DRIVE FOR DOUBLE GRIPPER CHAIN CONVEYOR

摘要

Each gripper chain assembly is driven by its own headshaft. The headshafts rotate in opposite senses and are powered from a motor/reducer combination. A sheave on the output shaft of the reducer is coupled by one endless belt with a sheave on one of the headshafts, and it is also coupled with a sheave on the other of the headshafts by another endless belt. The one belt is in a non-twisted configuration so that the sheave on the one headshaft rotates in the same sense as the reducer output shaft. The other belt is twisted into a figure eight configuration so that the sheave on the other headshaft rotates in the opposite sense. The two headshafts therefore provide the desired counter-rotation of the two gripper chain assemblies. The motor reducer is mounted on a base plate which is adjustably positionable on the conveyor's frame so as to enable the drive to be adjusted whenever the spacing distance between the two gripper chain assemblies is adjusted for conveying a different sized article. A separator is mounted on the base plate to maintain separation of the twisted drive belt where it crosses itself. In one embodiment the base plate is secured by fasteners, but is adjustably positionable by loosening the fasteners, performing the adjustment, and then retightening the fasteners. In another embodiment the base plate is mounted on guides and biased to maintain tension in the endless belts while allowing its automatic tracking of gripper chain assemblies' adjustment without the need to loosen and retighten fasteners. The bias may be provided by a counterweight or by springs.