Conveyors: power-driven – Conveyor system having auxiliary section for storing items... – Auxiliary section has the same entrance and exit
Patent
1992-06-01
1994-04-12
Valenza, Joseph E.
Conveyors: power-driven
Conveyor system having auxiliary section for storing items...
Auxiliary section has the same entrance and exit
198750, 198778, 414416, 4147451, 4147452, 4147468, B65G 100
Patent
active
053017897
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to an apparatus for the controlled infeed, storage and discharge of elongate objects. This apparatus essentially comprises a rotary drum and at least one belt, strap or the like.
BACKGROUND ART
Within such areas as the manufacturing industry, problems are experienced in the efficient handling of elongate objects on their transport between machining stations, on infeed into and discharge from the machining machines and also in the very storage of elongate objects before and after being machined. In particular in those cases in which machining takes place a large number of times of one and the same elongate object--and hence handling of such elongate objects takes place many times--the importance will readily be perceived of an efficient handling of such objects with slight or no manual labour input. For the elongate objects themselves, it is vital that the machining which has been carried out is not damaged or affected to any appreciable extent by handling and storage in connection with the machining proper.
The method most commonly employed today--despite all of the modernization which has been introduced with the aid of industrial robots, computers etc.--is to pick the object manually from and to a box, a container, a pallet etc., in applicable cases by stacking. The time consumption for this manual picking is considerable since the operation is repeated many times, with the result that the machining work is rendered considerably more expensive because of the handling process itself. In addition, the frequency of damage caused in such manual picking is considerable.
Moreover, objects which are stored loose in boxes, crates etc. are relatively theft-prone, stock-taking of objects in stores etc. is impeded and more expensive and, finally, production-line machining defies on-the-spot monitoring, for example for estimating delivery times etc.
The storage of flexible sheet material in rolls or coils is previously known in this art, for example for strip steel, such storage generally providing adequate protection for sheet material and, moreover, creating favourable conditions for rational handling at a workstation, where, for instance, infeed to a punch for punching details from the strip steel may relatively easily be automated. Coiling of such a roll is generally effected on a drum and, after completed coiling, the roll is strapped to prevent unwinding.
OBJECT OF THE INVENTION
The object of the present invention is to devise an apparatus which permits simple and efficient handling and storage of elongate objects. The term elongate objects is here taken to signify all types of objects of all kinds of materials in which the length of the object exceeds its cross-sectional area. Typical examples of elongate objects are pipes, sections, etc. of steel, aluminium, plastic, wood, etc.
In the apparatus mentioned by way of introduction, the present invention is characterized in that the above-mentioned at least one belt, strap or the like is connected to the rotary drum which is arranged to rotate in two different directions for coiling and uncoiling the above-mentioned strap or belt; that the above-mentioned elongate objects are aligned with the drum and are localized on the belt or strap and are disposed to be retained by the belt or strap against the rotary drum; and that the strap or belt and/or the elongate objects are arranged to be prevented by a holding device from movement while in the storage position. One advantageous embodiment of the present invention is characterized in that the above-mentioned belt or strap is disposed to be driven in one direction of rotation by the rotary drum and/or by an external prime mover so as to be wound up on the rotary drum; and that the strap or belt is disposed, in the other direction of rotation, to be unwound from the rotary drum by a second external prime mover, for instance connected to the outer end of the strap or belt.
According to one particularly preferred embodiment of the present invention, the strap or belt c
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