Patent · US Expired

Conveyor tensioning assembly

US5632372A · kind A · utility

33Cited by
6References
15Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateDec 21, 1995
Grant dateMay 27, 1997
Priority date
Expiry dateDec 21, 2015

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC B)Performing Operations; Transporting
  • CPC primaryB65G23/44
  • WIPO fieldHandling
  • WIPO sectorMechanical engineering

Abstract

A conveyor tensioning assembly for an article conveyor is mounted to the frame of the article conveyor, and connected to a take-up sprocket. The conveyor tensioning assembly includes a movable rack that is engaged and moved by an advancing gear of an advancing and holding assembly in a first direction, causing the take-up sprocket of the article conveyor to be urged outwardly against the conveyor chain of the article conveyor so as to take-up any slack existing within the conveyor chain and place the conveyor chain under tension. Once the conveyor chain has been tensioned, the rack is engaged by a holding gear mounted on a one-way clutch, which prevents the holding gear from rotating in a counter-clockwise direction. The holding gear retards in any rearward movement of the rack so as to resist slippage and/or backlash of the rack to prevent the chain from losing tension and slack being formed therein to maintain the conveyor chain under a substantially constant tension.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.