Conveyor system

Claim 2

A conveyor system, comprising in combination: a track; a carriage arranged for movement along said track; electrical motive power means for moving said carriage along said track, said motive power means including a strip extending along the length of said track, said strip having at least one break therein, each break defining a longitudinal open space between two segments of said strip, said motive power means further including a pair of motor elements, said motor elements each being of length substantially less than the length of said break, each motor element being coacting electrically with said strip when opposed thereto for moving said carriage along said track but being de-energized when opposed to said break, said motor elements being carried by said carriage and being spaced longitudinally of said carriage, said spacing being at least as great as the length of said open space between said strip segments, said motor elements being alternatively de-energized as said carriage advances past said open space between said strip segments so that at least one of said motor elements is energized at any moment during Such advancement, said motor elements being of substantially equal power so that said carriage will be driven at substantially half power when one of said motor elements is not energized and the carriage will be continuously driven but at reduced power as it advances past said open space between said strip segments; whereby at all times at least one of said motor elements on said carriage will be in opposed electrically coacting relationship with said strip so as to maintain continuous powered movement of said carriage as said carriage moves past said break in said strip.

Claim 3

A conveyor according to claim 1, characterized in that two said motor elements are of the linear type and they are carried by two separate units connected by an articulated bar.

Claim 4

An electrified conveyor system, comprising in combination: track means including first, second and third tracks radiating from a central zone and track switch means in said central zone for joining said first track alternatively to said second and third tracks; first, second and third electric power supply strips extending along said first, second and third tracks, respectively, and ending adjacent said central zone, the end of said first strip being spaced from the adjacent ends of said second and third strips by at least a portion of said switch means and at a fixed distance; first, second and third secondary conductors extending along said first, second and third tracks, respectively, and ending adjacent said central zone, the end of said first conductor being spaced from the ends of said second and third conductors by at least a portion of said switch means and at a fixed separation; conveyor carriage means capable of pendently supporting a load and movable along said first track and onto and along the one of said second and third tracks selected by said switch means, said carriage means comprising spaced first and second wheeled units connected by an articulated bar and engageable with said track means for supporting said carriage means for movement therealong, said first and second wheeled units each being shorter longitudinally of the track means than the spacings between said strips and between said secondary conductors, said carriage means further comprising first and second electric linear motors, said first and second motors being carried by said first and second wheeled units, respectively, for driving same along said track means, each motor being independently energizable from the opposed portion of the adjacent one of said strips and electrically coacting with the opposed portion of the adjacent one of said conductors, said first and second motors being alternatively deenergized as said carriage means advances from said first track past said switch means and onto the selected one of said second and third tracks, the spacing of said wheeled units exceeding said fixed distance between said first strip and said second and third strips and said fixed separation between said first conductor and said second and third conductors so that at least one of said motors is energized at any moment during such advancement, said motors being of substantially equal power so that said carriage means will be driven at substantially half power when one of said motors is not energized, whereby said carriage means is continuously driven but at reduced power as it advances past said switch means.

Claim 5

An electrified conveyor system, comprising in combination: track means including first, second and third tracks radiating from a central zone and track switch means in said central zone for joining said first track alternatively to said second and third tracks; first, second and third electric power supply strips extending along said first, second and third tracks, respectively, and ending adjacent said central zone, the end of said first strip being spaced from the adjacent ends of said second and third strips by at least a portion of said switch means and at a fixed distance; first, second and third secondary conductors extending along said first, second and third tracks, respectively, and ending adjacent said central zone, the end of said first conductor being spaced from the ends of said second and third conductors by at least a portion of said switch means and at a fixed separation; conveyor carriage means capable of pendently supporting a load and movable along said first track and onto and along the one of said second and third tracks selected by said switch means, said carriage means comprising spaced first and second wheeled units connected by an articulated bar and engageable with said track means for supporting said carriage means for movement therealong, said first and second wheeled units each being shorter longitudinally of the track means than the spacings between said strips and between said secondary conductors, said carriage means further comprising first and second electric linear motors, said first and second motors being carried by said first and second wheeled units, respectively, for driving same along said track means, each motor being independently energizable from the opposed portion of the adjacent one of said strips and electrically coacting with the opposed portion of the adjacent one of said conductors, said first and second motors being alternatively deenergized as said carriage means advances from said first track past said switch means and onto the selected one of said second and third tracks, the spacing of said wheeled units exceeding said fixed distance between said first strip and said second and third strips and said fixed separation between said first conductor and said second and third conductors so that at least one of said motors is energized at any moment during such advancement, said motors being of substantially equal power so that said carriage means will be driven at substantially half power when one of said motors is not energized, whereby said carriage means is continuously driven but at reduced power as it advances past said switch means.