Conveyors: power-driven – Conveyor arrangement for selecting among plural sources or... – By loading or unloading section at selected one of a...
Reexamination Certificate
2000-03-07
2004-06-29
Lavinder, Jack (Department: 3683)
Conveyors: power-driven
Conveyor arrangement for selecting among plural sources or...
By loading or unloading section at selected one of a...
C198S463200
Reexamination Certificate
active
06755298
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a device and a method for diverting items which are transported on a conveyor. The items are pushed down from the conveyor by means of a diversion device which has one or more diversion segments, which can be moved along with the conveyor for a section and individually extended across the direction of transport.
Such devices are used e.g. in drinks filling plants to sort out defective containers, e.g. glass bottles, or incompletely filled or incorrectly closed containers. Such devices are known from CA-A-985213 and U.S. Pat. No. 3,791,518. The diversion segments are able to be displaced and are guided along a continuous track, being guided parallel and synchronously to the conveyor and guided back underneath the conveyor or laterally offset thereto. The extension of the individual diversion segments across the direction of transport takes place by a link motion.
A device is known from EP-A-0 003 111, for the lateral deflection of items which are transported on a conveyor, in which the deflection device is divided into a number of deflection segments which together form a continuous deflecting surface and can be individually extended. The items to be deflected are diverted along a fixed deflecting surface. They are then forcibly braked and light items in particular such as empty drinks bottles can thereby fall over. If the items are travelling in close succession, braking of the item to be diverted can also lead to accumulations of the following items.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The object of the invention is to reduce the mechanical expenditure which is necessary for the diversion of items which are transported on a conveyor.
Within the framework of the device according to the invention, this object is achieved in that the diversion segment(s) is (are) guided side by side in a carriage in the direction of transport and the carriage can be moved to and fro in the direction of transport.
The carriage is preferably controlled such that it runs along for a section roughly synchronously with the conveyor, the length of the section, along which the carriage runs synchronously with the direction of transport being shorter than the distance between the first and the last of the diversion segments guided in the carriage plus the minimum distance between the items.
Within the framework of the method according to the invention this object is achieved in that the diversion segments are arranged side by side in a carriage in the direction of transport, the carriage can be moved to and fro in the direction of transport, the length of the section along which the carriage moves with the conveyor is shorter than the distance between the first and the last of the diversion segments inside the carriage plus the minimum distance between the items, namely by the distance by which the conveyor moves on during the backward movement of the carriage, and the items are pushed in groups off the conveyor, each group beginning with a first item to be diverted and including all further items to be diverted which follow the first item to be diverted within a section the length of which equals the length of the movement of the carriage accompanying the conveyor.
The advantages that can be achieved through the invention consist in particular of the fact that a long, smooth diversion curve can be achieved through the synchronous movement of the diversion segments relative to the conveyor. The movement of the diversion segments in the direction of transport (X-direction) and across it (Y-direction) can be controlled separately so that both movement components are decoupled. The diversion curve can therefore be controlled without mechanical modifications and can be adapted to the stability, the weight or such other features of the items as well as to the speed of the conveyor. When there are no items to be diverted, then the carriage remains in its at-rest position, whereby wear is reduced compared with the diversion devices named at the beginning with synchronously running diversion segments guided on a continuous track.
The carriage can be guided to and fro in a frame in the direction of transport. The carriage is moved from an initial position at roughly the same speed as the conveyor alongside the conveyor (X-direction), so that during this forward movement of the carriage each diversion segment runs along essentially with a certain point of the conveyor and, by extending the diversion segment across the direction of transport (Y-direction), a container standing at this point can be pushed off the conveyor. All items to be diverted which are located within the length of the carriage are preferably pushed down simultaneously from the conveyor. The items transported on the conveyor are thus processed in groups. At the end of the forward movement, the carriage is returned to the initial position on the same path. The section covered by the synchronous forward movement is shorter than the distance between the first and the last diversion segment plus the minimum distance between the items by at least the piece by which the conveyor moves further within the time required for the return movement and to accelerate and brake the carriage.
This movement of the carriage is preferably controlled such that the carriage is at rest at the start or end of the diversion section. If there are one or more items to be diverted in the stream of items then the carriage initially moves, if it is in its at-rest position at the end of the diversion section, to the start of the diversion section. At the start of the diversion section the acceleration process is controlled such that the foremost diversion segment in the direction of transport reaches a position which is exactly congruent with the first item to be diverted. It is thereby guaranteed that the maximum number of diversion segments can be used for any following items to be diverted.
The extension movement (Y-direction) of the diversion segments and the choice of the diversion segments which are to be extended to divert the ascertained items, are particularly easy to carry out mechanically. The diversion segments can in general be extended and retracted in a horizontal direction. A vertically displaceable pin can be guided in the diversion segments, which projects upwards and downwards from the diversion segment. During the forward movement of the carriage a rail with a C profile which is open underneath is simultaneously moved back and forth in the Y-direction at a small distance above the diversion segments. The rail grips all the pins which are located in their upper position and thereby extends and again retracts the corresponding diversion segments during the forward movement of the carriage so that the front end of the diversion segments roughly describes a sine curve. The individual diversion segments are preferably chosen or activated during the return movement of the carriage. A single activator is sufficient for this, which is arranged underneath the carriage and presses the pins of the diversion segments, which are extended or retracted during the following forward movement, into the upper position. This can be effected by a lifting magnet, an air cylinder or an air jet. The use of an air jet as an activator is particularly easy. To this end, the lower end of the pins is somewhat widened to offer the air jet sufficient engagement surface.
If the time necessary for controlling and activating the individual pins noticeably slows down the return movement, then two activators can also be provided which are alternately assigned to the diversion segments so that the one activator activates the odd, and the other activator the even, diversion segments. There is also the possibility of extending and retracting each diversion segment by means of its own drive, e.g. a pneumatic cylinder. This would make the activators surplus. Although the device thereby becomes more expensive, this allows the diversion segments to be extended to varying degrees and the items to thus be diverted onto various paths.
The rail movable in Y-d
Goller Hans-Ulrich
Heuft Bernhard
Burch Melody M
Gardner & Carton & Douglas LLP
Heuft Systemtechnik GmbH
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