A two vehicle has a tow pin which extends into a guide slot which is intersected by shunt slots. A change-over means on the floor automatically raises one selector pin on the vehicle while the vehicle is moving along the guide slot and lowers another selector pin so as to change the designation of the vehicle represented by a particular shunt slot.
A hoistway car for transporting wheeled carts between floor levels which includes means for reversing the cart swivel wheels to facilitate off-loading of the cart while avoiding chafing or jamming of such swivel wheels. In the illustrated embodiments, the reversing means comprises turntables at the plane of the car platform which turn in predetermined directions to control wheel swivel action. In one embodiment, the turntables rely on gravitational forces to initiate swivel action, and in another embodiment, the turntables are power-operated for inducing swivel action.
A device for interrupting the movement of load carrying units, such as carts or pallets, moving with a conveyor system. The device includes a movable conveyor engagement mechanism associated with each of the carts which is movable between a conveyor system engagement position and disengagement position by a movable actuator disposed at a first preselected location along the conveyor path at which the movement of a cart is to be interrupted. The movable actuator is controlled by a trigger mechanism disposed at a second predetermined location upstream of the movable actuator. The trigger mechanism is activated in response to a following cart moving with the conveyor past the trigger mechanism.
A transfer table is movable to place tracks thereon into and out of alignment with stationary tracks. When a driverless wheeled vehicle is on the tracks of the transfer table, and the transfer table tracks are out of alignment with the stationary tracks, a device automatically stops vehicles adjacent the free ends of the stationary tracks. A discrete rotatable drive shaft is provided between the stationary tracks and between the tracks of the transfer table for causing a driverless vehicle to move therealong.
A conveyor system having at least two conveyor tracks for moving load carrying units to different locations within a facility in which the conveyor system is installed, includes a device for selectively engaging and disengaging the load carrying units to and from the conveyor tracks, and a device for selectively pushing the load carrying units out of alignment with one of the conveyor tracks and into alignment with the other of the conveyor tracks.
