Conveyors: power-driven – Conveyor section – Endless conveyor having means for suspending load
Reexamination Certificate
2000-07-07
2002-01-29
Ellis, Christopher P. (Department: 3651)
Conveyors: power-driven
Conveyor section
Endless conveyor having means for suspending load
C198S465400, C198S678100, C198S687100
Reexamination Certificate
active
06341686
ABSTRACT:
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a conveying apparatus and in particular to a receiving conveyor for receiving conveyable-article carriers from a suspended conveyor in which the conveyable-article carriers are guided on a running-roller guide profile for movement along a first conveying section and are supported in a suspended manner on own running rollers.
The object of the invention is to provide a conveying apparatus with a receiving conveyor of the abovementioned type which, while being of straightforward construction, functions reliably, allows a high and, in particular, continuous conveying capacity, may be of three-dimensionally movable design and, for the purpose of realizing the function of receiving conveyable-article carriers from a conventional suspended conveyor, does not require the suspended conveyor to be subjected any adaptation measures or alteration.
In order to achieve this object, the invention proposes that the receiving conveyor have a series of receiving elements which are arranged one after the other on a common drawing means, are moved along a second conveying section by the drawing means and are intended for the conveyable-article carriers, it being the case that, at a receiving location, the first conveying section and the second conveying section run closely adjacent in a laterally offset manner, and the receiving elements are guided such that, at the receiving location, they execute a lifting movement relative to the running-roller guide profile of the suspended conveying apparatus in order for conveyable-article carriers, which are fed to the receiving location along the first conveying section from the suspended conveying apparatus in each case, to be engaged at engagement means, which project from said conveyable-article carriers, for the purpose of being carried along the second conveying section, and for said conveyable-article carriers to be lifted off from the guide profile of the suspended conveying apparatus.
There are various posible ways of guiding the receiving elements, as they pass the receiving location, such that their movement has a lifting component. One possibility is that the drawing means pivots the receiving elements upwards about the longitudinal axis of the drawing means in order thus for the conveyable-article carriers to be lifted out of the running-roller guide profile of the suspended conveying apparatus, with the conveyable-article carriers being engaged at the same time.
According to a preferred embodiment, however, at the receiving location, the second conveying section, i.e. the conveying section of the receiving conveyor, has an upward slope with an acute slope angle relative to the usually horizontally running, first conveying section, with the result that the receiving elements, during the movement along the upward slope, can grip beneath the engagement means of the conveyable-article carriers, which are fed one after the other to the receiving location on the first conveying section. For this purpose, it is proposed that the receiving elements each have a hook portion by means of which they automatically grip behind and beneath the engagement means of a conveyable-article carrier respectively located at the receiving location as said receiving elements move along the upward slope of the second conveying section, in order to lift the conveyable-article carrier off from the running roller guide profile of the suspended conveying apparatus.
The receiving elements may be guided along the second conveying section such that, immediately after passing the receiving location, they increase not only the vertical distance from the first conveying section but also their lateral distance.
According to a particularly preferred embodiment, the receiving conveyor may receive and transport conveyable-article carriers of conventional construction. These are conveyable-article carriers which have a central carrier portion from which in each case one running roller of a running-roller pair projects on two mutually opposite sides, it being the case that a relevant conveyable-article carrier in the suspended conveying apparatus is suspended laterally on the running-roller guide profile in each case by one of the two running rollers and is guided on said running roller. A special feature within the context of the present invention, then, is that the other running roller serves as engagement means for the engagement by a relevant receiving element of the receiving conveyor. The receiving conveyor according to the invention thus does not require any adaptation or alteration measures, either in the case of a conventional suspended conveying apparatus for such conveyable-article carriers or in the case of conveyable-article carriers, in order to realize the function of receiving the conveyable-article carriers.
The abovementioned conveyable-article carriers may be, for example, so-called hanger carriers which have a hook at their bottom end. A clothes hanger with an item of clothing located thereon may be suspended on the hook. The conveying apparatus under consideration here is thus suitable, in particular, for use in the clothing industry, laundries, etc.
A further advantage can be seen in the fact that the receiving conveyor according to the invention can be used for transporting conveyable articles between different storeys or between different levels within one storey. For this purpose, the receiving elements may be configured such that they retain the conveyable-article carriers securely both during upward travel along any desired upward slopes and during downward travel along any desired downward inclines.
The drawing means is preferably a drive belt which is designed as an endless loop, is driven in circulation around two deflecting devices, is guided along the second conveying section and, on the loop periphery, has the receiving elements for the conveyable-article carriers in an endless series.
Although the drive belt may be a continuous steel belt, plastic belt or rubber belt, it is designed, according to a preferred embodiment, as a chain, in particular articulated chain, which is preferably guided in a chain-guide groove.
The chain can be driven for continuous movement, it being the case that the movement sequence of the receiving elements at the receiving location and the geometry and spacing of the receiving elements are coordinated with the conveying speed of the suspended conveyor such that each of the conveyable-article carriers fed to the receiving location on the suspended conveyor is engaged individually by a respective receiving element of the receiving conveyor for the purpose of being carried along the second conveying section. It is not necessary, for this purpose, for the conveyable-article carriers to be fed to the receiving location along the first conveying section cyclically or in a manner in which they are separated from one another. The conveyable-article carriers may be fed to the receiving location individually at regular or irregular intervals from one another or in groups of blocks. In each case, each conveyable-article carrier is received in a respective receiving element by the continuously driven receiving conveyor and is thus introduced into the second conveying section. A trial installation achieved a conveying speed of 0.5 m/s. With continuous feeding of the conveyable-article carriers to the receiving location, this corresponded to a conveying capacity of approximately 45,000 conveyable-article carriers per hour.
An interesting aspect is that the receiving conveyor may perform a diverter function. For this purpose, a development of the invention provides that the distance between the first conveying section and the second conveying section at the receiving location can be changed in a controlled manner, with the result that the conveyable-article carriers located on the first conveying section can pass the transition location, and remain on the first conveying section, without being influenced by the receiving elements, which have been moved out of reach, if the distance
Arent Fox Kintner & Plotkin & Kahn, PLLC
Tran Khoi H.
WF Logistik GmbH
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