Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
~067443
This invention relates to a conveying system in
which a load is driven by connection to cable means. The
term "cable means" includes any suitable flexible drive
transmitting member. The known systems comprise a cable,
; a drive mechanism for driving the cable a:Long a cable guide,
and attached to the cable at least one connec-ting piece on
which the conveyed load engages. Loads may be attached to
the cable and thus transported.
This type of known conveying system is limited in
use by the fact that each desired changed in direction of
the transportation path must be provided for by change-
direction rollers, which in certain circumstances requires
relatively large expenditure. Moreover, with change-direction
rollers, a change in direction at a given point is possible
in one plane only. However, in conveying systems there is
frequentl~ a need for three-dimensional directional changes,
for example o helical shape.
It is an object of the present inventlon to create
~ a conveying system having a transportation path which is
capable of being adapted in any desired manner to the local
features and wherein no change direction rollers with the
accompanying expenditure and space demand are necessary.
According to the present invention, there is provided
a conveying system comprising a tubular guide track having
a predetermined configuration, an endless cable extending
within said guide track, drive means for driving said cable,
spacer elements attached to said cable at intervals and
being adapted to move within said guide track, said spacer
elements being arranged to hold said cable clear o~ the
internal wall of said guide track over the whole path thereo~,
a load carrying vehicle guided by and adapted to run along
said tubular guide track in direct engagement therewith,
~167443
a`longitudinally extending slit in said guide track, and a
connecting member coupled to said cable having a lug
extending through said slit for engagement with said load-
carrying vehicle so as to drive said load-carrying vehicle
along the track, said cable being electrically conductive so
as to permit control commands to be transmitted therethrough.
^~T~
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~674~3
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In embodi~ent~ the cable ~ean~ i~ guided in~ide tube
oean~. Con~equently it i~ po~ible for any tr~n~portatlon
path~, includin~ thoae in~olvln~ three~-dimen~ional chhnge~
in direction, to be ere~ted by corre~ponding bendin~ of
the tube. Chan~e-direction rollers Are no lon$er nece~ary
thu~ en~bling A ~avin~ in ~paee to be obt~ined by eo~p~rison
~ith known conveyin~ ~y~te~.
Tr~n~mi~ion o~ the ~otion of the cAble mean~ to ~r
load ~ b~-~f the tube mean~ i9 e~urcd by the lon~itudin~l
.0 slit of the tubè oeAn~ which extr.end~ in the dlrect~i on of
5 i r~ ~
conveyingr_L~ load~ are con~eyed along ~ tran~portation
path predeter~ined by the cour~e of the tube menn~.
Contactle~ ~uiding of the c~ble within the tube i~
effected by ~lidera ~for example ball~), which are ~tt~ched
to the cable and nre adApted in their di~ension~ to the
intern~l di~meter Or the tube.
Embodiment~ o~ the inventio~ will now be deacribed
:~ by way of ex~mple only, with reference to the ~CCOmpAnying
drawing~, in which:_
Fig. 1 is!`a diagrAmm~tic view of A con~eying syste~
co~prlsing a cable and a ~rive;
Fig. 2 is a ~ection taken on the line II-II of Fig.~;
Fig. 3 is a section t~ksn on the line ~ III of
4; ~nd,
Fi$. 4 i~ ection taken on the line IV-IV of ~i~o 3
A~ c~n be ~een from Fig. 1, the over~ll cour~e o~ the
conYeying ~y~tem i~ determined by a tube mean~ 4~ ~hich i~
bent in any dea~red m~nner ~ccordlng to the des~red
tra~port~tion path. Inside the tube me~n~ 4, c~ble ~ 3
i~ ~uided out o~ cont~ct with the inner wAll of the tube 4.
-- 3 --
~i7443
For this purpose, spacer elements in the form of sliders 5
are connected to the cable means 3 at relatively short
intervals. The dimensions of these sliders 5 are so selected
that the sliders 5 are slidable as the cable 3 moves inside
the tube means 4. The distance between sliders 5, one from
another, is so dimensioned that, even at the tightest
radiused curve of the tube means 4, the cable 3 is protected
from contact with the inner wall of the tube means 4. This
is well illustrated in Fig. 2. Moreover, the relatively short
spacing between sliaers 5 prevents the cable means 3 from
sagging on long straight runs of the tube means 4.
In this preferred embodiment the sliders 5 with
advanta~e are ball-shaped. The use of wear-resistant plastics
material is especially advantageous for the sliders 5. The
tube means 4 defines a longitudinal slit 7 which enables
transmission of motion of the cable 3 to a load ~not shown)
outside the tube means 4 by means of a connecting piece 6.
The tube means 4 acts as a guide track for a load-carrying
vehicle which is adapted to run along the tubular guide
track in direct engagement therewith so that the connecting
piece primarily acts as a drive mean for the load-carrying
vehicle running along the guide track and not as a suspension
means therefor.
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67443
Preferably, the st~tionary dri~e mechaniam for the
c~ble mean~ 3 i~ mount~d ~paced fron the tran~port p~th.
In Fi~ 1, thi~ drive mech~i~m comprise~ a drive wheel 1
ha~in$ ~ toothed wheel configur~tion ~nd furnished ~lon~
~t~ periphery with indentAtion~ into which the sllder~ 5
eng~e. RotAtionAl movement of the dri~ve wheel 1 i~
tran~mitted to th~ connectin$ piece 6 by the cable m~an~
3. In the region o~ the drive wheel ~ cAble me~n3 3 i3 not
: guided in the tube mean~ ~. In thi~ re~ion thi~ connectin$
piece 6 execute~ a line~r mo~e~ent 2, to and from the wheel
1. The tr~n~port direction iR deter~ined by the rot~tion~l
direction of the drive wheel t. The wheel 1 ~a~ be dri~e~
continuously or periodlcally re~ersed ao a~ to drive the
c~ble ~e~n~ either endlessly or in ~ reciprocating manner.
The uJe of tube mean~ 4 a~ a ~uide ~or the cable mean~
At ~ given po~nt, enable~ a chA~e in direction to left or
right (aH in Fig. 2) to be co~bined with ~n up~nrd~ or
downwards oh~n~e in direction (as in Fig. 3), ~o th~t
helical line~ m~y al90 be de~cribed. However, thi~ i~ not
Jhown in the ~coomp~nying drAwing~ becau~e of the dif~iculty
of Jati~fActorily illu~tr~ting it.
Connectin& the ~lider~ 5 to the cAble ~e~n~ 3 iJ
effected by ~ean~ of con~tructing the ~lider~ 5 (for exa~ple
5' in Fi~. 3) ~ two ~xially divided h~l~e~ which ~re then
connected together to clamp the;cAble ~e~n~ 3 between them
~nd/or ~hich ~e ~lued to the c~ble me~ns 3. ~lowever, it
i~ po~ible nl~o ~or the ~lider~ (5~ in Yig. 3) to be
furni~hed with a presJed ~leeve 8~ Sleere 8 firmly connect~
the ~lider~ 5 to the cable mean~ 3. Thi~ en~ure~ ~ reli~ble
~ixi~g of the ~liderJ 5 in the longitudin~l direction o~
the c~ble me~ns 3.
-- 5 --
163 67443
With ~dvantage, ~ slider 5 m~y al~o be constructed
as a connecting piece 6, by furni~hing that ~lider 5 with
a pro~ecting part. The projectine part then extends through
the lon$itudinal ~lit 7 to enable motiQn of the cable ~e~ns
r; ~
3 to be transmitted to n load ~ ~ the tube menns
4, Thi~ variant is not further illustrated here.
With ~ metal tube mean~ 4 and the 81 ider~ 5 of
electrically insulated mMteri~l, for e~ampla plastics,
it is ~o~sible for electricnl control com~nds to be
tranamitted from the dr1ve mechanism throu~h the cable me~n~
3 when the latter i9 conatructed to be electricAlly
conducting.;
In a modification (not shown) the ~liders 5 mHy be
replnced by internal di~c meAn~ within the tube meAn~ 7.
These di~c me~n~ may be fixed at intervals alonK the tube
me~n~ and have central upertureJ for the cable me~n~-. In
e~ch disc means~nn appropriately orientatad cut-out sector
e~able~ the conneoting piece 6 to pA88 through the di~c
meanJ. ~
