Material or article handling – Self-loading or unloading vehicles – Having elevating load body
Reexamination Certificate
1998-12-22
2002-03-26
Fischetti, Joseph A. (Department: 2167)
Material or article handling
Self-loading or unloading vehicles
Having elevating load body
C414S495000, C414S502000, C414S787000, C414S799000, C414S789900, C198S468600
Reexamination Certificate
active
06361265
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a transfer apparatus for articles or groups of articles. More particularly, the transfer apparatus is useful for moving and/or stacking prefabricated building components (such as trusses) or other building components (such as cut timber). It may also be useful in transferring other movable and/or stackable articles (such as plastic sheet, plastic pipe, injection moulded plastic articles, sheet and formed metal articles, aluminium extrusions, glass, laminated and composite timber articles, cardboard).
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Whilst the following discussion concerns a transfer apparatus for trusses and cut timber, it is to be understood that the same principles apply to moving and/or stacking other articles as indicated above.
Traditionally, trusses that are destined for the building industry may be constructed on-site or prefabricated. Prefabricated trusses of standard designs are very popular as they can be mass produced in a jig that can be part of a production line using less technically skilled persons than carpenters. Consequently, considerable time and costs saving can be achieved.
Typically these trusses are up to 15 meters long, 4.2 meters high and weigh up to 210 kg. Because of these dimensions the trusses are difficult to remove from a jig, to stack for storage and transport, or to be moved to other parts of the fabrication site for further processing.
There have been many attempts to automate the fabrication of trusses and the transfer of these trusses.
One attempt is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,984,010. In this patent a truss is fabricated on a conveyor system of driven rollers. The trusses are stacked vertically by a tilt mechanism that has a pair of arms extending between driven rollers. These arms are rotated about one end to elevate the truss to a substantially vertical position. Whilst placing the trusses in the upright position assists orderly transport, it does not allow easy subsequent processing of a truss that usually requires it to be substantially horizontal. A similar approach is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,339,117.
Another approach is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,439,098 that proposes a horizontal truss stacker. A cradle is provided at the end of a truss assembly line as a short continuation of the conveyor. It receives the truss and by vertical movement allows other trusses to also be received and a stack formed. A fork lift is then used to remove the stack after the cradle is partially released.
Another horizontal truss stacker is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,468,118. In this patent a truss is fabricated on a conveyor system of driven rollers. Support arms, which can be moved vertically, are provided between the driven rollers to lift and support the truss from the rollers. These arms can extend telescopically to move the truss to the side of the conveyor system. The truss is removed from the support arms by it engaging stops on stands to receive the truss.
A similar problem to that which exists with truss movement is found in the movement of other articles from machines that are processing or conveying articles, one at a time. For example, the cutting of standard size lengths of timber on a continuous basis from a machine. As the cut timber issues from the cutting machine, it is manually collected or stacked and transported from the site. This is both labor intensive and expensive. Similar problems also exist in the area which processes plastic sheet, plastic pipe, injection moulded plastic articles, sheet and formed metal articles, aluminium extrusions, glass, laminated and composite timber articles, and cardboard.
OBJECT OF THE INVENTION
It is an objective of the present invention to provide an automated or semi-automated transfer apparatus that permits an article or group of articles to be transferred to a specific location quickly.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to the invention a transfer apparatus is provided for an article or group of articles including:
(a) carriage means to move an article substantially horizontally from a first position to a second position, the carriage means including:
(i) an elongate transfer member; and
(ii) conveyor means movable relative to the elongate transfer member; and
(b) support means engaging and supporting the carriage means, the carriage means movable substantially vertically on the support means.
Preferably, the transfer apparatus further includes first drive means to move the conveyor means relative to the elongate member and first control means to control the first drive means to cause the conveyor means to move in a predetermined fashion.
Preferably, the transfer apparatus further includes second drive means to move the carriage means relative to the support means and second control means to control the second drive means to cause the carriage means to move in a predetermined fashion relative to the support means.
Typically the drive means is a motor that is electrically, hydraulically or pneumatically actuated. The drive means may further include chains and pulleys to translate the motive force to the carriage and its components.
The control means may be computer based and include a series of micro-switches.
According to a preferred form of the invention, the carriage means further includes a finger or a fork extendable from the conveyor means and preferably substantially parallel to the conveyor means.
According to another preferred form of the invention, the elongate transfer member is a beam and the conveyor means is a belt conveyor. Typically, the belt conveyor is an endless belt movable longitudinally along the beam and engaging guides located at or adjacent each end of the beam.
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. Preferably the elongate transfer member further includes a selectively displaceable upstanding stop member.
Preferably the support means is a column and includes a base to be affixed to a foundation and mounting sites for the drive means.
A transfer system is also provided, according to the invention, which includes two or more of the transfer apparatus. Typically, these transfer apparatus are spaced apart to support the article or group of articles. Obviously the operation of each transfer apparatus is synchronised with the other transfer apparatus.
A method of transferring an article or groups of articles is also provided which includes the steps of:
(a) locating an elongate transfer member in a first position under the article or group of articles to be transferred;
(b) moving the elongate transfer member on a support means to move the article or group of articles upwardly to a second position;
(c) activating a conveyor means located on the elongated transfer member to move the article or group of articles to a third position;
(d) moving the elongate transfer member substantially horizontally to move the article or group of articles to a fourth position;
(e) moving the elongate transfer member on the support means to move the article or group of articles downwardly to a fifth position in which the article or group of articles is to be deposited.
The steps (c) and (d) may be interchanged sequentially or carried out simultaneously or otherwise synchronously.
Accordingly, by employing conveyor means with the elongate transfer member, it is possible to transfer an article or group of articles from one point to another. In the case of trusses, the truss may be transferred from a jig or assembly conveyor and accurately deposited on a stack or subsequent conveyor. In the case of cut timber the timber can be assembled on transfer fingers and accurately aligned upon a stack.
In another preferred form of the invention, a method of transferring an article or group of articles from a conveyor means located on a elongate transfer member to a deposit site is also provided, which includes the step of moving the conveyor means at a predetermined rate in a first direction whilst synchronously moving the elongated transfer member in an opposite direction at the same or substantially the same predetermined rate.
Accordingly, in this preferred form, the article or group of a
Cohen Gary M.
Fischetti Joseph A.
HECFAB Equipment Pty. Ltd.
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