U.S. patent application number 09/799672 was filed with the patent office on 2001-12-13 for bucket conveyor.
This patent application is currently assigned to Kyoji Co.,Ltd.. Invention is credited to Kitamura, Masao.
Application Number | 20010050210 09/799672 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 27463715 |
Filed Date | 2001-12-13 |
United States Patent
Application |
20010050210 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Kitamura, Masao |
December 13, 2001 |
Bucket conveyor
Abstract
A bucket conveyor for conveying loose grain in different
directions, comprising a bucket having: an opening leading to the
interior of the bucket; and a dead space constituting part of the
interior at the rear, the space not filled with loose grain when
grain is loaded from above to or beyond the level of the opening,
its volume being larger than the filled volume immediately below
the opening. The conveyor does not spill the loose grain even when
the angle of the bucket is changed.
Inventors: |
Kitamura, Masao; (Kyoto-shi,
JP) |
Correspondence
Address: |
FINNEGAN, HENDERSON, FARABOW, GARRETT &
DUNNER LLP
1300 I STREET, NW
WASHINGTON
DC
20005
US
|
Assignee: |
Kyoji Co.,Ltd.
43 Kamitoba Nakagawara, Minami-ku
Kyoto-shi
JP
|
Family ID: |
27463715 |
Appl. No.: |
09/799672 |
Filed: |
March 7, 2001 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
|
|
|
|
|
|
Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
09799672 |
Mar 7, 2001 |
|
|
|
09075865 |
May 12, 1998 |
|
|
|
6237745 |
|
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
198/707 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65G 17/123 20130101;
B65G 2201/04 20130101; B65G 47/40 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
198/707 |
International
Class: |
B65G 017/36 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
May 14, 1997 |
JP |
140837/1997 |
Aug 1, 1997 |
JP |
221047/1997 |
Feb 23, 1998 |
JP |
58986/1998 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A bucket conveyor for conveying loose grain, in which the bucket
angle must inevitably change according to the direction of
conveyance, said conveyor comprising a bucket having: an opening
leading to the interior of the bucket at the front; and a dead
space constituting part of the interior at the rear, the space not
filled with loose grain when grain is loaded from above to or
beyond the level of the opening, its volume being larger than the
filled volume immediately below the opening.
2. The conveyor of claim 1, further comprising a second bucket
preceding the bucket, wherein the first bucket has a round rear end
surface centered on a shaft perpendicular to the plane of the
direction of conveyance, and a front end surface which slides so as
to close the clearance formed with the rear end of the second
bucket.
3. The conveyor of claim 2, wherein the front end surface is sloped
so as to contact the upper half of the rear end surface of the
second bucket.
4. The conveyor of claim 2, wherein the first bucket has an apron
which extends perpendicularly to the opening and ahead of the front
end surface, the apron connected to the second bucket by a common
rotating shaft.
5. The conveyor of claim 1, further comprising a drive transmission
mechanism parallel to a part of the endless path of the bucket, the
mechanism making endless motion.
6. The conveyor of claim 1, further comprising a second bucket
preceding the first bucket, wherein the first bucket has holes on
the front end and rear end for a hinge pin to be linked to the
second bucket by passing the hinge pin through the holes
7. The conveyor of claim 1, wherein the bucket is composed of an
introduction with the opening, and a main body with the dead space,
said body rotatably connected to the introduction.
8. A bucket conveyor for conveying loose grain, in which the bucket
angle must inevitably change according to the direction of
conveyance, said conveyor comprising: a bucket composed of an
introduction and a main body, the introduction having an opening
introducing grain into the bucket, the body rotatably connected
having a dead space not filled with grain when grain is loaded from
above to or beyond the level of the opening, its volume being
larger than the filled volume immediately below the opening; guide
rails located on both sides of the bucket, supporting and guiding
it in the direction of conveyance, a stationary rail located under
the bucket, said rail being straight in non-unloading position so
as to keep the body planar to the direction of conveyance and in
the unloading position forming a sinusoidal curve so as to enable
the body to rotate while supporting the body; and a mobile rail
positioned in the unloading position to be adjacent to a linear
extension of the stationary rail and being able to move away from
the linear extension position.
9. The conveyor of claim 8, wherein the bucket is supported by the
guide rails via a rotating shaft.
10. The conveyor of claim 8, wherein the body is equipped with a
roller at the bottom.
11. A bucket conveyor for conveying loose grain, in which the
bucket angle must inevitably change according to the direction of
conveyance, said conveyor comprising: a bucket composed of an
introduction and a main body, the introduction having an opening
introducing grain into the bucket, the body rotatably connected
having a dead space not filled with grain when grain is loaded from
above to or beyond the level of the opening, its volume being
larger than the filled volume immediately below the opening; guide
rails located on both sides of the bucket, supporting and guiding
it in the direction of conveyance; and a swing rail positioned
pivotally in the unloading position on the horizontal conveyance
route, said rail forming a sinusoidal curve so as to enable the
body to rotate while supporting the body, being able to move away
from the body.
12. The conveyor of claim 11, wherein the bucket is equipped with a
roller at the bottom of the body, said roller being able to contact
with the swing rail.
13. The conveyor of claim 11, wherein the bucket is equipped with a
wheel shaft jutting out both sides of the introduction, supported
by the guide rails via the wheel shaft.
14. The conveyor of claim 11, further comprising another bucket
following the bucket, wherein the introduction is linked with the
introduction of the following bucket via a bar.
15. The conveyor of claim 13, further comprising another bucket
following the bucket, wherein the body has at the upper portion a
flange extending backward to rest on the wheel shaft of the
following bucket with the aid of the flange.
16. A bucket conveyor for conveying loose grain, in which the
bucket angle must inevitably change according to the direction of
conveyance, said conveyor comprising: a bucket having an opening
leading to the interior of the bucket at the front, and a dead
space constituting part of the interior at the rear, the space not
filled with loose grain when grain is loaded from above to or
beyond the level of the opening, its volume being larger than the
filled volume immediately below the opening; a hopper being able to
adjust the feeding port angle by rotating on a support shaft
stationed outside the bucket conveyance track; and guide rails
supporting and guiding the bucket in the direction of conveyance,
forming a circular arc with a sharp curve under the hopper.
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] This invention relates to a bucket conveyor. This bucket
conveyor is suitable for conveying loose rice, wheat, beans or
other farm product (hereinafter, "loose grain") horizontally, at an
incline or vertically.
BACKGROUND ART
[0002] For some time, V-Bucket Conveyor and Pivoted Bucket Conveyor
have been known as equipment for continuously conveying loose grain
from horizontal to vertical direction. With the V-Bucket Conveyor,
the opening of the bucket is always perpendicular to the direction
of conveyance and the bucket travels through a trough in the
horizontal direction to scoop up the loose grain. Accordingly,
friction between the bucket and trough is high which causes high
dynamic loss. Also, the loose grain is easily damaged and split
open. With the Pivoted Bucket Conveyor, the bucket is attached to
the chain by a pin, therefore the opening of the bucket faces
upwards no matter where the bucket is located. Accordingly, a
mechanism is needed to flip the bucket over at the unloading point
and, because the flip roller, cam and bucket are subjected to
considerable shock, structure and materials must be designed
against shock. Moreover, conveying speed is limited because of the
flip operation. And, if the loose grain is not loaded in the center
of the bucket, the bucket will tilt and spill the grain. Therefore,
a device is needed to control the relative positions of the loading
port and the bucket.
[0003] A bucket conveyor having a rectangular parallelepiped bucket
with a 45.degree. angle opening attached to a chain has been
proposed for this purpose (Japanese Utility Model Appln. Laid-Open
No.36312/1989). When using this conveyor to transport loose grain,
grain gathered under the lower part of the conveyor is scooped up
by the bucket on it's return trip. On the forwarding trip, the
opening faces diagonally upward both in horizontal conveyance and
vertical conveyance, and loose grain is filled up to the diagonal
line of the square bucket, thus 1/2 way full. On the returning
trip, the opening faces diagonally downward, therefore the bucket
dumps the loose grain.
[0004] Other type of bucket conveyor having cylindrical or
spherical buckets with a similar 45.degree. angle opening, which
are attached into a continuous gapless train has been proposed
(Japanese Pat. Appln. Laid-Open No. 072519/1994). When using this
conveyor to transport loose grain, grain is poured from above the
bucket and slid along the rear end of the preceding bucket to fall
into the opening. Therefore, in addition to the same filling and
dumping capacities of the aforementioned proposal, this conveyor
has the advantage that loose grain can be loaded continuously.
[0005] With the conveyor described in Japanese Utility Model Appln.
Laid-Open No. 36312, the loose grain gathered under the conveyor is
not completely scooped up. Moreover, loose grain is subjected to
shock in the scooping process which damages the grain or splits it
open.
[0006] With the conveyor described in Japanese Pat. Appln.
Laid-Open No.072519, the bucket is only filled 1/2 full so as not
to overflow. Accordingly, it is necessary to control speed of
loading the bucket in line with the conveyance speed of the
conveyor. Of course, when power is lost, the conveyor stops because
the control device stops working. However despite this, the loading
port remains open and loose grain is loaded continuously until
overflowing. In this state, when the conveyor is restarted, loose
grain is spilled when the bucket angle changes. The spilt grain
piles up on the bottom of the conveyor which makes it harder to
drive the conveyor. Furthermore, it is very troublesome to clean up
spilled grain because there is little space between the conveyor
case and bucket.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] It is an object of this invention to provide a novel
conveyor for continuously conveying loose grain in different
directions, such as changing from the horizontal to the vertical
direction. A further object is to fill a bucket without damaging
the grain before conveyance in different directions.
[0008] To achieve the objects of this invention, the conveyor
comprises a bucket which has an opening at the front and a dead
space at the rear. The opening leads to the interior of the bucket.
The space is not filled with loose grain when grain is loaded from
above to or beyond the level of the opening; and its volume is
larger than the filled volume immediately below the opening.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0009] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the bucket used with an
embodiment of the bucket conveyor of this invention;
[0010] FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing the state of the loose
grain when the bucket of FIG. 1 has a horizontal attitude;
[0011] FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing the bucket in FIG. 2 when
stood in the vertical direction;
[0012] FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing how grain is conveyed
using the conveyor;
[0013] FIG. 5 is a front view of a known drive transmission means
for the conveyor;
[0014] FIG. 6 is a front view of an improved drive transmission
mechanism for the conveyor;
[0015] FIG. 7 is a plane-sectional view of another embodiment of
the bucket conveyor of this invention;
[0016] FIG. 8 is a front sectional view of the conveyor;
[0017] FIG. 9 is a front view partly in of a further another
embodiment of the bucket conveyor of this invention;
[0018] FIG. 10 is a X-X sectional view of FIG. 9;
[0019] FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the bucket used with a
fourth embodiment;
[0020] FIG. 12 is a sectional view showing how grain is conveyed
using the conveyor;
[0021] FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the bucket used with a
fifth embodiment of the bucket conveyor of this invention;
[0022] FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view of the bucket
introduction;
[0023] FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view of the bucket main
body;
[0024] FIG. 16 is a front view of the bucket conveyer; and
[0025] FIG. 17 is a front view of a sixth embodiment of the bucket
conveyer of this invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0026] This invented conveyor does not spill the loose grain when
the angle of the bucket is changed, even when the bucket has been
completely filled in appearance, because the grain that was filled
to a space immediately below the opening before the bucket's angle
is changed falls into the dead space. Accordingly, it is possible
to change the direction of conveyance from horizontal to vertical
while the bucket is full of loose grain. And, it is possible to
position the loose grain loading port directly over the bucket and
fill the bucket under the weight of the loose grain because the
bucket does not spill the grain even when full. As a result, the
grain is not damaged by the bucket.
[0027] Loose grain is not spilled even when the bucket is full. For
this reason, the conveyor case is not littered with spilt grain on
the inside. And, the conveyor can resume operation immediately
after being stopped without having to control grain loading
speed.
[0028] The bucket in this invention idealy has a round rear end
surface centered on a shaft perpendicular to the plane of the
direction of conveyance, and a front end surface which slides in
such way that it closes the clearance formed with the rear end of
the preceding bucket. Though it is not important whether the
opening is planar to the direction of conveyance, part of the rear
end surface of the preceding bucket also serves as a part of the
front end surface of the following bucket because the bucket is
shaped as previously described. Accordingly, the buckets can be
connected in series, which improves conveyance efficiency.
[0029] The aforementioned front end of the following bucket idealy
has a sloped surface that contacts the upper half of the rear end
surface of the preceding bucket. As such, loose grain slides on the
front end surface to be filled completely to the rear except for
the dead space when loading, and dumped fast when unloading.
[0030] The bucket in this invention idealy has an apron which
extends perpendicularly to the opening and ahead of the front end
surface. This apron is connected to the preceding bucket by a
common rotating shaft. Because height of the apron exceeds the
opening, loose grain does not spill even when the bucket is filled
slightly higher than the level of the opening. And, because the
apron is connected to the preceding bucket by a common rotating
shaft, loose grain does not spill even when the bucket is filled
slightly higher than the level of the opening when the rear end
surface of the preceding bucket also serves as the front end
surface of the following bucket.
[0031] This invented conveyor is idealy equipped with a drive
transmission mechanism for endless motion, parallel to a part of
the endless path of buckets. By doing so, it is possible to
distribute drive power to multiple buckets without applying
excessive load to the drive transmission mechanism. This differs
from the conventional Pivoted bucket Conveyor and V-Bucket
Conveyor, in that the chain that links the buckets is driven by a
sprocket and all load is applied to the sprocket pin, therefore the
pin is easily worn down.
[0032] The bucket used with this invented conveyor may have holes
on the front end and rear end for a hinge pin. The holes complement
the length in the shaft direction. As such, the hinge pin hole on
the rear end of the preceding bucket and the hinge pin hole on the
front end of the following bucket form concentric circles and it is
possible to securely link the preceding bucket to the following
bucket by passing the hinge pin through the holes.
[0033] To achieve the above object, the second invented conveyor
which is related to this invention comprises a bucket which has an
introduction with opening and a main body with dead space,
connected rotationally to the introduction, and is further equipped
with guide rails, stationary rail and mobile rail.
[0034] The guide rails are located on both sides of the bucket,
supporting and guiding conveyance of the bucket. Because the guide
rails are situated on both sides of the bucket, the bucket can
smoothly change angle. The stationary rail is located under the
bucket. This rail is straight in non-unloading position so as to
keep the bucket body planar to the direction of conveyance. In
unloading position, this rail continues to support the bucket body
and forms a sinusoidal curve so that the body can rotate on the
aforementioned rotating shaft. Accordingly, the bucket travels
smoothly over the stationary rail while unloading its contents as
well as when not. For this reason, it is not necessary to lower
conveyance speed when unloading the contents.
[0035] The mobile rail is adjacent to a linear extension of the
stationary rail. It substitutes for the stationary rail in the
unloading position when unloading is unnecessary and thus keeps the
bucket body planar to the direction of conveyance. The mobile rail
is moved away from the linear extension position when unloading in
the unloading position. When the bucket is supported by mobil rail,
the bucket body moves forward without rotating. However, when the
mobil rail is removed from the bucket, the bucket body is conveyed
on the stationary rail and rotates at unloading position dumping
the contents. Accordingly, it is possible to freely set whether to
unload in the unloading position or not. And, when these rails are
equipped in multiple locations, the unloading position can be
selected.
[0036] The bucket may alternatively be supported by guide rail via
a rotating shaft. In this case it would be desirable to have wheels
on both ends of the rotating shaft. This setup minimizes friction
between the rotating shaft and guide rails and allows the bucket to
travel smoothly. And, the aforementioned bucket may be supported by
the stationary rail or the mobile rail via roller attached to the
bottom of the bucket. This setup minimizes friction between the
bucket and stationary rail or mobile rail further, and allows the
bucket to travel more smoothly.
[0037] The apron is attached to the introduction surface so as to
overlap the sidewall of the body. The rotating shaft shared with
the apron of the following bucket is attached to both sides of the
body. As such, it is possible to connect all buckets into a gapless
train.
[0038] To achieve the above object, the third invented conveyor
which is related to this invention comprises a bucket which has an
introduction with opening and a main body with dead space,
connected rotationally to the introduction, and guide rails and a
swing rail.
[0039] The guide rails are located on both sides of the bucket,
supporting and guiding conveyance of the bucket. The swing rail is
positioned pivotally on the horizontal conveyance route, so that
when not unloading, it will be lowered and removed from contact
with the bucket body bottom, but when unloading, it is raised to
form a sinusoidal curve supporting and guiding the bucket bottom at
the unloading position so that the bucket body can rotate and dump
its contents. The guide rails will not hinder rotation of the
bucket body, since they are situated on both sides of the
bucket.
[0040] The bucket is conveyed suspended from guide rails, except
when it is unloading. The buckets do not tip out contents as long
as there is gapless connection between all buckets. It is also is
desirable that the bucket be equipped with rollers at the bottom to
come in contact with the swing rail, so that rotation of the bucket
body is achieved smoothly. The bucket is preferably equipped with
protruding wheel shafts on both sides of the introduction, by which
it would be suspended from the guide rail, and be conveyed
smoothly.
[0041] In order to eliminate the gap between the back of the
preceding bucket and the introduction of the next bucket, the
introductions of the preceding and following buckets can be coupled
with a bar. This bar should be set permanently on the
introductions, either by solder or with nut and bolt. It can also
be fastened onto the wheel shaft. The bucket body may also have at
the upper portion a flange extending backward to rest on the wheel
shafts of the following bucket with the aid of the flange. This
setup would prevent accidental spillage of contents due to
unbalancing of the main body, and at the same time, any loose
grains landing on the bucket upper surface will travel over the
flange and slide into the next bucket without spillage.
[0042] When unloading, the swing rail is raised to come in contact
with the bottom surface of the bucket. A sinusoidal curve is formed
to support and guide the bucket base at the unloading position, so
that the bottom will travel slower than the introduction and upper
portion of the bucket body. The bucket can thus rotate and dump its
contents. Unlike the second invented conveyor, there is no need for
stationary rail.
[0043] To achieve the above object, the fourth invented conveyor
which is related to this invention comprises the bucket of the
first invented conveyor, a hopper and guide rails. The hopper can
adjust the feeding port angle by rotating on a support shaft
stationed outside the bucket conveyance track. The guide rails for
this model are situated on both sides of the bucket to suspend the
buckets for conveyance, in the shape of a circular arc with a sharp
curve under the hopper.
[0044] When grain is loaded from above up to or beyond the level of
the bucket opening, a dead space results, constituting part of the
interior at the rear. The space not filled with loose grains has a
volume larger than the filled volume immediately below the opening.
The volume of this dead space is determined by the grain's angle of
repose and the bucket angle. Since the angle of repose is
characteristic to particular types of grains and cannot be changed,
the angle of the feeding port is adjusted as above, and grain is
poured into buckets that are conveyed to corresponding positions on
the guide rails. The bucket will be planar to the direction of
conveyance below the hopper, and tilt upward or downward in other
locations. In this way, the capacity of the dead space may be
adjusted by the angle of the feeding port of the hopper according
to need.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0045] Actual Embodiment 1
[0046] FIGS. 1-6 are used to explain an actual embodiment of the
bucket conveyor of this invention.
[0047] As shown in FIG. 1, the bucket (1) is composed of a body
(11) which has a U-shape cross-section, and a front end surface
(12) which is connected on a slant to one edge of the body (11).
The front end surface (12) is not attached to the body (11) except
on the edge shared with the body (11). The bucket (1) has an
opening for loading and unloading, which is bordered with an edge
of the front end surface (12) and an edge on the opposite side of
the edge shared between the body (11) and the front end surface
(12). Both side surfaces of the body (11) extend vertically from
the opening and forward from the front end surface (12), and serve
as aprons (13). Because the aprons (13) are linked on both sides to
the rear end of the preceding bucket by a rotating shaft (15), the
front end surface (12) of the following bucket is flexibly
contacted with pressure to the round rear end of the preceding
bucket on the tangent of the round rear end. As such, the preceding
bucket and following bucket can be connected into a gapless train.
Accordingly, the body (11) has a hole on each side of the front and
rear ends for inserting the rotating shaft (15). The bucket (1)
rotates on the rotating shaft (15) when changing the direction of
conveyance from horizontal to vertical and vice-versa.
[0048] When the bucket (1) is conveyed horizontally, the body (11)
becomes the sideways U-shape seen in FIG. 2. It is presumed that
rice is loaded into the bucket from above while the bucket has this
attitude. Looking at the bucket (1) itself, the opening is not
horizontal. However, because the rear end of the preceding bucket
exists over most of the extended line from the front end surface
(12), the rear end of the preceding bucket serves as a part of the
front end of the following bucket. Accordingly, the opening is
horizontal for all practical purposes. Even if rice is loaded up to
the top level of opening, the space (A) determined by the angle of
repose .alpha. of the rice itself and the depth X of the body (11)
is dead space and is not filled with rice. If the volume of this
space (A) is larger than the filled volume immediately below the
opening (C), because (A+B).gtoreq.(B+C), the top surface of the
rice is below the top level of the opening and the bucket (1) does
not spill the rice when the bucket (1) is stood up as shown in FIG.
3 (vertical conveyance).
[0049] The following detailed description deals with how rice is
conveyed using this bucket conveyor. Referring to FIG. 4, a rice
loading port (14) is provided above the horizontal conveyance
forwarding route sufficiently close to the bucket (1). Rice is
loaded continuously into the buckets from the loading port (14). It
is not necessary to carefully control loading speed. A small
quantity of rice lands on top of the body (11), however it does not
fall onto the conveyor floor because the bottom edge of the loading
port (14) is lower than the aprons (13). The bucket (1) rotates on
the rotating shaft (15) according to the direction of conveyance.
Accordingly, the rice on the top of the body (11) slides along the
top surface during the vertical conveyance forwarding route and is
guided into the following bucket by the aprons (13). The rice in
the bucket (1) is unloaded into an unloading port (16) when the
bucket comes in the vertical conveyance returning route which
causes the rice to slide along the front end (12). Rice falls under
its own weight both when loaded into the bucket (1) and when
unloaded from the bucket (1), therefore the shock applied to the
rice is minimal. For this reason, the rice is not damaged.
[0050] Known means can be applied for transmitting drive power to
the conveyor. The typical means of transmission has a sprocket (21)
at the direction changing position in the conveyance route of the
conveyor, as shown in FIG. 5. In this case, drive is obtained by
engaging the rotating shaft (15) of the bucket (1) to the sprocket
(21). However, in this method, the load applied to the rotating
shaft (15) in the direction changing position of the bucket (1) is
high, thus the sprocket (21) and the rotating shaft (15) are easily
worn down.
[0051] Accordingly, this invented conveyor idealy uses a drive
transmission mechanism shown in FIG. 6. In this case, a hook (17)
is attached to the bottom of the bucket (1) and wheels (18) are
attached to both ends of the rotating shaft (15). Guide rails (24)
are located along the conveyance route on both sides of bucket (1).
The bucket (1) is supported by the guide rails (24) via the wheels
(18) while it is being conveyed. The drive transmission mechanism
consists of a chain (22) which moves endlessly parallel to a part
of the endless path of bucket (1), and sprockets (23 and 26) which
engage the chain (22). The chain (22) is driven by a motor (25) via
one of the sprockets (23) and, while moving, it pulls the bucket
(1) when the hook (17) catches the chain (22) between front and
rear sprockets (23 and 26). Multiple hooks (17), (three shown in
figure) are attached to the chain (22), therefore drive power is
distributed and excessive force is not applied to any part. In
particular, when this drive transmission mechanism is provided for
both the horizontal conveyance route and the vertical conveyance
route, excessive stress is not applied to the guide rails or the
wheels when changing direction. Moreover, because the drive
transmission mechanism is provided separately from the endless path
of buckets, it can be easily added to the other preset
mechanism.
[0052] Actual Embodiment 2
[0053] This embodiment differs from the bucket used in actual
embodiment 1 in terms of bucket shape. With actual embodiment 1,
because the body (11) has a U-shape of vertical section, the bucket
(1) can only turn in the vertical direction. With this conveyor,
conveyance direction can be changed to the left and right as
well.
[0054] Reffering FIGS. 7 and 8, with this conveyor, the rear end of
the bucket (3) is basically spherical and is indented from the
farthest protruding point towards the center of the sphere. The
bottom of the indent (31) is linked to the front end surface (35)
of the following bucket (3) by a ball-joint (32). The front end
surface (35) is curved into a round shape when seen in the
plane-sectional view, so as to complement each other with the rear
end surface. The guide rails (33) are located below the bucket (3).
The hooks (34) attached to the bottom of the bucket (3) project
between the parallel guide rails (33). As with actual embodiment 1,
by having the hooks (34) engage the drive transmission mechanism
(2), the bucket (3) is driven in an endless motion.
[0055] With this conveyor, not only can conveyance direction be
changed from horizontal to vertical as shown in FIG. 8, but to the
left and right as shown in FIG. 7. Because the buckets (3) are
respectively linked by ball-joints (32), the buckets (3) do not
separate from one another during conveyance. Accordingly, the
rotating shaft (15) used in actual embodiment 1 is unnecessary.
[0056] Actual Embodiment 3
[0057] With actual embodiment 1, the unloading position is limited
to a point in the returning route where the bucket is turned.
Unlike actual embodiment 1, the unloading position of this conveyor
can be set randomly.
[0058] Reffering to FIGS. 9 and 10, with the bucket (4) used on
this conveyor, the body (41) and the front end surface (42) can be
separated. Aprons (43) are provided separately from side surface of
the body (41). The front end surface (42) is fixed to the aprons
(43). As in actual embodiment 1, the body (41) is linked to the
aprons (43) of the following bucket (4) by a rotating shaft (44).
On both ends of the rotating shaft (44), wheels (47) are attached,
and the wheels are set on guide rails (46). The guide rails (46)
guide the bucket (4) in the direction of conveyance. The bucket (4)
has rollers (45) attached to the bottom, forward of the rotating
shaft (44).
[0059] Below the bucket (4) are laid stationary rails (51) on which
the rollers (45) slide. The width of the stationary rails (51) is
half that of the rollers (45). The stationary rails (51) are
straight in non-unloading positions so as keep the body (41) planar
to the direction of conveyance. In the unloading position, the
stationary rails (51) fall and rise to form a sinusoidal curve.
Accordingly, the rollers (45) descend smoothly by using the
aforementioned rotating shaft (44) as a fulcrum when leaving the
linear path. The body (41) inclines whereby unloading the contents.
After that, the rollers (45) rise again. The body (41) resumes a
stable attitude and travels on the linear section of railing. In
this way, the body (41) travels smoothly on the stationary rails
(51) both while unloading its contents and when not. For this
reason, it is not necessary to lower conveyance speed even when
unloading the contents.
[0060] There are cases when not wanting to unload the contents in
the unloading position. For this purpose, mobile rails (52) are
provided in the unloading position. The mobile rails (52) are
driven by a motor (53) and can be raised and lowered in the
vertical direction via a rack gear (54). The mobile rails (52)
substitute for the stationary rails (51) in the unloading position,
acting as an extension (55) of the linear section of the stationary
rails (51). They are positioned next to the extension (55), thus
keeping the body (41) planar to the direction of conveyance. On the
other hand, when wanting to unload in the unloading position, the
mobile rails (52) are lowered away from the position next to the
extension (55). Accordingly, it is possible to freely set whether
to unload in the unloading position or not. And, when the mobile
rails (52) are equipped in multiple locations, the unloading
position can be selected. The rack gear (54) for raising and
lowering the mobile rails (52) can be replaced with a ballscrew or
cylinder.
[0061] Actual Embodiment 4
[0062] This embodiment differs from the buckets used in actual
embodiments 1 through 3 in terms of bucket shape and coupling
means. In the aforementioned three types of conveyors, the rear end
surface of the bucket is either curved like a U or a hemisphere
and, by press-contacting the front end surface of the following
bucket with the rear end surface of the preceding bucket, a gapless
connection is made. Accordingly, when the direction of conveyance
changes, the front end surface of the following bucket slides on
the rear end surface of the preceding bucket, thus causing
friction.
[0063] The bucket conveyor of this actual embodiment couples
preceding and following buckets with hinges, therefore sliding
surface area is minimized and it is possible to minimize frictional
resistance.
[0064] Reffering to FIG. 11, with this conveyor, the bucket (6) is
shaped like an unequal-legged trapezoid when viewed as a vertical
section planar to the direction of conveyance. And its internal
volume is the same as with that of actual embodiment 1, which is
based on the relation (A+B).gtoreq.(A+C). Unlike the aforementioned
three actual embodiments however, the front end surface (62) is
either welded to the body (61) on the three edges other than the
opening edge or is incorporated into a single body with the body
(61) from the very beginning. Both sides of the body (61) extend
vertically from the opening and serve as aprons (63). This point is
the same as on actual embodiment 1.
[0065] The bucket (6) has hinge pin holes (64 and 65 respectively)
on the rear top edge of the body (61) and the top edge of the front
end surface (62). Hinge pin holes (65) are provided on both ends in
the shaft direction. The hinge pin hole (64) is concentrically
designed so as to be pinched by hinge pin holes (65). The hinge pin
holes (64 and 65) complement each other so that their total length
in the shaft direction becomes equal to the width of the bucket
(6). The hinge pin hole (64) on the preceding bucket and the hinge
pin holes (65) on the following bucket form concentric circles and
it is possible to securely link the preceding bucket to the
following bucket by passing a hinge pin (66) through the holes. The
hinge pin (66) serves as the rotating shaft of the bucket (6).
Because the bucket (6) is linked by the hinge on the top edge of
the front and rear ends, the amount of forward projection of the
aprons (63) is slightly less than that in actual embodiment 1.
[0066] The following detailed description deals with how rice is
conveyed using this bucket conveyor. Referring to FIG. 12, as with
actual embodiment 1, a rice loading port (14) is provided above the
horizontal conveyance forwarding route sufficiently close to the
bucket (6). Rice is loaded continuously into the buckets from the
loading port (14). It is not necessary to carefully control loading
speed. A small quantity of rice lands on top of the body (61),
however it does not fall onto the conveyor floor because the bottom
edge of the loading port (14) is lower than the aprons (63). The
bucket (6) rotates on a hinge pin (66) to negotiate the direction
of conveyance. Accordingly, the rice on the top of the body (61)
slides along the top surface and into the following bucket during
the vertical conveyance forwarding route. The rice in the bucket
(6) is unloaded into an unloading port (16) when the bucket comes
in the vertical conveyance returning route which causes the rice to
slide along front end surface (62). With this actual embodiment
also, rice falls under its own weight both when loaded into the
bucket (6) and when unloaded from the bucket (6), therefore the
shock applied to the rice is minimal. For this reason, the rice is
not damaged.
[0067] Actual Embodiment 5
[0068] As in Actual Embodiment 3, this is an example of a system
where unloading positions can be adjusted at will. However, this
model excels over Embodiment 3 in that it does not require a
stationary rail.
[0069] Reffering to FIGS. 13-15, the bucket (7) is composed of a
main body (71) which has a round rear end, and an introduction
(79). The introduction (79) has a sloped front end surface (72) and
an opening. The body (71) and the introduction (79) are hinged via
rotating shaft (74). A wheel shaft (73) is also positioned on the
upper edge of front end surface (72) so that it is perpendicular to
the direction of conveyance and parallel to the level of bucket
opening. At the bottom of the body (71) are rollers (75). Also, on
the upper edge of the body (71) a flange (78) is attached which
extends toward the back. The flange (78) is supported by the wheel
shaft (73) of the following bucket (7) when the body (71) is in its
regular position. The guide rail not in the diagram, as in FIGS. 6
and 9, is situated on both sides of the bucket (7) and supports it,
guiding it through to the direction of its conveyance. The ends of
the wheel shaft (73) jutting out on both sides of the bucket (7)
are coupled with the wheel shaft on the following bucket via the
bar (70) in order to connect all buckets into a gapless train. The
rotating shaft (75) penetrates the bar (70). Therefore, the
introduction (79) is fixed onto the bar (70).
[0070] Under the level of conveyance of the bucket (7), a swing
rail (76) is positioned pivotally on the horizontal conveyance
route so it can be moved vertically. When unloading, the swing rail
(76) is supported horizontally by a cylinder (77) to form a
sinusoidal curve supporting and guiding the bucket base at the
unloading position so that the bucket can rotate and dump its
contents. Since the swing rail (76) is curved, the rollers (75)
move upward on the rail (76) while the wheel shaft (73) travels
horizontally. Because of this, the rollers (75) receive opposing
force and are delayed behind the wheel shaft (73), with the result
that the body (71) rotates around the rotating shaft (74) and
unloads contents. After this, the rollers (75) descend curve over
the swing rail (76) so that the body (71) then resumes regular
angle.
[0071] When not unloading, the swing rail (76) is lowered by
depressurizing the cylinder (77) and removed from contact with the
body bottom, so that the bucket is conveyed suspended from the
guide rails via the wheel shaft (73). Since the introduction (79)
is fixed onto the bar (70), it will not rotate. Neither will the
body (71) rotate by the weight of its load since it is also
supported by the guide rails via the rotating shaft (74) and the
wheel shaft (73) of the following bucket (7).
[0072] The flange (78) acts also as a guide to slide loose grain
spilt onto the top surface of the body (71) into the following
bucket (7). That is, when the bucket (7) is shifting from planar to
perpendicular positions, loose grain lodged onto the top surface of
the body (71) slides over the flange (78) down to the introduction
(79) of the following bucket (7).
[0073] For the swing rail (76) drive force can be supplied either
by cylinder or motor in combination with pinion racks, and other
known methods.
[0074] Actual Embodiment 6
[0075] In the previous embodiments, when grain is loaded from above
up to or beyond the level of the bucket opening, a dead space
results, constituting part of the interior at the rear. The space
not filled with loose grains must have a volume being larger than
the filled volume immediately below the opening. The volume of this
dead space is determined by the grain's angle of repose and the
bucket angle. However, angle of repose is characteristic to each
grain type and cannot be changed. Depending on the grain type and
characteristic, the capacity of this dead space may not fulfill the
aforesaid requisite of (A+B).gtoreq.(B+C). The amount of grain fed
into each bucket (B+C) is adjusted here by controlling the angles
of feeding port and bucket.
[0076] The bucket 6 is identical to that in Actual embodiment 4.
However, this example includes hopper (82) and guide rail (83). The
hopper (82) is situated to be swung in pendulum fashion on the
support shaft (84) stationed above the bucket conveyance track. On
one side of the hopper (82) one end of the bolt (85) is pivotally
attached. The other end of the bolt (85) penetrates hole (87) on a
stationary structure (86) such as a wall or frame. The hopper (82)
can be fixed at a stationary angle with nuts (88) and (89). The
guide rails (83) are on both sides of the bucket (6) and are
supporting the wheel shaft(66). The guide rails (83) are straight
apart from corners, but is elliptical in the proximity of hopper
(82). The radius is smallest directly below the support shaft
(84).
[0077] The bucket (6) resumes planar position directly below the
support shaft (84), When less grain content (B+C) and larger dead
space A is desired, the hopper (82) is tilted toward lower right
side as shown in solid line, and grain fed onto bucket in downward
tilted position. When more grain content (B+C) and less dead space
A is desired, the hopper (82) is tilted to lower left, so as to
feed grain onto bucket in upward tilted position. In this way, the
size of dead space may be adjusted by changing the grain feeder
angle.
[0078] Note that even though buckets shown in above example are
depicted as having parallel upper and lower sides, this need not
always be the case.
* * * * *