Material or article handling – Apparatus for charging a load holding or supporting element... – Load holding or supporting element including gripping means
Reexamination Certificate
1999-01-22
2001-04-03
Underwood, Donald W. (Department: 3652)
Material or article handling
Apparatus for charging a load holding or supporting element...
Load holding or supporting element including gripping means
C212S319000, C294S087100, C198S468200, C414S226050
Reexamination Certificate
active
06210093
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an apparatus for picking up and horizontally transporting a plurality of objects. More particularly this invention concerns a device for shifting a group of bottles or the like from one location to a nearby location horizontally offset therefrom.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
A standard transfer apparatus of the above-described type is typically used to load a group containing a predetermined number of bottles or other objects onto a pallet or case. An input conveyor brings the bottles into a pickup station where they are grouped in a dense array, each bottle assuming a predetermined position. Then the transfer device picks up all the bottles and moves them in a horizontal transport direction to a deposition station where they are set down, for instance positioned in the pockets of a group of six-pack containers themselves sitting a cardboard case.
Such an apparatus must be perfectly vertically aligned with the objects as they are being picked up and with the pallet or case into which they are being set. At the same time it must be able to move fairly rapidly to keep up with the upstream and downstream equipment.
While the obvious way to ensure such accurate positioning is to provide a rigid guide framework on which the lift plate can move vertically, such a solution is clearly not advisable because the extra mass is difficult to start, stop, and move rapidly. Thus recourse is made to solutions which provide the desired accurate positioning while being less massive.
In one known solution the lift plate, which typically has a plurality of suction grabs or grab bars for lifting the bottles or other objects, is carried at the lower end of four wide belts that are wound up on respective rollers on the outer end of a horizontally movable arm or carriage. The roller axes form a rectangle and the rollers are connected to each other for synchronous operation by right-angle drives so all of the belts are payed out and wound up at the same speed. Since each such wide belt is relatively stiff parallel to its plane, the result is that the lift plate remains fairly accurately positioned underneath the carriage. The considerable disadvantage of this solution is that the belts completely contain all the structure between the top of the lift plate and the bottom of the carriage, making servicing this equipment extremely difficult.
In another known solution the lift plate is carried on parallelogrammatic linkages whose links are connected together by sector gears so that they all extend and retract synchronously. Such an arrangement works fairly well, but is prone to considerable wear due to its complex mechanics. Once the sector gears and bearings start to wear, action becomes sloppy and the lift plate's position shifts relative to the overlying structure.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved transfer apparatus.
Another object is the provision of such an improved transfer apparatus which overcomes the above-given disadvantages, that is which is of simple construction, which gives ample access to its parts so as to be easy to maintain and service, and which has a long service life.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An apparatus for displacing a plurality of objects from a pickup station to a deposition station offset horizontally from the pickup station has according to the invention a support movable in a horizontal transport direction between a position directly above the pickup station and a position directly above the deposition station, an elongated lift plate underneath the support and provided with grabs for picking up and releasing the objects, a flexible belt having a lower end extending in the direction and secured to the lift plate, a drive on the support for paying out and winding in the belt and thereby raising and lowering the plate, and rigid links connected between the plate and the support for inhibiting movement of the plate perpendicular to the direction.
Thus this arrangement ensures that the plate will move horizontally with the support, not swaying or twisting, and will therefore be able to pick up and set down the objects being transported. At the same time the area between the plate and the support is left mainly open for easy access to the various parts in this area so they can be serviced, lubricated, and so on.
The plate according to the invention is rectangular and has side edges extending generally parallel to the direction. The apparatus has two such belts each connected to the drive and each having a lower edge connected to a respective one of the side edges. Normally each of the belts has a width generally equal to a length of the respective side edge.
The drive includes a coupling element such as a chain or belt for synchronously paying out and winding in the belts and thereby maintaining the plate horizontal. This coupling element can be connected between rollers on which the belts are wound.
The links in accordance with the invention are pivoted on each other, on the plate, and on the support about generally parallel axes which can be perpendicular to the movement direction to most effectively inhibit movement in this direction.
In another system according to the invention the belt is attached centrally to the plate. As in the other above-described system, here the links are connected together in scissor linkages.
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Hannen Reiner
Michels Frank
Vermeulen Norbert
Dubno Herbert
MSK-Verpackungs-Systeme Gesellschaft mit beschrankter Haftung
Underwood Donald W.
Wilford Andrew
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