Transverse car body conveying system

Abstract

A skid-type car body carrier carries a transversely oriented car body along a conveying path. The carrier is driven by a drive roller which is biased upwardly and frictionally engages the bottom of a centrally located friction bar mounted underneath the carrier.

1 . A car body conveying system comprising: 
 a pair of rails extending in spaced, parallel relation to each other along a conveying path;    a skid-type carrier supported on said rails for travel along said conveying path;    brackets on said skid-type carrier arranged to support an elongated car body on said carrier;    a friction bar supported by said carrier and extending along the direction of travel of the carrier along said conveying path, said friction bar having a downwardly facing bottom surface and extending along a direction to which the direction of elongation of the car body is transverse; and    a drive roller disposed on said conveying path and positioned to engage the bottom surface of said friction bar frictionally and thereby impart a frictional driving force to said friction bar.    
   
   
       2 . A transverse car body conveying system according to  claim 1 , further comprising a biasing device for urging the drive roller upwardly against the friction bar.  
   
   
       3 . A transverse car body conveying system according to  claim 1 , further comprising an air bellows arranged to urge the drive roller upwardly against the friction bar.  
   
   
       4 . A transverse car body conveying system according to  claim 1 , in which the brackets on said skid-type carrier are arranged to support an elongated car body on said carrier with the direction of elongation of said car body, as the carrier moves along said rails, extending transverse to the direction of travel of the carrier along said conveying path.  
   
   
       5 . A transverse car body conveying system according to  claim 4 , further comprising a biasing device for urging the drive roller upwardly against the friction bar.  
   
   
       6 . A transverse car body conveying system according to  claim 4 , further comprising an air bellows arranged to urge the drive roller upwardly against the friction bar.  
   
   
       7 . A transverse car body conveying system according to  claim 1 , including an elongated car body supported on said brackets with the direction of elongation of the car body, as the carrier moves along said rails, extending transverse to the direction of travel of the carrier along said conveying path.  
   
   
       8 . A transverse car body conveying system according to  claim 7 , further comprising a biasing device for urging the drive roller upwardly against the friction bar.  
   
   
       9 . A transverse car body conveying system according to  claim 7 , further comprising an air bellows arranged to urge the drive roller upwardly against the friction bar.  
   
   
       10 . A transverse car body conveying system according to  claim 7 , in which the length of said friction bar is greater than the maximum width of the car body but less than the length of said car body.  
   
   
       11 . A transverse car body conveying system according to  claim 10 , further comprising a biasing device for urging the drive roller upwardly against the friction bar.  
   
   
       12 . A transverse car body conveying system according to  claim 10 , further comprising an air bellows arranged to urge the drive roller upwardly against the friction bar.  
   
   
       13 . A transverse car body conveying system according to  claim 1 , in which said friction bar and said drive roller are located midway between said rails.  
   
   
       14 . A transverse car body conveying system according to  claim 13 , further comprising a biasing device for urging the drive roller upwardly against the friction bar.  
   
   
       15 . A transverse car body conveying system according to  claim 13 , further comprising an air bellows arranged to urge the drive roller upwardly against the friction bar.  
   
   
       16 . A transverse car body conveying system according to  claim 1 , in which plural drive rollers are disposed on said conveying path, each of said plural drive rollers being positioned to engage the bottom surface of said friction bar frictionally and thereby impart a frictional driving force to said friction bar.  
   
   
       17 . A transverse car body conveying system according to  claim 16 , further comprising a biasing device connected to each said drive roller for urging its connected drive roller upwardly against the friction bar.  
   
   
       18 . A transverse car body conveying system according to  claim 16 , further comprising an air bellows associated with each said drive roller, each air bellows being arranged to urge its associated drive roller upwardly against the friction bar.