Railways – Switches
Reexamination Certificate
2000-07-18
2001-12-25
Morano, S. Joseph (Department: 3617)
Railways
Switches
C104S130110, C104S130070, C104S089000, C246S434000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06332405
ABSTRACT:
The invention relates to a diverter for a conveying apparatus, in particular a suspended conveying apparatus, in which conveyable-article carriers provided with running rollers are guided such that they can be moved on running profiles of running rails, wherein the diverter has a diverter tongue which is designed as a movable running rail and, at one end, is connected to a connection end of a first running-rail section via an articulated arrangement so as to be pivotable between two diverter positions such that the diverter-tongue end remote from the articulated arrangement can be connected optionally to a free end of a second running-rail section or to a free end of a third running-rail section, wherein the articulated arrangement has a running-profile bridging element which connects the running profile of the first running-rail section, at the connection end thereof, to the running profile of the diverter tongue, at the end thereof which is adjacent to the first running-rail section, the bridging element being mounted such that it can be pivoted about a first pivot axis at the connection end of the first running-rail section and such that it can be pivoted about a second pivot axis, which is essentially parallel to the first pivot axis, at the adjacent end of the diverter tongue.
DE 38 19 009 A1 discloses a diverter for a suspended conveying arrangement in which the running rails have an approximately roof-like profile with oblique running surfaces for the running rollers of conveyable-article carriers which can be moved along the running rails. The conveyable-article carriers are so-called V-trolleys which are supported on the running surfaces of the running rails in a suspended manner by way of running-roller pairs, the running rollers of a running-roller pair being connected to one another in each case by an approximately V-shaped bracket which encloses the relevant running rail on its underside and has means for fastening conveyable articles, for example items of clothing hanging on clothes hangers, on its underside.
In the diverter according to DE 38 19 009 A1, the diverter tongue is connected directly to the connection end of the first running-rail section via a pivot pin. The diverter tongue may be pivoted optionally into three different diverter positions in order to connect the first running-rail section to a second, a third or a fourth running-rail section for the continued advancement of conveyable-article carriers. In a first diverter position, the diverter tongue is aligned essentially rectilinearly with the first running-rail section. In the other two diverter positions, however, the diverter tongue is pivoted relative to the first running-rail section, with the result that there is an inflexion, and thus discontinuity, of the running path at the transition location from the first running-rail section to the diverter tongue. The more pronounced this inflection is, the less steadily do the conveyable-article carriers run as they pass the transition location between the first running-rail section and the diverter tongue. In particular in the case of conveyable-article carriers which are subjected to relatively pronounced loading, the running rollers undergo jerky deflection in the transition region between the first running-rail section and diverter tongue, with the result that there may be impact loading between the running rollers and the elements of the diverter. Irrespective of the running noise produced by the conveyable-article carriers in this case, the running rollers and the bearings thereof as well as the elements of the diverter are subjected to increased wear on account of said impact loading. For the abovementioned reasons, this type of diverter which is well-regarded on account of its straightforward construction, has been used up until now predominantly in conveying apparatuses in which the conveyable-article carriers only have to transport relatively small loads.
A diverter of the type mentioned in the introduction is known from German Utility Model 19 16 359. This known diverter already has a running-profile bridging element or intermediate element, between the first running-rail section and the diverter tongue which is mounted such that it can be pivoted about a first pivot axis at the connection end of the first running-rail section and such that it can be pivoted about a second pivot axis, which is essentially parallel to the first pivot axis, at the adjacent end of the diverter tongue.
The running-profile bridging element bridges a distance between the mutually adjacent running-profile ends of the first running-rail section and the diverter tongue. If the diverter tongue is pivoted into a position which is angled in relation to the first running-rail section, with the result that it forms an angle of inflection with the first running-rail section, then it is also possible for the running-profile bridging element to be moved into an angled position relative to the first running-rail section, but also relative to the diverter tongue, although the angles which the running-profile bridging element forms with the first running-rail section and with the diverter tongue are each smaller than the angle of inflection between the first running-rail section and the diverter tongue. This results in the running rollers of conveyable-article carriers, in the transition region from the first running-rail section to the diverter tongue, undergoing two relatively gentle deflections, namely when they roll from the running surfaces of the first running-rail section onto the running surfaces of the running-profile bridging element, which is provided with a corresponding running profile, and when they pass from the running surfaces of the running-profile bridging element onto the running surfaces of the diverter tongue. Corresponding conditions apply when a conveyable-article carrier passes the transition location from the direction of the diverter tongue.
In the diverter according to German Utility Model 19 16 359, the running-profile bridging element or intermediate element causes separating locations of shallow curvature which act in each case as continuous interruptions or as transverse gaps in the path for the running rollers of the relevant conveyable-article carriers. These transverse-gap-like interruptions in the running path cause the running rollers of the conveyable-article carriers to run unsteadily as they pass the transition between the first running-rail section and the diverter tongue, with the result that this partially balances out the advantage, achieved by the running-profile bridging element, of reducing the inflection between the first running-rail section and the diverter tongue in a relevant deflecting position of the diverter tongue.
The object of the invention is to improve a diverter of the generic type, as mentioned in the introduction, using straightforward means to the effect that it has less of an adverse effect on the smooth running of the conveyable-article carriers as they pass the transition between the first running-rail section and the diverter tongue.
In order to achieve this object, the invention proposes that in a transition region between the running profile of the first running-rail section and the bridging element—as seen in plan view—in each case one running-roller guide surface (running surface) of the first running-rail section and one running-roller guide surface (running surface) of the bridging element run one beside the other in the conveying direction for respectively supporting a running roller of a conveyable-article carrier, and/or that in a transition region between the bridging element and the running profile of the diverter tongue—as seen in plan view in each case one running-roller guide surface of the bridging element and one running-roller guide surface of the diverter tongue run one beside the other in the conveying direction for respectively supporting a running roller of a conveyable-article carrier.
The running-roller guide surfaces of the relevant elements of the first running-rail section and brid
Arent Fox Kinter Plotkin & Kahn PLLC
Jules Frantz F.
Morano S. Joseph
WF Logistik GmbH
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