A conveyor having a chain drive mechanism

摘要

A conveyor is disclosed having a mechanism for driving an endless chain, which is used for driving and optionally also for supporting the article-supporting parts of the conveyor. The mechanism comprises a drive belt that engages and drives on a number of wheels on the chain. By driving on the periphery of the rotating wheels instead of directly on the chain itself, the force between the drive belt and the point of engagement with the chain is halved whereby the construction may be made substantially lighter. In a preferred embodiment, the drive mechanism is displaceable arranged with respect to the stationary part of the conveyor along a path having an angle with the transport direction of the conveyor so that the reactive force on the drive mechanism caused by the driving force applied to the wheels causes the drive mechanism to be biased towards the wheels whereby the normal force from the mechanism on the wheels is self-adjusting, depending on the magnitude of the required drive force. <IMAGE>