Conveyors: power-driven – Conveyor system for arranging or rearranging stream of items – By distributing items from one stream into plural streams
Reexamination Certificate
2003-03-21
2004-12-14
Dillon, Jr., Joe (Department: 3651)
Conveyors: power-driven
Conveyor system for arranging or rearranging stream of items
By distributing items from one stream into plural streams
Reexamination Certificate
active
06830144
ABSTRACT:
The present invention is concerned with a device for transporting away work pieces processed in a press from an output station that is disposed downstream from the press in a work piece flow direction onto a conveyor-belt-like conveyor device that conveys the work pieces away, incorporating a removal device that takes the work pieces out of the press and moves them to the output station.
Customarily, work pieces that are processed in a press—which may also be a press working line consisting of multiple presses—in particular sheet metal pieces, for example in the form of auto body components, are deposited by the removal device in the output station that is disposed on the output side of the press or last press, respectively, from where they are moved, one after another, directly onto the conveyor device. The conveyor device transports the work pieces to one or multiple consecutive removal locations, for example, where the work pieces are taken off the conveyor device by workers and stacked, for example.
It is the object of the invention to attain the highest possible output of work pieces.
This object is met according to the invention in such a way that a transfer device that is disposed downstream from the removal device exists for an alternating transfer of the work pieces from the output station into one of two discharge stations disposed on each side of the output station, that each discharge station has an assigned relocation device to relocate the work pieces from the given discharge station onto the conveyor device, and that the conveyor device is formed by two conveyors, each of which is assigned to one of the two relocation devices.
In the conventional systems, the conveyor device, which is composed of a single conveyor, is operated in the same cycle as the given press. The cycle speed cannot be randomly increased as the removal of the work pieces from the conveyor by the workers would otherwise be rendered more difficult or impossible. In the inventive device, in contrast, the press may operate at double the cycle speed of the conveyors since the work pieces are distributed onto the two conveyors, so that the output of work pieces can be doubled while maintaining the same speed as before. It goes without saying that, to remove the work pieces from the two conveyors, workers are standing at each of the conveyors.
The transfer device transports the work pieces in an alternating sequence to the two discharge stations, from where they are picked up by means of the given relocation device. Because of the interposed transfer device the relocation devices cannot collide with the removal device. The press and the relocation devices, which operate in the same cycle as the conveyors, may therefore be operated at different speeds.
The transfer device is advantageously movable back and forth between two end positions and incorporates two work piece pick-up devices that are disposed offset from one other in such a way that in one end position the first one of the pick-up devices is positioned in the output station and the second pick-up device is positioned in the first discharge station, and in the other end position the second pick-up device is positioned in the output station and the first pick-up device is positioned in the second discharge station. The transfer device is advantageously swiveled back and forth between its two end positions in the process. The swivel angle may be 90°. This has the added advantage that the work pieces are received by the relocation devices and placed onto the conveyors in a position that is rotated by 90° from the position in which they leave the press. This position on the conveyors after a 90° rotation corresponds to a common requirement in the industry.
Additional advantageous designs of the invention will be specified in the subclaims.
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Browdy and Neimark , P.L.L.C.
Dillon, Jr. Joe
Schuler Automation GmbH & Co. KG
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