Conveyors: power-driven – Conveyor system for moving a specific load as a separate unit – System includes a load supported by a conveyor portion which...
Reexamination Certificate
2002-12-10
2004-06-08
Hess, Douglas (Department: 3651)
Conveyors: power-driven
Conveyor system for moving a specific load as a separate unit
System includes a load supported by a conveyor portion which...
C198S687100, C198S683000, C104S172400
Reexamination Certificate
active
06745891
ABSTRACT:
DESCRIPTION
The invention relates to a conveying arrangement, in particular suspension-type conveying arrangement, having rails for guiding conveyable-article carriers, equipped with running rollers, along a conveying route, having a drive belt which is driven in circulation about diverting means, is guided along the conveying route, at least in certain regions, by means of a guide arrangement and has driver elements which are arranged on it and, in a driving position, are suitable, and envisaged, for driving rail-guided conveyable-article carriers along the conveying route, and having means for stopping conveyable-article carriers in a build-up region of the conveying route as the drive belt continues running.
A generic suspension-type conveying arrangement of the type mentioned above is described, for example, in EP 0 516 971 B1. In the case of this known conveying arrangement, the conveyable-article carriers have two running rollers which are arranged in a rotatable manner at the free leg ends of a V-shaped or U-shaped bracket and are oriented obliquely in relation to one another, with the result that they can roll on the running surfaces of a gable-roof-like guide rail along a relevant conveying route, the bracket extending beneath the running rail. The known suspension-type conveying arrangement has, as drive belt, a plate link chain which is guided in a chain guide along the conveying route. For coupling the conveyable-article carriers to the drive chain, use is made of driver fingers which are provided at certain intervals on the drive chain, the driver fingers projecting laterally from the drive chain, in a direction transverse to the running direction of the conveyable-article carriers, and into the path of the conveyable-article carriers. If the drive chain is then driven in order to move along the conveying route, a respective driver finger can act on a conveyable-article carrier which may be present on the guide rail, and push or drive it along the conveying route, the conveyable-article carrier being guided on the guide rail by way of its running rollers. The driver fingers are individual, inherently elastic flat-bar elements which are made of plastic, can be deflected with yielding action and are connected, via a region of increased elasticity, to a respective driver-retaining part of the drive chain. The elasticity of a respective driver finger is intended to ensure certain damping, in the case of the driver finger acting on the conveyable-article carrier, if the driver finger comes into contact with a stop region provided rigidly on the conveyable-article carrier. Furthermore, it is possible for a relevant elastic driver finger, in the case of the conveyable-article carrier stopping as the drive chain continues to run, to be deflected to the extent where it disengages from the conveyable-article carrier, with the result that, in a situation where the conveyable-article carriers build up, the drive belt can continue running without the relevant conveyable-article carriers or driver fingers being destroyed. However, each time a driver finger passes as the drive chain continues running, a conveyable-article carrier which has been stopped or is located in a built-up formation, is subjected to contact impact. This may result in undesired vibrations, in increased wear to elements of the conveying arrangement and in the development of aggravating noise. It is also the case that it is not possible for the abovementioned disadvantageous effects to be prevented by the elasticity of the driver fingers.
Also known are suspension-type conveying arrangements of the type mentioned in the introduction in the case of which brush elements are spaced apart from one another at certain intervals on a drive belt in the form of a drive chain, the brush elements serving as driver elements for driving conveyable-article carriers. As in the case of the driver finger described with reference to EP 0 516 971 B1, the bristles of the brush elements are also intended to provide damping action in the case of the driver elements acting on a conveyable-article carrier in order to drive it along the conveying route. In the case of intended or unintended stoppage of the conveyable-article carriers, however, it is also the case that such brush elements subject the conveyable-article carriers to contact impact, this resulting in corresponding vibration with the disadvantages which have already been described above.
German patent application 100 05 646 describes a suspension-type conveying arrangement with brush elements on a drive chain for driving conveyable-article carriers, said conveying arrangement having the special feature that the conveyable-article carriers have pivotable coupling elements in order to be subjected to the action of the brush elements. Build-up formation results in the coupling elements of the conveyable-article carriers which come into contact with one another being pivoted, under the build-up pressure, into a passive position, in which they are not engaged by the brush elements of the continuing drive chain, with the result that the above-mentioned contact impact is largely avoided.
The object of the invention is to demonstrate further ways in which, in the case of a conveying arrangement of the type mentioned in the introduction, impact loading of the conveyable-article carriers in the case of a build-up can be at least largely avoided.
According to a first embodiment of the invention, in order to achieve this object, it is proposed that the conveying arrangement have position-changing means which can be activated in a controlled manner and are intended for transferring driver elements of the drive belt from their driving position into a non-driving position in the build-up region, it being possible for the driver elements located in the non-driving position, if appropriate, only to engage with a slight degree of coupling, if at all, and with easily yielding action with built-up conveyable-article carriers.
The driver elements transferred into the non-driving position, in the build-up region, are guided past built-up conveyable-article carriers such that they subject the conveyable-article carriers, at most, to extremely weak contact impact, if any at all.
It is thus possible to have built-up operation which does not adversely effect the conveying arrangement as the drive belt continues running.
The advantages of the invention are still utilized even when individual driver elements cannot be shifted into the non-driving position or, in their non-driving position, nevertheless come into contact with built-up conveyable-article carriers.
According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the position-changing means comprise controllable means for changing the guide path of the drive belt in a reversible manner, said controllable means being designed for diverting the drive belt in the build-up region of the conveying route optionally from a path in which the driver elements are guided into the driving position into a path in which the driver elements are guided into the non-driving position. This configuration of the invention makes it possible to divert the drive belt in the build-up region if required, with the result that driver elements can pass the build-up region along the conveying route without actively engaging with built-up conveyable-article carriers. According to a variant of this embodiment of the invention, the deflecting means are configured such that they keep the drive belt away from built-up conveyable-article carriers, over more or less the entire length of the build-up region, to the extent where the driver elements, in the build-up region, can only act, at most, to a slight extent, if at all, and with yielding action on the conveyable-article carriers. In order to disperse a build-up of conveyable-article carriers, the deflecting means can be controlled such that they guide the drive belt again so that driver elements can engage with conveyable-article carriers in order to drive them.
According to a further variant of the configuration of the invent
Walter Braunmüller
Wilhelm Lutsch
Hess Douglas
Rothwell Figg Ernst & Manbeck P.C.
WF Logistik GmbH
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