CANTED WHEELS CARRIER

摘要

An object carrier utilizing a pair of canted wheels, both wheels being always engaged with the underlying track to provide a low friction smooth riding non jammable carrier. In one embodiment the wheels are continuously engaged with and drive one another. In another embodiment each wheel is engaged with a separate rolling bearing carried by the carrier wheels axles support block. The canted wheels arrangement causes the carrier to move in a straight line along the direction of pull without crab walking. The carrier (27) includes a carrier block (78) from which divergingly upwardly extend in a common plane a pair of axles (79) which are orthogonal to each other and oriented forty-five degrees to the horizontal and vertical directions. Wheels (81) mounted on the axles (79) engage one another at their upper ends so that as one wheel rotates in a given direction its frictional engagement with the other wheel drives the other wheel in the same direction which prevents twisting or cocking of the carrier (27) within the track. Depending from the carrier block (78) is a stem (83) which carries at its lower end a support chain (85). In a modified carrier, the upper bearing for the carrier wheels (81) is provided by a ballbearing (88) seated in a socket formed in the carrier block (78) proximate to its upper edge. The ball bearings (88) engage the inside surfaces of the wheels (81) and ride within a circular groove (89) formed on the wheels inside surfaces.