Material or article handling – Load carried along a horizontal linear path – Having gripper means
Patent
1990-01-29
1991-09-10
Spar, Robert J.
Material or article handling
Load carried along a horizontal linear path
Having gripper means
414758, 414773, 294 8641, 198403, 901 6, B65G 3500
Patent
active
050469169
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
This invention relates to apparatus for handling piece goods, such as pressed sheet-metal elements for instance, and intended to be positioned, e.g., between two presses in a line of presses and there to transport or shuttle said goods singly from one press to the next press in line.
Press lines in which sheet-metal elements or items are pressed, for instance in the car manufacturing industry, incorporate various kinds of transporting and handling apparatus constructed for transferring the elements from one press to the next press in line. Such apparatus is normally placed on the floor between respective presses, which means that this area of the floor occupied by the apparatus is blocked. This can cause difficulties when changing tools in respective presses and also when carrying out other forms of maintenance work. There is also a risk that the apparatus will be damaged by auxiliary material handling equipment active in the vicinity of said apparatus, e.g. trucks or rail systems.
The object of the present invention is to provide transporting and handling apparatus which will avoid these drawbacks and leave the floor space between the presses completely free for the exchange of tools and for carrying out other maintenance work, while at the same time removing the risk of damage to the equipment by the aforesaid auxiliary transporting devices. This object is achieved by means of transporting and handling apparatus having the features set forth hereinafter.
The invention will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the inventive apparatus arranged between two presses;
FIG. 2 is a simplified side view of the apparatus illustrated in FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a view from above of the apparatus in FIG. 2;
FIG. 4 is an end view of the apparatus illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3;
FIG. 5 is a side view similar to that of FIG. 2, but illustrating the pattern of movement carried out by certain apparatus components;
FIG. 6 is an end view of a trolley forming part of the inventive handling apparatus;
FIG. 7 is a partially cut-away end view of part of a movement transmission means forming part of the apparatus;
FIG. 8 is a partly cut-away view of said movement transmission means;
FIG. 9 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the inventive handling apparatus; and
FIGS. 10-12 illustrate the pattern of movement carried out by a gripping device forming part of the inventive apparatus.
In the FIG. 1 illustration, the inventive transporting and handling apparatus 1 is placed between two presses 2 and 3 which form part of a line of presses intended for the manufacture of sheet-metal elements 4. FIG. 1 shows sheet-metal elements 4a-f in their various positions during transfer from the press 2 to the press 3. In the illustrated case, each element 4 is removed from the press 2 with the aid of a feeder 5 (not shown in detail) which transfers respective elements to the apparatus 1. The element 4 is then moved by the apparatus 1 to the press 3, where a feeder 6 moves the elements into the press.
The inventive apparatus includes two vertical, hollow guides 7 mounted on respective presses 2 and 3. Each guide 7 is intended to carry a height adjustment slide 8 which can be moved vertically along its respective guides 7 with the aid of a lifting device 9, e.g. a nut and spindle type jack, mounted within the hollow guide 7 and dimensioned for lifting the whole of the handling apparatus 1. Each jack 9 is provided with its separate motor 9a, which is fitted with a pulse emitter in order to enable the jack to be controlled to a desired position.
Extending between the height adjustment slides 8 is a transport rail 10. As seen in FIG. 1, the left-hand end of the rail 10 is suspended by means of a pivot bearing 11 which affords direct connection between the slide 8 and the rail 10, whereas the right-hand end of the rail is connected to the slide 8 by means of an intermediate link arm 12 and a pivot bearing 13. The pivot bearings 11 and 13 are, in turn,
REFERENCES:
patent: 3973673 (1976-08-01), Ahluwalia
patent: 4493450 (1985-01-01), Yuzui
patent: 4636131 (1987-01-01), Sinclair
patent: 4648786 (1987-03-01), Sakurai
patent: 4921387 (1990-05-01), Bennington
AB Volvo
Spar Robert J.
Underwood Donald W.
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