Conveyor load transfer apparatus

Claim 1

Conveyor load transfer apparatus, comprising: a follow-up carriage guided and supported to be movable in a direction in which a conveyor moves and driven by a double-acting air cylinder; a transverse carriage guided and supported on the follow-up carriage to be movable perpendicular to the running direction of the conveyor and driven back and forth by a transverse motor mounted on the follow-up carriage; an article-handling segment elevatably guided and supported on the transverse carriage and driven up and down by an elevation drive source mounted on the transverse carriage; a follow-up detector mounted on the follow-up carriage to generate deviation signals representing relative positions of the follow-up carriage and an article-supporting device of the conveyor; a double-acting hydraulic cylinder expanding and contracting according to the motion of the follow-up carriage, and a pressure-compensating flow-rate regulating valve with a check valve connected between the two ports of said hydraulic cylinder; said elevation drive source comprising two individually controlled double-acting air cylinders, one of said air cylinders having a buffering device including a check valve connected between the two ports thereof and a throttle valve, with a check valve, connected to the rod-side port thereof; p1 wherein the opening of said pressure-compensating flow-rate regulating valve is controlled by said signals so that said follow-up carriage follows the moving article supporting device and transfers an article onto or off said article-supporting device with said article-handling segment while moving.