Improvements in or relating to apparatus for diverting articles from a single streaminto a number of equal streams

摘要

875,937. Conveyers. U.D. ENGINEERING CO. Ltd. Jan. 4, 1960 [Feb. 19, 1959], No. 5811/59. Class 78 (1). A stream of bottles of uniform size carried along a guideway by a first conveyer is caused to split into two or more streams of equallyspaced bottles carried along separate guideways by separate conveyers, by a star wheel mounted for free rotation about an axis disposed at the side of the first conveyer and having arms shaped to provide a long leading face which will engage two or more articles simultaneously and a short trailing face shaped to engage a single bottle. The arrangement is such that a bottle engaging the trailing face of an arm turns the wheel whereby it passes undeflected to the continuation of the first conveyer whereas one or more following bottles engaged by the leading face of the following arm is or are deflected laterally on to one or more conveyers spaced laterally of the continuation of the first conveyer. As shown, there are two conveyers each formed by slats 12 secured to an endless chain 11. The star wheel 17 has arms 29 each having a long leading arm 31 to accommodate two bottles and a short curved trailing arm 32 to receive a single bottle so that as the bottles approach the star wheel between guides 24, 25 alternate bottles pass undeflected to the continuation of the first conveyer where they are received between guides 18, 19, whilst the remainder are deflected against a guide 23 which co-operates with a nose 22 to lead them on to the second conveyer between guides 20, 21. The guides 18, 21 and 25 are adjustable by unscrewing clamping nuts 28 and re-arranging washers 50 with respect to mounting brackets 36, then re-tightening the clamps. The lateral position of the star wheel is also adjustable by mounting it on a support which is provided with a slot 38 in its base by which it is bolted at a desired position of adjustment to the conveyer framework.