Conveyors: power-driven – Conveyor system for arranging or rearranging stream of items – By distributing items from one stream into plural streams
Reexamination Certificate
1999-07-29
2001-01-30
Noland, Kenneth W. (Department: 3651)
Conveyors: power-driven
Conveyor system for arranging or rearranging stream of items
By distributing items from one stream into plural streams
C198S782000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06179113
ABSTRACT:
The invention relates to a shunt for a conveyor arrangement, for selectively diverting conveyed articles, e.g. containers, from one conveyor to at least one other conveyor, and comprising rollers mounted to be rotatable about a horizontal axis, at least some of the rollers being driven, the rollers being mounted in a frame so as to be pivotable about a vertical axis and being coupled with a pivoting drive.
Such a shunt is known from AT 294 693 B. In this shunt, all structural elements lie free so as to be accessible from the top side. The entry of foreign matter, such as, e.g., parts of packaging material of the conveyed articles or of items dropping out of containers, may cause blocking of the driving and adjusting elements. Moreover, there is the risk of the operating personnel being injured when they carry out manipulations on the conveying track or on the shunt, respectively, during operation thereof.
On the other hand, a guide roll unit is known from DE 39 43 185 A which can be used in conveying tracks for articles to be moved. There, the guide roll unit comprises two non-driven carrying rolls adjacently arranged on a geometric horizontal axis which are mounted to be independently rotatable in a needle bearing of a circularly designed rotating unit. This rotating unit in turn is mounted via spheres in a likewise circularly designed housing base portion to be rotatable about a vertical axis. The (horizontal) geometric axis of rotation of the carrying rolls is, however, arranged to be eccentrically offset relative to the vertical axis of the housing base portion, so that when an article is shifted or moved on the guide roll unit, the carrying rolls automatically align in the direction of movement of this article. A roll retainer above the rotating unit has a rectangular opening for the carrying rolls to pass therethrough. The guide roll unit is insertable into an opening of a conveyor panel. Therefore, this is not a shunt at all serving for selectively diverting conveyed articles from one conveyor to another conveyor.
Furthermore, from CH 416 458 A, a shunt for small roller conveyors comprising a pivoting mechanism for the small rollers is known which, however, is comparatively complex as regards its mechanics, apart from the fact that in that case there is no guarantee against the entry of foreign matter or a risk of injury to persons. For this purpose, in detail, the pivoting mechanism consists of pivoting rods hinged to the entry path of the conveyor, the pivoting rods including long holes. Slide pins engage in these long holes, which slide pins are fastened to pivot levers fastened to perpendicular pins on which the small rollers of the shunt are arranged. The pivot rods are hinged to a common actuating rod.
The invention has as its object to provide a shunt of the initially defined type, which ensures a high safety for the operating personnel against injuries as well as against blocking of the conveyor by foreign matter.
According to the invention, this object is achieved in that the rollers project through cavities of cover disks which are arranged to be centric relative to the vertical pivot axis of the rollers as well as to be pivotable together therewith, and that at least one cover plate generally extending over the remaining region of the shunt is provided which has cavities matching the cover disks. By this design, the above-mentioned object can well be met, the entry of foreign matter into the shunt construction being prevented despite the pivotability of the rollers which allow the diversion of the conveyed articles and the risk of injury described being avoided. Thus, also rigid safety rules for conveying paths can be compiled with.
According to a preferred, structurally simple and suitable embodiment of the invention it is provided that the cavities in the cover disks are generally rectangular and receive the rollers with a slight play, e.g. with a gap of from 0.5 mm to 4 mm, for instance approximately 1 mm.
A structurally simple arrangement or embodiment of the cover disks is furthermore obtained if the cover disks are arranged with an axial play, e.g. of from 0.5 mm to 4 mm, for instance approximately 1 mm, below the cavities of the cover plate. Moreover, for reasons of space, it is advantageous if the cavities of the cover plate are generally circular just like the cover disks. In this connection it is also suitable for safety reasons if the diameter of the cover disks is somewhat larger than the diameter of the cavities.
According to a further preferred embodiment of the invention it is provided that the upper sides of the cover disks and of the cover plate extend on the same level. Such a flush, i.e. level, arrangement of all the cover elements meets the safety efforts particularly well. Also the restricted space or structural height available within the shunt construction is optimally used. A mounting for the rollers which is particularly advantageous in terms of safety is characterized in that the cover disks are inserted in the circular cavities of the cover plate with a radial play of from 0.5 mm to 4 mm, for instance approximately 1 mm.
Thus, in the afore-mentioned embodiments or designs of the cover disks it is ensured to a great extent that matter larger than the determined minimum gap between the mentioned moving and stationary structural parts of the shunt cannot enter between the rotating rollers and the cover disks, on the one hand, and between the pivotable cover disks and the recesses of the stationary cover plates, on the other hand.
To mount the rollers so as to be pivotable about a vertical axis it is also advantageous if the rollers are mounted on the legs of U-shaped bows, the cover disks being fastened to the, preferably outwardly angled, upper ends of the legs. By this measure, the cover plates can be mounted in a simple manner such that they are pivotable together with the rollers, and in case of need, the U-shaped bows can be exchanged quickly and simply together with the rollers after taking off the cover plate, without the aid of a tool.
For a structural simple pivoting of the rollers it is suitable if a bearing bushing is centrally arranged on the lower side of the base of the respective U-shaped bow, which bearing bushing is slipped onto a bearing pin fastened to a cross member of the frame of the shunt. Here, too, it may advantageously be provided that for pivoting the rollers about the axle of the bearing pin, the base of the U-shaped bow comprises a laterally outwardly arranged, optionally circular-arc-shaped long hole, in which a pin engages which is fastened to a connecting rod. In this manner, advantageously a simultaneous pivoting of the rollers is enabled by a small number of structural elements, resulting also in a low wear of the structural elements in this construction. With a view to an effective drive with rugged control means, it is also advantageous if a pneumatic cylinder is associated to the connecting rod as a drive.
To be able to carry out mounting of the shunt or maintenance jobs on the shunt quickly and in a simple manner, it is also suitable if the cover plate is fixable, or fixed, respectively, on the frame of the shunt by means of snap connections, e.g. in the form of ball catches.
To drive the rollers, it is particularly suitable if the frame of the shunt is formed by U-shaped cross members each having two superposed C-shaped section rails at their ends, and the bearings for the rollers are fastened to the cross members. In this manner, it becomes possible in an advantageous way to produce the shunt in modular construction and to quickly install it into conveyors to be newly set up or already existing. To achieve a simple roller drive, it is also advantageous if the rollers have a central peripheral groove in which a driving belt engages which is guided around a drive roller mounted below the rollers. Here, too, it is suitable if each drive roller as well as carrying rollers optionally located in the section of the shunt are driven by a common driving belt. In this manner, merely a single drive motor i
Freudelsperger Karl
W{umlaut over (u)}nscher Eduard
Knapp Logistik Automation Gellschaft m.b.H.
Noland Kenneth W.
Sughrue Mion Zinn Macpeak & Seas, PLLC
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