Vibratory conveyor table

[0002] The present invention concerns vibratory conveyor tables.

[0003] Vibratory conveyor tables are used in various production operations for the conveyance of small particles including various food products. Characteristically, such tables include a base on which a power source is mounted for driving an actuator imparting motion to connector means coupled to a tray supporting the articles to be conveyed. Such trays are movably mounted on struts carried by the base to permit vibratory movement of the tray and advancement of articles thereon in a unidirectional intermittent manner.

[0004] Commonly vibratory tables are designed to convey specific articles with the vibratory tray travel calculated for optimum conveyance of the articles. Accordingly, a vibratory table intended for use in a particular conveying operation is not readily altered for use in a different conveying operation, for example, with articles of different size and/or weight. To modify throw or travel imparted to a vibratory tray entails considerable effort in the disassembly of drive components and substitution of different components. Additionally, the modification of a vibratory conveyor table can require taking of the table out of a production line for a substantial period of time, which is highly undesirable during the processing of food products as such equipment frequently operates on a 24 hour a day basis during such times. The changing of bearings, shafts, etc., can entail costly machining to modify tray action or simply maintain such a table as such components are often designed to accomplish a specific use. An eccentric drive for tray activation may include connecting rods and eccentrics while other such tables are powered utilizing drive leaves of planar shape terminating in attachment to other leaves which support the table in a yieldable manner.

[0005] U.S. Pat. No. 3,165,197 discloses a vibratory conveyor table utilizing connecting rods to couple an eccentric drive with the table with each of the connecting rods connected to the table by flexible tabs or strips.

[0006] U.S. Pat. No. 3,362,524 discloses leaf members supporting a vibratory table on a base of the conveyor with the leaves made of “metal, or of impregnated multi-ply laminated fibrous material . . . ”. Vibratory motion is imparted directly to the tables of the machine by eccentrics and rigid connectors.

[0007] U.S. Pat. No. 3,542,186 discloses a vibratory conveyor table having an eccentric drive powering rigid connecting rods each terminating at their distal ends in fiberglass “flexures” which depend from table segments. The “flexures” are of planar shape.

[0008] U.S. Pat. No. 3,901,380 shows a conveyor table supported by resilient struts.

[0009] The present invention is embodied within a vibratory conveyor table and specifically the drive system for imparting vibratory movement to the conveyor table.

[0010] A base of the conveyor table supports a tray of the table in a yieldable manner by spring biased links or struts. Additionally, the base supports a power source driving an eccentric equipped shaft. The shaft carried eccentrics in bearing housings impart vibratory motion to the table tray through flexible connector plates. Each bearing housing is detachably mounted on a connector. Stiffeners in place on each connector plate and serve to reinforce a segment of the connector plate against flexure with stiffeners of different lengths being interchangeable to render desired segments of the connector plate inflexible to accomplish the desired throw or travel of the conveyor pan. Fastener elements retain the stiffeners in place on a connector plate and permit ready substitution of shorter or longer stiffeners to achieve desired tray action. Pillow block bearing housings may be utilized in the present tray drive system to render servicing or replacement of same in an economical, convenient manner as opposed to the use of custom made components.

[0011] Important objectives of the present invention include the provision of a drive system for the tray of a vibratory table including a connector plate of synthetic flexible material imparting vibratory motion directly to the conveyor table tray; the provision of a flexible connector plate coupling an eccentric bearing housing to the vibratory pan of a conveyor table with stiffener means being detachably mounted to the connector plate to permit varying the throw or travel of the tray; the provision of a laminated connector plate having stiffeners clamped thereto to vary the flexibility of the connector plate and accordingly the throw imparted to the vibratory tray.

[0012] In the accompanying drawings:

[0013] FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a vibratory conveyor table utilizing the present invention;

[0014] FIG. 2 is a fragmentary perspective view of the vibratory conveyor table showing the unseen side of FIG. 1;

[0015] FIG. 3 is a vertical section view of a fragment of the conveyor table showing the drive assembly;

[0016] FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 3 but showing a modified form of the drive assembly;

[0017] FIG. 5 is a vertical sectional view taken along line 5—5 of FIG. 3;

[0018] FIG. 6 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along line 6—6 of FIG. 5 of an upper end segment of a flexible connector plate secured to a rail of the table tray;

[0019] FIG. 7 is an enlarged fragmentary view of an eccentric and housing therefor attached to a lower end segment of a connector plate; and

[0020] FIG. 8 is a vertical sectional view taken along line 8—8 of FIG. 7.

[0021] With continuing attention to the drawings wherein applied reference numerals indicate parts similarly hereinafter identified, the reference numeral 1 indicates the base of the vibratory conveyor table which includes a base having a pair of tubular frame members 2 joined by an inverted channel 3. Feet as at 4 support the opposite ends of the base and are adjustably mounted on tubular frame members 2. At one end of the base is a support 5 for a motor 6. A motor drive shaft at 7 is equipped with a drive pulley 8 for a belt 10.

[0022] A conveyor tray is indicated generally at 12 upwardly spaced from the machine base by yieldable strut assemblies 13 supported in a pivotal manner by a base carried pivot 14. A tray mounted pivot is at 15. Each strut 13 is laterally confined in a biased manner by spiral springs 16 oppositely disposed from each strut and carried by a fastener 18. Accordingly tray 12 is spaced above base 1 by the strut assemblies which allow vibratory motion of the tray to transfer articles therealong by a following described drive. The conveyor tray further includes a pan 20 having sides.

[0023] Pan rails at 22 are reinforced by inverted channel members 23 interiorly of which extend tubular members 24.

[0024] As shown in FIG. 5, pan rails at 22 are reinforced by inverted channel members 23 interiorly of which extend tubular members 24. Eccentries at 33, of drive assemblies generally at 28 and 29, are secured adjacent the end of shaft 31 by threaded tapered inserts as at 34. Each eccentric 33 is journalled in a bearing housing 35 having a bearing race 36 in place about the eccentric. Each housing 35 is mounted on an end segment 37A of a connector plate 37 of laminated fiberglass by fasteners 38 as shown in FIG. 7. A set of stiffener plates at 40 contributes to securement of the housings 35 and are further clamped to connector plate 37 by clamps at 39 and 43 fastened in a detachable manner by fasteners 41 and 44. Plate lips at 42 avoid damaging connector plate 37 of each drive assembly during plate flexure. Stiffener plates 40, may be of selected lengths to determine tray travel or throw for the articles being conveyed. Stiffener plate length is inversely proportional to the horizontal component of tray travel, e. g., the pair of stiffener plates 40′ shown in FIG. 4 and of greater length at X would impart travel to tray 12 having a lesser horizontal component than the pair of stiffener plates 40 shown in FIG. 3. Connector plates 37 are of cross laminated, fiberglass reinforced material. One such product suitable for connector plate use is that sold under the name SCOTCHPLY, a registered trademark of the 3M Company.

[0025] An upper end segment 37B of each connector plate 37 is shown secured to a pan rail 22 by machine screws 45 which pass through a clamp 46, and the connector plate and seat within a block 47. A second block at 48, as well as block 47, have flats thereon against which upper end segment 37B of the connector plate abuts. Machine screws 50 (FIG. 6) draw a second clamp 51 against the connector plate. Blocks 47 and 48 are confined in inverted channel members 23 by bolt assemblies 52 and 53 fastened to the pan rails which are slotted to facilitate block and fastener installation.

[0026] In one satisfactory embodiment of the present invention the bearing housings 35 are shown as pillow block bearings as best shown in FIG. 7. The rotational axis at 55 of eccentric 33 is offset from the major axis 59 of connector plate 37. An arm is represented by intersecting line 56 with arm length directly proportional to flexure of connector plate 37 and hence the throw or travel of tray 12. Stated otherwise, such travel of tray 12 may be varied by altering the spacing of eccentric center 55 from the major axis 59 of connector plate 37 by the installation of a stiffener 40 of different thickness or the use of a shim (not shown) between bearing housing 35 and subjacent connector plate 37. During conveyor table operation, the eccentric 33 of each drive assembly imparts orbital motion to each bearing housing 35 which translates into orbital fore and aft travel of tray 12 as constrained by struts 13.

[0027] While I have shown but a few embodiments of the invention, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the invention may be embodied still otherwise without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.