The present invention relates to a refractory conveyor for hot objects, in particular of the mesh type.

In plants for the industrial production of hollow glass, hot glass objects coming from the forming machine are normally sent towards the baking furnace by means of rectilinear conveyor belts.

The usual layout comprises a first rectilinear conveyor at the output of the forming machine (also known as I. S. machine) and a second rectilinear input conveyor into the baking furnace, in which said rectilinear conveyors, mutually distinct and travelling at different speeds, are mutually perpendicular or in any case such as to define two different directions.

To cause objects to be transferred from the first to the second conveyor, a motorised conveyor belt device is used, which connects the two conveyors to each other moving the objects from the first to the second conveyor by means of a plurality of shaped thrusters.

However, this solution has the drawback of not being suitable for high conveyance speeds or for the conveyance of unstable objects, because it causes frequent falls of the objects.

Another solution comprises a fixed connecting plate between the two conveyors, but this solution does not allow to keep the transported objects properly spaced, because in the area of the plate the objects are not conveyed actively but travel by inertia or thrust by the objects behind them.

EP 1043248 teaches a jack chain (of the type also called silent chain) that

allows travel over curvilinear paths, but this solution is highly complex and requires the use of a special and costly chain in which the links are provided with slots in which slide appropriate pivots to allow the mutual longitudinal sliding of the links to adapt them to different radii of curvature.

The conveyor described in said document, however, does not allow to process unstable objects or high speeds, because the links of the chain are very wide with numerous recesses.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION.

An aim of the present invention is to eliminate the aforesaid drawbacks making available a curvilinear conveyor able to use a standard belt, normally employed for rectilinear conveyance, of the mesh or"wire mesh"type, commonly used in the glass industry.

An additional aim is to obtain this within the context of a simple and economical arrangement.

Another aim is to allow high conveyance speeds and the processing of unstable objects and containers as well.

Said aims are fully achieved by the conveyor of the present invention, which is characterised by the content of the claims set out below and in particular in that it comprises guiding means, at least partly motorised, able to allow travel over curvilinear paths.

The guiding means comprise, on the outer side of the curvilinear path, i. e. on the one with the greater radius, a plurality of sectors which press in adjustable fashion on the outer edges of the belt, allowing its deformation.

The pressure of the sectors is preferably obtained with elastic means, for instance helical springs that compress the sector on the belt.

The guiding means comprise, on the inner side of the curvilinear path, i. e. the one with the smaller radius, a guide that is motorised at the same speed as the belt, that holds the belt in the correct position.

The guide preferably comprises a pair of superposed roller chains, with the rollers arranged at vertical axes, which chains wing about pulleys describing a closed path of such a shape that in a part of said path the two chains hold between them and accompany the inner edge of the belt of the conveyor.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION.

This and other characteristics shall become more readily apparent from the following description of a preferred embodiment illustrated, purely by means of non limiting example, in the accompanying drawing tables, in which: Figure 1 schematically shows a plan view of the conveyor; - Figure 2 shows a plan view of the conveyor in greater details; Figure 3 shows a vertical section of the conveyor according to the direction A-A of Figure 2; - Figures 4 and 5 show a front view of two segments of mesh belt.

With reference to the figures, the reference number 1 globally designates a refractory conveyor belt, suitable to convey hot objects, in particular glass objects exited from a forming machine not shown herein, which according to a path indicated by an arrow 2 are to be carried to an area 3 where appropriate known thrusters, not shown herein, move the objects from the conveyor 1 to a furnace 4, acting in the direction of an arrow 5.

The hot objects exiting the forming machine or I. S. can arrive directly on the conveyor 1, or as shown in Figure 1 they exit on a rectilinear conveyor 6 and by means of a switch 7 are moved onto the conveyor 1 which, at least in the

first segment, travels parallel to the rectilinear conveyor 6.

The conveyor 1, which is of the belt type using standard meshes or"wire mesh"as shown in Figures 4 and 5, is actuated by a motorisation schematically designated as 8.

This particular type of meshes allows to change the direction of the belt simply by means of a different configuration which the meshes assume in correspondence with the guiding means described below. In particular, the meshes can mutually slide causing the meshes to be narrower and more compressed on one side (internal to the curve) and wider and less thick on the opposite side (external to the curve), to adapt themselves to the curvilinear path to be followed.

However, the conveyor can also be constituted by other types of conveyor belts or chains suitable for the purpose.

Originally, the conveyor 1 comprises guiding means, at least partly motorised, which allow for curvilinear paths at high speeds (for instance 5- 40 meters per minute) also in the presence of unstable conveyed objects.

These guiding means comprise, on an outer side of the curvilinear paths i. e. on the one with greater radius, a plurality of sectors 9 (four in the case illustrated herein) which press in adjustable fashion on the outer edges of the belt allowing its deformation and also the transit of small glass objects due to the breakage of objects.

In the case illustrated herein, the pressure of the sectors is obtained with elastic means constituted by helical springs 10 which compress the sector 9 of the belt.

Each sector 9 is hinged in 11 to a base or frame 12 supporting the conveyor

belt 1.

The guiding means comprise, on the inner side of the curvilinear path i. e. on the one with smaller radius, a guide 13 motorised at the same speed as the belt, which holds the belt in the correct position.

The guide 13 comprises a pair of superposed roller chains 14, with the rollers arranged at vertical axes, which wind about pulleys 15 describing a closed path of such a shape that in a part of said path the two chains 14 hold between them and accompany the inner edge of the belt of the conveyor.