 17 attached to both ends of each link plate 16 are
provided with guide rollers 20~ 20 attached thereta, and
each perforated bucket 18 carrying material under process
are supported by said hanger 19. At the outer sides of each
link plate 16, which carries a bucket~ are provided guide
rollers 20, 20' protruding outwards therefrom, said guide : .
rollers being adapted to slidabl~ fitted into guide grooves ~
21 provided on the inner surfaces 17 1~ of the tank 1. ~he
guide groove 21 is curved from the vertical direction to the ~-
horizontal direction along the pitch circle C of the sprocket :
2, ie extended horizontally in a straight line along the
tangent of the pitch circle of the sprocket 3 at the opposite . -
end thereof, is curved then along the pitch circle of the
sprocket ~, is again extended horizon-tally in a straight
line towards the tangent of the pitch circle of the sprocket :
4, and is curvecl along the pitch circle of the sprocket 4 -to :~
be extended straightly upwards. As may be seen in ~ig. 2,
if the chain 7 is turned b~ the sprocket 7 to be advanced
around it and be driven along the guide 21 from the vertical ;
to the horizontal direction, then three each of l; nk plates
~0 16', 16' and 16', for example, just existing between bucket
. 4
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supporting link plates 16 and 16 will be pendent downwards,
- as seen in Figs. 2 and 3, so that successive two buckets
18, 18 will be driven along the guide 21, with said buckets
approaching to be about to touch each other, -to be curved into
a horizontal direction (along the arrow "a") in a straigh-t line
to be advanced towards the sprocket 3 at the opposite end.
Whi~e the chain 7 is turning around the sprocket 3 mentioned
above, any rollers belonging to -the li~k plates 16', 16',
16' as well as to the link plate 16 then supporting the
bucket are engaged with the sprocket 3, so tha-t the gap space
between above said adjacent buckets 18, 18 will be enlarged
to keep a predetermined amount thereby making the chain 7
smoothly to turn around the sprocket 3 along the guide 21.
Further, if the chain 7 be shifted into the curved guide for
changing direction from the upper horizontal straight line
section, the link plates 16', 16', 16' will be pendent to
make the buckets to be contiguous to each other to move into
direction towards the sprocket 4. As ~he gap space between
adjacsnt buckets will be enlarged when turning around the
sprocket 4, the train of buckets will also be capable o~
smoothly turning around the sprocket 4. ~he member designated
with 16" is a plate for retaining -the roller 20, 20, that
with 22 is a device for supplying materials to be processed,
that with 23 is a hopper for taking out materials having been
processed, that with 24 is a packaging machine, and that with
25 is a roller attached to the pin 17 for making the chai~
to slide thereover.
Another mechanism for adjusting above said gap space
is shown in Figs. 5 and 6~
~0 For the zone, through which the buckets are advanced
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horizontally in a straight line, a chain convey~r 42 is
provided to run slidingly over a stationary horizon-tal
guide 41, and buckets 18 with mutual space shortened are
put on said chain conveyer 42 to be transported in a
straight line towards the arrow "a". The conve-~er arrangement
is so adapted that, when it is shifted from a turning section
43 to the straight line section 44, three pieces of link
plates 16' will be pendent downwards by a pressure and the
like due to the rotation of the sprocket 2 thereby to decrease
the bucket distance or to make them to be contiguous to each
other. Bucket 18 will then abut through the protrusion 45
with the chain co~veyer 42.
A further mechanism varied from above for adjusting
said gap space is shown in Figs. 7 and 8~ In this embodiment
is devised that, within the hori~ontal straight line shifting
zone 44, -the bucket 18 is adapted to be put on the stationar~
horizontal guide 51, and is slidingly shifted along the same.
Bucket 18 is mounted to ever~ third link 16' of chain 7, so
that, when the chain 7 is in mesh with the sprocket 2 to turn
around it (at bucket turning portion 43), the gap space
between adjacent buckets 18, 18 will be maintained at a
predetermined amou~t as shown i~ Fig. 8, and when the chain 7
is running along a straight line section 44, the chain 7 will
be pushed towards the arrow "a'l by the rotation of the sprocket
2, and three pieces of links~16' between the buckets 18, 18 will
be pendent downwards, so that the buckets 18, 18 will approach
to or be contiguous to each other in slidingl~ running alo~g
the guide towards the arrow 'la
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