Abstract: A bearing bush for supporting the end of a shaft in a wall has a bush body with a through bore and a collar which projects radially at one end of the bush body and bears against the wall when the bearing bush is fitted into a bore in the wall. The length of the bush body is greater than the thickness of the wall. The inside surface of the bore of the bush body has a peripherally extending radial recess whose spacing from the collar is equal to the thickness of the wall. When the bush is installed in the bore in the wall the bush body can be compressed in the axial direction, undergoing plastic deformation, such that the bush body is upset to form on the side of the wall opposite the collar a radially projecting bulge portion which with the collar positively lockingly and immovably connects the bearing bush to the wall.

Abstract: A drive roller unit for driving an article on a conveyor track includes a drive roller which can be driven in rotation by an electric motor. The drive roller is in the form of a hollow circular cylinder and the motor is accommodated in the interior thereof. The drive roller is non-rotatably connected to the stator of the motor in concentric relationship with the axis of rotation of the rotor of the motor. A runner wheel disposed at least at one axial end of the rotor shaft is in engagement with a guide track mechanism which is fixedly connected to the base of the unit and which leads upwardly with respect to the base, the runner wheel rolling along the guide track mechanism to raise the drive roller into an upper operative position to engage an article to be driven thereby. The guide track mechanism may be in the form of a guide wheel co-operable with the runner wheel.

Abstract: In a control assembly for a freight loading system having a plurality of drive roller units, each drive roller unit has an electronic control arrangement associated therewith for detecting operating parameters which characterize the instantaneous operating condition of the associated drive roller unit. Information signals are derived from the operating parameters and interchanged between the drive roller units to control the sequence of operation thereof.

Abstract: A drive roller unit for driving an article on a conveyor track has a mounting frame structure of which one end is mounted to a base pivotably about an axis extending transversely to the direction of movement of the article, and a cam control unit for raising the free end of the mounting frame structure. A drive roller is mounted rotatably in the mounting frame structure to engage with an article disposed thereabove, only when the mounting frame structure is in a raised position. An electric motor drives a main transmission arrangement having first and second outputs of which one drives the cam control unit and the other drives the drive roller by way of a further transmission arrangement. Of the two outputs it is only ever that one which is subjected to a lower braking moment that rotates so that when the drive roller unit is initially switched on the mounting frame structure is first raised by the cam control unit and then the drive roller is driven in rotation.

Abstract: A drive roller unit for driving an article on a conveyor track includes a drive roller which can be driven in rotation by an electric motor. The drive roller is in the form of a hollow circular cylinder and the motor is accommodated in the interior thereof. The drive roller is non-rotatably connected to the stator of the motor in concentric relationship with the axis of rotation of the rotor of the motor. A runner wheel disposed at least at one axial end of the rotor shaft is in engagement with a guide track mechanism which is fixedly connected to the base of the unit and which leads upwardly with respect to the base, the runner wheel rolling along the guide track mechanism to raise the drive roller into an upper operative position to engage an article to be driven thereby. The guide track mechanism may be in the form of a guide wheel co-operable with the runner wheel.

Abstract: A caster roller unit for a freight conveyor track includes first and second support rollers to support the freight articles from below. The rollers are mounted on a roller carrier rotatably independently of each other about horizontally extending, mutually aligned axes. The roller carrier is supported on a stationary housing base member by a ball bearing assembly rotatably about a vertical axis which is eccentric with respect to the axis of the rollers. The roller carrier, for each of the support rollers, has an upwardly open bearing shell member in the form of a cylinder portion accommodating a plurality of bearing needles on which the respective support roller is rotatably disposed and the longitudinal axes of which are oriented parallel to the horizontally extending axis of rotation of the respective support roller.

Abstract: A conveyor ball unit for installation in a mounting opening in a conveyor track panel. A conveyor ball is rotatably mounted on a plurality of mounting balls in a mounting shell and projects upwardly out of the conveyor ball unit. A ball guide of annular configuration embraces the conveyor ball from above to secure the conveyor ball and the mounting balls in the mounting shell. At its peripheral edge the ball guide has at least two locking elements each of which, in the assembled condition of the unit, securingly engages by means of a locking shoulder under a peripheral flange on the mounting shell, to hold the mounting shell and the ball guide together.

Abstract: A drive roller unit for driving articles on a conveyor track includes a drive roller which can be driven in rotation by an electric motor by way of a planetary transmission. The drive roller is mounted rotatably on a guide body which permits the roller to be movable relative to a base of the unit between a lower rest position and an upper drive position in which it is in engagement with the underside of the article to be driven. An internal gear ring which is fixedly connected to the drive roller is in the form of a crown wheel of the planetary transmission. A planet wheel of the planetary transmission meshes on the one hand with the internal gear ring and on the other hand with a sun wheel of the planetary transmission. The sun wheel is driven by the electric motor while the planet carrier of the planet wheel is fixedly connected to the guide body.

Abstract: A drive roller unit for driving articles on a conveyor track includes a drive roller which can be driven in rotation by an electric motor by way of a planetary transmission. The drive roller is mounted rotatably on a guide body by means of which it is movable with respect to a base of the unit between a lower rest position and an upper drive position in which it is in engagement with the underside of the article to be driven. An internal gear ring which is fixedly connected to the drive roller internally thereof forms a crown wheel of the planetary transmission, while at least one planet wheel of the planetary transmission meshes on the one hand with the internal gear ring and on the other hand with the sun wheel of the planetary transmission. The sun wheel is driven by the electric motor. The planet wheel carrier is rotatably mounted in the guide body and is provided with a tooth arrangement which rolls against a guide gear.

Abstract: A drive roller unit for driving articles on a conveyor track includes a drive roller which can be driven in rotation by an electric motor by way of a planetary transmission and a transmission arrangement including a drive gear. The drive roller is mounted rotatably on a guide body by means of which it is movable with respect to a base of the unit between a lower rest position and an upper drive position in which it is in engagement with the underside of the article to be driven. The guide body is mounted rotatably with respect to the electric motor. A first motor element such as the stator of the electric motor is rigidly and non-rotatably connected to the base while a second motor element is coupled to the sun wheel of the planetary transmission. The crown wheel of the planetary transmission drives the guide body and the other output of the planetary transmission drives the drive gear for driving the drive roller in rotation.

Abstract: A drive roller unit for driving an article on a conveyor track comprises first and second drive rollers which can be driven in rotation by an electric motor by way of a transmission. The drive rollers are arranged with their axes of rotation in concentric side-by-side relationship and are each driven by the electric motor by way of a respective transmission wheel. The electric motor drives the first transmission wheel while the second transmission wheel is coupled to the first transmission wheel by means of a slipping clutch whose clutch torque is such that the clutch does not slip and the drive rollers thus rotate in the same direction as long as the driven article can move substantially unbraked or unimpeded beyond the drive roller unit, the clutch however slipping if the article is unable to move freely and thus applies a braking force to the second roller, whereby the unit is turned about a vertical axis to re-orient the article for further free movement thereof in a fresh direction.

Abstract: A drive roller unit for driving articles such as freight containers on a conveyor track comprises first and second drive rollers which can be driven in rotation. The drive rollers are arranged in juxtaposed relationship in their axial direction and in the drive position thereof are both in engagement with the bottom of the article to be moved. A motor assembly for driving the drive rollers is coupled thereto by way of a differential transmission. One output of the differential transmission drives one drive roller of the pair while the other output of the differential transmission drives the other drive roller.

Abstract: A conveyor ball unit for use in a conveyor track for example for moving freight material comprises a housing accommodating a conveyor ball member supported in a mounting shell member by way of a plurality of mounting balls. The mounting shell member is supported resiliently by spring means. To prevent the mounting shell member with conveyor ball member supported therein tilting in the housing under the effect of a load thereon, upon resilient deflection of the spring, with the result of the conveyor ball member becoming jammed, the conveyor ball member is supported in the mounting shell member only at an annular region thereof and the mounting shell member is itself supported on the spring means in that annular region. The spring means comprises a plurality of plate springs, with the outer periphery thereof being held in concentric relationship in the housing, thereby providing that the conveyor ball member and mounting shell member are self-centering in the housing, to reduce the risk of jamming.

Abstract: A roller conveyor track comprises a supporting structure in the form of a one-piece panel member providing a substantially flat surface from which U-shaped channels extend downwardly to accommodate rollers for movably supporting an article such as a freight container. The rollers project only slightly above the surface of the panel member. The rollers are rotatably carried by means of shaft portions at the ends thereof in snap-fitting mounting members which can be snap-fitted vertically downwardly into mounting openings in the side walls of the respective channel in the panel member.

Abstract: A guide arrangement for a conveyor track includes a guide bar portion arranged along at least a part of each side edge of a plate device forming the center part of the conveyor track, each guide bar portion being of an inverted generally L-shaped configuration for engaging over a corresponding edge portion of an article such as a freight container to be conveyed therealong. A plurality of rollers are provided in respective openings in the plate device adjacent the guide bar portions, to support the article above the plate device. Each roller has an enlarged portion at its outward end for guiding the edge of the article to be conveyed, thereby to hold it at a spacing from the respectively associated guide bar portion.

Abstract: A drive roller unit for driving articles on a conveyor track includes a drive roller which is of a hollow cylindrical configuration and which encloses therewithin an electric motor assembly for driving same as well as a transmission arrangement for transmitting the drive torque from the motor to the drive roller. The drive roller is supported in the unit in such a way as to be movable between a lowered rest position in which it is out of contact with an article on the conveyor track and a raised operative position of engaging an article to be driven thereby. The roller is raised by virtue of a reaction movement of the drive motor stator assembly, in reaction to the rotor inertia causing a resistance to rotation of the rotor when the drive unit is switched on, the stator arrangement being mounted eccentrically relative to the axis of the roller so that that reaction movement of the stator arrangement causes it to climb up towards the article to bring the roller into driving engagement therewith.