Moving floor system

摘要

A moving floor system that includes a moving work surface to move work products from an upstream end to a downstream end. The moving work surface is formed from a plurality of individual carts joined to each other. The stack of carts is moved along upper support rails located at an upper level. When each individual cart reaches the downstream end, a downstream lift conveyor moves the individual cart from the upper level to a lower level. When at the lower level, each individual cart is returned from the downstream end to the upstream end. When each individual cart reaches the upstream end, an upstream lift conveyor returns the individual carts from the lower level to the upper level. An upper drive mechanism provides the motive force to move the stack of carts along the upper level at the working speed.

主权项

1. A moving floor system for moving articles along a floor from an upstream end of the system to a downstream end of the system, the system comprising:
upper support rails located at an upper level that extend from the upstream end to the downstream end; lower support rails positioned beneath the upper support rails at a lower level, wherein the lower support rails extend from the upstream end to the downstream end; a plurality of carts movably supported along the upper support rails in an abutting relationship to each other to form a stack of carts that define a generally continuous work surface extending from the upstream end to the downstream end of the system; an upper drive mechanism operable to move the plurality of carts that form the stack of carts from the upstream end to the downstream end at a working speed; a downstream vertical lift conveyor positioned at the downstream end to receive each of the individual carts and operable to individually move each of the carts vertically from the upper level to the lower level; a return drive mechanism operable to move each of the carts along the lower support rails from the downstream end to the upstream end at a return speed greater than the working speed; and an upstream vertical lift conveyor positioned at the upstream end to receive each of the individual carts and operable to individually move each of the carts vertically from the lower level to the upper level.