CN102227533B - Device for transferring articles and conveying equipment with such a device - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a device for transferring a transport carriage (20) that can be moved on a rail system (12) from a first rail section (14) of the rail system (12), which is arranged at a first height, to a second rail section (16) of the rail system (12), which is arranged at a second height different from the first height. The device (34; 1034; 2034; 3034) comprises at least a first transfer carriage (42; 1042; 2042; 3042) and a second transfer carriage (60; 1060; 2060; 3060), each of which can carry at least one transport carriage (20) to be transferred, the first and second transfer carriages being movable in opposition to each other between the two levels. The invention further relates to a transport device for transporting articles, comprising such a transfer device (34; 1034; 2034; 3034).

Description

Device for transferring articles and conveying equipment with such a device

technical field

The invention relates to a device for transferring (transferring) a transport trolley movable on a rail system from a first rail section of the rail system to a second rail section of the rail system, said first rail section being arranged on At the first level, the second rail section is arranged at a second level different from the first level. Such devices are required, for example, in electric overhead conveyors/electric trolleys with rail system sections arranged at different heights.

Furthermore, the invention also relates to a conveying device for conveying articles, comprising:

a) a rail system comprising a first rail section arranged at a first level and a second rail section arranged at a second level different from the first level superior;

b) a plurality of drivable transport carriages, by means of which transport carriages at least one article can be moved on said track system;

c) A transfer device with which the transport trolleys can be transferred from the first rail section to the second rail section.

Background technique

Level differences between rail sections of such a conveyor system can be bridged/bridged, for example, by inclined rail sections. However, the inclination of such inclined rail sections relative to the horizontal plane must not be too great, so that the transport trolleys can pass the ascending or descending section without difficulty. The length of such an inclined rail section in the conveying direction therefore always depends on the height difference to be overcome between rail system rail sections arranged at two different heights and the maximum possible inclination of the inclined section arranged between them .

In order to save this necessary installation space in the conveying direction, arrangements of the type mentioned at the outset are sometimes used. A device of this type known from the market comprises transfer skids (trolleys) which can be moved between a level corresponding to the lower rail section and a level corresponding to the upper rail section of the rail system. Here, the necessary installation space in the conveying direction is minimal if the transfer slides are moved vertically.

If it is desired, for example, to transfer from a lower rail section to an upper rail section of the rail system, the transfer carriage receives the transport trolley from the lower rail section, moves to the upper rail section, and leaves the transport trolley at the upper rail section. Then, the transfer slide, now empty, moves again to the lower rail section, where it receives another transport trolley, and so on.

However, the transfer capacity of such transfer devices is limited. Especially in electric overhead conveyors with a large number of conveying trolleys, situations can arise in which a very large number of conveying trolleys have to be transferred from the lower rail section to the upper rail section, or vice versa, in the shortest possible time.

In order to increase the maximum transport capacity when transferring the conveying trolleys, two transfer devices of the above-mentioned type are usually used in parallel, wherein the rail sections are each connected to the two transfer devices via a switch/transfer device. However, this solution is relatively costly, since two transfer devices and two switch devices are required, wherein the switch devices also require corresponding control elements.

Contents of the invention

It is therefore the object of the present invention to improve a device of the type mentioned at the outset in order to increase its transport capacity cost-effectively.

For a device of the type mentioned at the outset, this object is achieved in that the device comprises at least a first transfer slide and a second transfer slide, each of which can carry at least one conveyor belt to be transferred. The trolley, the first transfer slide and the second transfer slide are movable in opposite directions to each other between the two levels.

The transport capacity of the device can be doubled by having the transfer device comprise two transfer slides that can move in opposite directions between two levels. For this purpose, the transfer slides are arranged, for example, in such a way that when one transfer slide is at the height corresponding to the upper rail section of the rail system, the second transfer slide is at the corresponding height of the lower rail section of the rail system. In this way, for example, a transport trolley can be moved at the bottom onto the second transfer slide, while a transport trolley which has already been transferred with the first transfer slide at the top can be moved onto the upper rail section. Then, when the second transfer slide is moved upwards, the first transfer slide can be moved down towards the lower rail section of the track system during this period, so that the positions of the two transfer slides are reversed. Then, at the top, a transport trolley can be moved out of the transfer device again, and at the bottom, a transport trolley can be moved into the transfer device, without first having to move the transfer slide at the top downwards, as in known transfer devices. Repeat the transfer process.

Advantageous developments of the invention are specified in the dependent claims.

It is particularly advantageous if the transfer slides are each movable along vertical guide rails. This minimizes the installation space necessary for the transfer device in the conveying direction.

For the reversing movement between the two heights, it must be taken into account that the two transfer slides are not hindered on their travel path, in particular that one of the slides does not collide with the transport trolley carried by the other transfer slide. This is achieved in that at least one of the two transfer slides has a bearing for the transport trolley, which is mounted so as to be pivotable about a pivot axis. This measure makes it possible for the interfering parts of one of the transfer slides to pass from the area of influence of the oncoming other transfer slide or possibly to be carried by the other transfer slide when the two transfer slides pass opposite each other. placed in the zone of influence of the conveying trolley.

It is particularly advantageous here if the pivot axis extends horizontally.

It may also be advantageous in this respect if at least one of the two transfer slides is displaceable horizontally. This also prevents collisions of oncoming transfer slides.

This can be achieved, for example, in that the transfer slide is guided by a support structure which is displaceable horizontally. In this case, the two transfer slides are for example not displaceable (horizontally) relative to each other, but horizontally together with the bearing structure guiding it.

It is advantageous for the support structure to run on horizontal guide rails by means of rollers. This enables force-guided, precise movements.

In a variant, it is advantageous if the vertical guide rail for the transfer slide comprises an upper section, a middle section and a lower section, and a drive unit is provided by means of which the upper section and the lower section can be moved horizontally. In this case, the transfer slides can be moved horizontally together with the movable upper or lower section, whereby a relative movement of the two transfer slides in the horizontal direction is achieved.

It is advantageous here if the drive unit is arranged such that the transfer slides can be moved horizontally independently of one another. This makes it possible to achieve specific conditions when transferring the transport trolley. In addition, maintenance is facilitated in this way.

It is particularly advantageous that the guide rail comprises a first middle section and a second middle section arranged to be spaced apart from each other in the horizontal direction, wherein the upper section and the lower section of the vertical guide rail can respectively be positioned at respective first position and a respective second position in which the upper and lower sections are aligned with the first middle section in the respective first positions and in which the upper and lower sections are aligned with the second middle section in the respective second positions alignment. This means that each of the two transfer slides is not assigned a lower rail section, a middle rail section and an upper rail section respectively. Rather, the (two) transfer slides share a unique lower section and a unique upper section.

It is also the object of the invention to provide a conveying device of the type mentioned at the outset, which takes into account the concept described above.

Based on a conveyor system of the type mentioned at the outset, this object is achieved in the following way:

d) Providing a transfer device according to one of claims 1 to 10 as transfer device.

The transfer device according to the invention can be used particularly well and efficiently if the conveying installation is designed in the type of an electric overhead conveyor.

Description of drawings

Exemplary embodiments of the invention are described in detail below with reference to the drawings. In the attached picture:

1 shows a partial side view of a conveyor system for conveying goods, wherein schematically shows a device for transferring a conveyor trolley between two rail sections arranged at different heights;

2 to 5 each show a view of the first embodiment of the transfer device in the conveying direction, wherein different stages are shown when the conveying trolley is transferred from the lower rail section to the upper rail section of the rail system;

FIG. 6 shows a view corresponding to FIGS. 2 to 5 of a second embodiment of the transfer device;

FIG. 7 shows a view corresponding to FIG. 6 of a third embodiment of the transfer device;

Figure 8 shows a view of a fourth embodiment of the transfer device in the conveying direction;

FIG. 9 shows a side view of the transfer device of FIG. 8 .

Detailed ways

In FIG. 1 , a conveyor system designed in the manner of an electric overhead conveyor for conveying goods is indicated generally by 10 , a detail of which is shown. The conveying device 10 comprises a rail system 12 comprising a first support rail 14 and a second support rail 16 which extend above a bottom (floor) 18 at different height levels . The first support rail 14 is arranged at a first level and the second support rail 16 is arranged at a second level, the first level being located below the second level.

The support rails 14 and 16 are conventionally designed as I-shaped profiles and are suspended in a known manner on a support structure (not shown here).

Furthermore, the conveying device 10 comprises a plurality of conveying carriages 20 , of which three conveying carriages 20 a , 20 b , 20 c are shown in FIG. 1 , which are movable on support rails 14 , 16 . Arrow 22 indicates the direction of transport of the goods to be transported along the support rails 14 , 16 by means of the transport device.

Along the support rails 14 , 16 run conductor wires/contact wires, not specifically shown, which are used for power supply and signal transmission of the transport trolley 20 . Such a contact wire corresponds to the prior art.

Each transport trolley 20 includes a mobile mechanism 24 that grabs the support rail 14 or 16, and supports at least one support roller 26 (see FIGS. 16 and absorbs the load delivered by the transport trolley 20. Each conveying trolley 20 is driven by means of a motor not specifically shown here, which is powered and driven in a conventional manner via the trolley wires, and which is prevented by known measures from the movement mechanism 24 relative to the Tumble and tilt in vertical and horizontal planes.

In order to be able to transport objects with the transport trolley 20 , the transport trolley includes a suspension device 28 which is connected via a connecting element 30 to the displacement mechanism 24 of the transport trolley 20 .

Between the lower support rail 14 and the upper support rail 16, there is a transfer device 32 (shown only schematically in FIG. On the support rail 16. By means of the transfer device 32, the transport trolley 20 can overcome the height difference between the lower support rail 14 and the upper support rail 16 without providing for this purpose an ascending section of the rail system 12 which is necessarily in the conveying direction compared to the transfer device 32 has a greater extension length.

FIG. 2 shows a transfer station 34 as a first exemplary embodiment of the transfer device 32 . The transfer station is designed in the form of a portal and comprises a support frame 36 with a first vertical rail 38 and a second vertical rail 40 . Viewed in the conveying direction, the vertical guide rails 38 and 40 extend respectively to the left and to the right of a vertical plane defined by the support rails 14 and 16 arranged one above the other in the vertical direction.

The first transfer slide 42 is guided by the first vertical guide rail 38 such that it can only be moved in the vertical direction indicated by the double arrow 44 in FIG. 2 . To this end, the first transfer slide 42 comprises a slide displacement mechanism 46 supported by guide rollers 48 cooperating with the first vertical guide rail 38, said guide rollers being able to respectively The horizontally extending axis of rotation rotates.

A cantilever 50 is articulated on the sliding plate displacement mechanism 46, said cantilever can be pivoted by means of a articulated mechanism 52 about a horizontal pivot axis 54 between a support position and an idle operation (visible in FIG. 5 ), which can be seen in FIG. The horizontal pivot axis extends parallel to the conveying direction 22 . The free end 56 of the boom 50 opposite the articulation 52 supports a rail section 58 which has the same I-shaped profile as the support rails 14 and 16 . The dimensions of the boom 50 and the arrangement of the rail sections 58 on the boom are coordinated/adjusted so that when the boom 50 of the first transfer slide 42 is in its support position, the rail section 58 is arranged at the position defined by the support rails 14 and 16. in the vertical plane. In the unloaded operating position of the boom 50 , it pivots upwards about the pivot axis 54 so that the rail section 58 is at a distance from the vertical plane defined by the support rails 14 and 16 . This will be explained again below.

In addition, the transfer station 34 also includes a second transfer slide 60, which is substantially identical in structure to the first transfer slide 42, so that parts corresponding to the parts of the first transfer slide 42 are placed on the second transfer slide 60. are indicated with the same reference numerals.

The second transfer slide 60 is also moved with its guide rollers 48 on the second vertical rail 40 in such a way that it can only move in the vertical direction (see double arrow 44 ).

Unlike the first transfer slide 42 , the rail section 58 is not mounted directly on the free end 56 of the boom 50 . Instead, the free end 56 of the cantilever 50 of the second transfer slide 60 has a holding structure 62 that catches its rail section 58 so that the rail section 58 of the second transfer slide 60 is supported on the rail of the cantilever 50 of the first transfer slide 42 . Segment 58 on the same side. Therefore, leave a distance between the rail section 58 of the second transfer slide 60 and the free end 56 of the boom 50 of the second transfer slide 60, so that the moving mechanism 24 of the transport trolley 20 can move to the rail of the second transfer slide 60 section 58, where it is also held by retaining structure 62 (see FIG. 5).

The suspension arms 50 of the first transfer slide 42 and the second transfer slide 60 comprise a support rod 64 which bears against the respective slide displacement mechanism 46 when the respective suspension arm 50 is in its support position. As a result, in the transfer slides 42 and 60 the boom 50 is prevented from further pivoting downwards when said boom is in its bearing position.

The support frame 36 of the transfer station 34 comprises a top beam 66 which supports two diverting rollers 68 and 70 which are each rotatable about a horizontal axis of rotation which is parallel to the conveying direction 22 extend. A drive pinion 74 drivable by means of an electric motor 72 is arranged between deflection rollers 68 and 70 . The respective upward facing end faces 76 of the transfer slides 42 and 62 are connected to each other by a chain 78 which runs on deflection rollers 68 , drive sprockets 74 and deflection rollers 70 . The diverting rollers 68 and 70 are positioned such that the chain 78 extends substantially vertically downward from the diverting roller 68 to the first transfer sled 42 and from the diverting roller 70 to the second transfer sled 60 substantially vertically. .

In a variant, instead of the chain 78 , it is also possible to use cables, belts or the like with known drive units adapted to them.

Drive pinion 74 can be selectively rotated by means of electric motor 72 in a first direction indicated by arrow 80 or in a direction opposite to the first direction indicated by arrow 82 . If the drive pinion 74 is turned in the direction of the arrow 80, the first transfer slide 42 is moved upwards and the second transfer slide 60 is moved downwards. However, if the drive pinion 74 is rotated in the direction of the arrow 82, the first transfer slide 42 moves downward and the second transfer slide 60 moves upward. The first transfer slide 42 and the second transfer slide 60 can move in opposite directions. This is achieved in this embodiment by the following method: the first transfer slide 42 and the second transfer slide 60 are connected to each other by a chain 78 .

The operating principle of the above-mentioned transfer station 34 is as follows:

The first transfer slide 42 is shown in FIG. 2 in its lowest position, where it is at a first height. In this lowermost position of the first transfer slide 42 , the rail section 58 of the first transfer slide is aligned with the lower support rail 14 of the rail system 12 .

Instead, the second transfer slide 60 is in its uppermost position, in which the second transfer slide is at the second height. In this uppermost position, the rail section 58 of the second transfer carriage 60 is aligned with the upper support rail 16 of the rail system 12 .

The transport trolley 20 a (see FIG. 1 ), rolling on the lower support rail 14 , now reaches the transfer station 34 , wherein it moves onto the rail section 58 of the first transfer carriage 42 . In this position, the transport trolley 20a is fixed to the rail section 58 of the first transfer carriage 42 by means of a braking device (not specifically shown here).

At this time, the drive pinion 74 is moved in the direction of the arrow 80 by means of the motor 72, so that the first transfer slide 42 moves upward with the transport trolley 20a, and the unloaded second transfer slide 60 moves downward. This is shown in FIG. 3 . When the second transfer slide 60 moved downward, the cantilever 50 of the second transfer slide 60 was swung upward by the hinge mechanism 32, as can be seen in FIG. The boom 50 does not collide with the transport trolley 20a held by the first transfer slide 42. This pivoting of the boom 50 of the second transfer slide 60 can be realized, for example, by means of an electric motor (not specifically shown here) or by means of a known link guide.

The first transfer slide 42 moves upwards with the conveying trolley 20a until the first transfer slide is in its highest position in the transfer station 34, in which the first transfer slide is in a position different from that of the previous first transfer slide 42. On the same height (referring to Fig. 4) during its highest position (height at which).

The rail section 58 of the first transfer slide 42 is now aligned with the upper rail section 16 of the rail system 12 . At this point, the transport trolley 20a moves from the rail section 58 of the first transfer slide 42 onto the upper support rail 16 of the rail system 12 and from there continues to its specific location.

At this moment, the second transfer slide 60 is in its lowest position within the transfer station 34, in which the second transfer slide is in the same position as the first transfer slide 42 in its lowest position (the height) at the same height, the boom 50 of the second transfer slide 60 is now in its bearing position again, so that the rail section 58 is aligned with the lower support rail 14 of the rail system 12 along the conveying direction 22 .

While at the top (of the transfer station) the transport trolley 20 a leaves the first transfer carriage 42 , at the bottom in the transfer station another transport trolley 20 d moves onto the rail section 58 of the second transfer carriage 60 . The drive pinion 74 is then moved by means of the motor 72 in the direction of the arrow 82 , whereby the first transfer slide 42 is moved downwards in the unloaded state, while the second transfer slide 60 is moved upwards with the transport trolley 20 d. Furthermore, the boom 50 of the first transfer slide 42 is in its idling operating position, in which it swivels upwards about a pivot axis 54 when it moves downwards.

The drive pinion 74 moves in the direction of the arrow 82 until the first slide 42 is in its lowest position shown in FIG. Highest position in station 34. The boom 50 of the first transfer slide 42 is again moved into its bearing position. At this time, when at the top, the conveying trolley 20d moves from the second transfer slide 60 to the upper support rail 16 of the track system 12, another conveying trolley 20 can move onto the first transfer slide 42 at the bottom, and the above can be repeated. process.

The transfer station 34 can also be used to transfer the transport trolley 20 from the upper support rail 16 of the track system 12 to the lower support rail 14 . In this case, when the transfer slides 40 and 60 are moved upwards, the suspension arms 50 of these transfer slides are respectively in their idling position. In principle, the booms 50 of the transfer slides 42 and 60 are in the no-load operating position when the transfer slides 42 and 60 pass by each other.

A transfer station 1034 is shown in FIG. 6 as a second exemplary embodiment of the transfer device 32 . Components in this transfer station that correspond to those of the transfer station 34 according to FIGS. 2 to 5 are designated with the same reference numerals plus 1000 .

The main difference between the transfer slides 1042 and 1060 of the transfer station 1034 and the transfer slides 42 and 60 is that each cantilever 1050 is rigidly connected to the corresponding slide moving mechanism 1046 respectively.

The cantilevers 1050 of the transfer slides 1042 and 1060 are designed such that their rail sections 1058 do not extend in a common vertical plane, but are arranged laterally offset from each other as viewed along the conveying direction 22, so that the transfer slides 1042 and 1060 can The cantilevers 1050 pass by each other without colliding with each other.

In order to be able to transfer a transport trolley 20 from the lower support rail 14 of the rail system 12 to the upper support rail 16 , the support frame 1036 of the transfer station 1034 can be reciprocated in a horizontal direction perpendicular to the transport direction 22 .

For this purpose, the support frame 1036 of the transfer station 1034 is supported on rollers 1084 rolling in guide rails 1086 anchored on the bottom 18 of the conveyor device 10 . The support frame 1036 of the transfer station 1034 is connected to the piston rod 1088 of a hydraulic cylinder 1090, whereby the support frame 1036 can reciprocate between two positions, wherein at one position the rail section 1058 of the first transfer slide 1042 can be in contact with The lower support rail 14 or the upper support rail 16 of the track system 112 is aligned, while at another location the rail segment 1058 of the second transfer slide 1060 may be aligned with the lower support rail 14 or the upper support rail 16 of the track system 112 .

During the transfer, for example, firstly the support frame 1036 of the transfer station 1034 is moved into a position in which the rail section 1058 of the first transfer slide 1042 is aligned in its lowest position with the lower support rail 14 of the rail system 12 . A transfer trolley 20 is then moved onto the first transfer skid 1042 and conveyed upwardly as described above until the rail segments 1058 of the first transfer skid 1042 are aligned with the upper support rails 16 of the track system 12 .

At this moment, the second transfer skid 1060 , which is at this moment in its lowest position in the transfer station 1034 , is laterally displaced relative to the lower support rail 14 of the rail system 12 .

After the transport trolley 20 has moved from the first transfer slide 1042 onto the upper support rail 16 of the rail system 12, the support frame 1036 of the transfer station 1034 is moved to a position as follows by correspondingly controlling the hydraulic cylinder 1090: The rail section 1058 of the second transfer skid 1060 in its lowest position is now aligned with the lower support rail 14 of the rail system 12 . At this time, another transport trolley 20 can be moved from the lower support rail 14 onto the second transfer slide 1060 and correspondingly transferred to the upper support rail 16 of the rail system 12 .

Then, the support frame 1036 is moved again by correspondingly controlling the hydraulic cylinder 1090 to a position in which the first transfer slide 1042, which is now in its lowest position in the transfer station 1034, is arranged such that Its rail section 1058 is aligned with the lower support rail 14 of the rail system 12 .

In FIG. 7 , a transfer station 2034 is shown as a further embodiment of the transfer device, wherein parts corresponding to parts of the transfer station 1034 of FIG. 6 have the same reference numerals plus 1000 .

Instead of the support frame 1046, the transfer station 2034 has a support column 2092, which forms vertical guide rails 2038 and 2040 on the (two) sides facing each other, respectively, said guide rails being connected to the first transfer slide 2042 and the second transfer slide 2060 collective effect.

Here, the chains 2078 are only guided by the drive pinions 2074, which are dimensioned such that the chains 2078 extend substantially vertically downwards to the respective transfer slides 2042 and 2060, respectively.

The arms 50 or 1050 of the transfer slides 42 and 60 or 1042 and 1060 in the transfer stations 34 and 1034 face each other, respectively, while the arms 2050 of the transfer slides 2042 and 2060 of the transfer station 2034 face away from each other.

In other respects, however, transfer station 2034 operates in the same way as described above for transfer station 1034 according to FIG. 6 .

FIGS. 8 and 9 show a transfer station 3034 as a further exemplary embodiment of the transfer device 32 , wherein the same components as those of the transfer station 2034 according to FIG. 7 are designated with the same reference numerals plus 1000 .

The transfer station 3034 includes a support structure 3094 which is anchored laterally beside the support rails 14 , 16 of the rail system 12 on the bottom 18 of the conveyor system 10 .

On the front side of the support structure 3094 towards the support rails 14, 16, a front vertical guide rail 3096 is provided, which is designed as an I-shaped profile, and on the back side of the support structure 3094 facing away from the support rails 14, 16, a front vertical guide rail 3096 is provided. There is a structurally identical rear vertical guide rail 3098. These guide rails 3096, 3098 extend above the lower support rail 14 of the rail system 12 and below the upper support rail 16 of the rail system 12 in a region 3100, the guide rails 3096, 3098 are of the same length and are arranged flush with each other at the top and bottom .

A vertical upper guide rail 3102 is provided above the guide rails 3096, 3098, the cross section of the upper guide rail corresponds to the cross section of the guide rails 3096 and 3098 respectively, and the upper guide rail 3102 can be in a final position (located at the rearmost position) and a forward-most position (at the front-most position), in which the upper rail is aligned with the rear rail 3098, and in the forward-most position, where the upper rail is aligned with the front rail 3096 . To this end, the upper guide rail 3102 is rigidly connected to the piston rod 3108 of a correspondingly oriented hydraulic cylinder 3110 , which acts as the displacement mechanism. Thus, the upper guide rail 3102 follows the translational movement of the piston rod 3108 . Furthermore, the rigid connection of the upper guide rail 3102 to the piston rod 3108 prevents the upper guide rail 3102 from tilting relative to a vertical plane.

In a similar manner below the guide rails 3096 , 3098 is provided a vertical lower guide rail 3112 , the cross-section of which corresponds to the cross-section of the guide rails 3096 , 3098 and the upper guide rail 3102 . The lower rail 3112 is also movable horizontally between a rearmost position in which it is aligned with the rear rail 3098 and a forwardmost position in which the lower rail is aligned with the front rail 3096. allow. To this end, the lower guide rail 3112 is rigidly connected to the piston rod 3118 of a correspondingly aligned hydraulic cylinder 3120 , which acts as a displacement mechanism for the lower guide rail 3112 .

In this embodiment, the two transfer slides 3042 and 3060 are constructed identically, ie the free ends of the cantilever arms 3050 carry rail segments 3058 in both transfer slides 3042 , 3060 . Transfer carriages 3042 and 3060 run in guide rails 3096 , 3098 or guide rails 3102 , 3112 , wherein the carriage displacement mechanisms 3046 of the transfer carriages are designed such that they grip guide rails 3096 , 3098 or guide rails 3102 , 3112 . The cantilever arms 3050 of the transfer slides each project in the direction of the support rails 14 , 16 of the rail system 12 .

The first transfer slide and the second transfer slide also support lateral guide rollers 3104 and 3114 (see FIG. 8 ) which can roll in an upper horizontal track 3106 and a lower horizontal track 3116 which set At the level of the upper guide rail 3012 , the lower horizontal rail is arranged at the level of the lower guide rail 3112 .

The transfer station 3034 includes two lower diverting rollers 3122, 3124 supported on the support structure 3094, the lower diverting rollers are fixed on a common drive shaft 3126, which can be driven by means of a motor 3128, and the drive shaft 3126 The axis of is parallel to the conveying direction 22 of the conveying device 10 .

In addition, the transfer station 3034 includes an upper diverting roller 3130 supported above on the support structure in vertical alignment with the lower diverting roller 3122; Another upper diverting roller 3132 on the top is vertically aligned with the lower diverting roller 3124. The upper diverting rollers 3130, 3132 are not driven.

An endless chain 3134 runs on the diverting roller pairs 3122 , 3130 arranged one above the other in the vertical direction, and an endless chain 3136 runs on the diverting roller pairs 3124 , 3132 arranged one above the other in the vertical direction. The endless chains 3134 , 3136 are provided with entrainers (not specifically shown here), which can cooperate with the transfer slides 3042 and 3060 .

Adjacent to the end portion of the upper horizontal rail 3106 and the end portion of the lower horizontal rail 3116 respectively, an upper stop 3138 and a lower stop 3140 are provided, and the upper stop and the lower stop are aligned with the lateral direction of the transfer slide plates 3042 and 3060. The guide rollers 3104 and 3114 cooperate in the manner described below.

The working principle of the transfer station 3034 is as follows:

In the stage shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 of the transfer process, the guide rollers 3048 of the first transfer slide 3042 are located in the upper guide rail 3108 by correspondingly controlling the hydraulic cylinder 3110 to move into its final position, while its Lateral guide rollers 3104 and 3114 abut against upper stop 3138 , thereby preventing further upward movement of first transfer slide 3042 .

The lower guide rail 3112 is moved into its forwardmost position by correspondingly actuating the hydraulic cylinder 3120 assigned to the lower guide rail 3112 . The guide rollers 3048 of the second transfer skid 3060 are located in the lower guide rail 3108 in a vertical position in which its rail segments 3058 are aligned with the lower support rails 14 of the rail system 12 of the conveying device 10 . In this case, the lateral guide rollers 3104 and 3114 of the second transfer slide abut against the lower stop 3140 , so that the second transfer slide 3060 is prevented from moving downward.

The transport trolley 20 of the transport system 10 has moved from the lower support rail 14 of the rail system 12 onto the second transfer carriage 3060 , or onto its rail section 3058 .

At this time, the lower steering rollers 3122, 3124 are rotated by means of the motor 3128, so that the first transfer slide 3042 moves downward, while the second transfer slide 3060 moves upward with the transport trolley 20. To this end, the above-mentioned driving parts (not specifically shown) of the endless chains 3134 and 3136 act on the transfer slides 3042, 3060 respectively, thereby driving the transfer along the direction of motion of the corresponding running sections (Trum) of the endless chains 3134, 3136. skateboard.

At this point, the first transfer slide 3042 moves from the upper guide rail 3102 into the rear guide rail 3098 , while the second transfer slide 3060 moves from the lower guide rail 3112 into the front guide rail 3096 .

During the transfer slides 3042, 3060 are respectively guided by the rear guide rail and the front guide rail, the upper guide rail 3102 is moved to its frontmost position by the hydraulic cylinder 3110 assigned to the upper guide rail 3102, and the hydraulic cylinder 3110 assigned to the lower guide rail 3112 Cylinder 3120 moves the lower rail to its rearmost position.

Then, the second transfer slide 3060 moves into the upper guide rail 3102 from the front guide rail 3096 with the transport trolley 20, and the unloaded first transfer slide 3042 moves into the lower guide rail 3112 from the rear guide rail 3098. Lower deflection rollers 3122 , 3124 are driven until lateral guide rollers 3104 and 3114 of second transfer slide 3060 abut against upper stop 3138 on the front side of support structure 3094 . In this position, the rail section 3058 of the second transfer slide 3060 is aligned with the upper support rail 16 of the rail system 12 of the conveyor device 10 .

Next, the transport trolley 20 moves from the second transfer slide 3060 onto the upper support rail 16 of the track system 12 and from there drives to its assigned location.

During this time, the lower guide rail 3112 is moved together with the first transfer slide 3042 guided therein into the forwardmost position by means of the hydraulic cylinder 3120 assigned to it. In this case, the first transfer slide 3042 first rests with its lateral guide rollers 3104 , 3114 against a lower stop 3140 on the rear side of the support structure 3094 . The lateral guide rollers 3104 and 3114 of the first transfer skid then enter the lower horizontal rail 3116 . A lowering movement of the transfer slide 3042 in the lower guide rail 3112 is thereby prevented. Finally, the lateral guide rollers 3104 , 3114 of the first transfer slide 3042 reach the lower stop 3140 on the front side of the support structure 3094 . Here, the first transfer carriage 3042 is arranged vertically such that its rail section 3058 is aligned with the lower support rail 14 of the rail system 12 on which another transport trolley 20 is already approaching.

At this time, the other transport trolley 20 moves onto the first transfer slide 3042 . Simultaneously, the upper guide rail 3102 is moved together with the second transfer slide 3060 into its rearmost position in the same manner as described above for the horizontal movement of the first transfer slide 3042 . The existing situation at this time corresponds to the situation shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 , except that the positions of the first transfer slide 3042 and the second transfer slide 3060 are exchanged.

In this case, the transfer process described above is repeated accordingly.

Claims (12)

1. A kind of conveying trolley (20) that can be moved on track system (12) is transferred to the second track section (14) of track system (12) from the first track section (14) of track system (12) 16) the device on, said first rail section is arranged on a first height, said second rail section is arranged on a second height different from the first height, The device (34; 1034; 2034; 3034) comprises at least a first transfer slide (42; 1042; 2042; 3042) and a second transfer slide (60; 1060; 2060; 3060), the first transfer slide and the second transfer slide The two transfer slides can respectively carry at least one conveying trolley (20) to be transferred, and the first transfer slide and the second transfer slide can move between the first height and the second height in opposite directions to each other, Its characteristics are: The first transfer slide (42; 1042; 2042; 3042) and the second transfer slide (60; 1060; 2060; 3060) can be on the same first rail segment (14) and the same second rail segment ( 16) Move between. 2. by the device of claim 1, it is characterized in that: described transfer slide plate (42; 1042; 2042; 3042; 60; 1060; 2060; 3060) can be respectively along vertical guide rail (38,40; 1038,1040; 2038, 2040; 3096, 3098, 3012, 3112) move. 3. The device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: at least one of the two transfer slides (42; 1042; 2042; 3042; 60; 1060; 2060; 3060) has a transport trolley (20) The support device (50, 58, 62; 1050, 1058, 1062; 2050, 2058, 2062; 3050, 3058) is supported in a swingable manner around a swing axis (54). 4. The device as claimed in claim 3, characterized in that the pivot axis (54) extends horizontally. 5. The device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that at least one of the two transfer slides (1042; 2042; 3042; 1060; 2060; 3060) is displaceable horizontally. 6. The device as claimed in claim 5, characterized in that the transfer slide (1042; 1060; 2042; 2060) is guided by a support structure (1036; 2092), which is displaceable horizontally. 7. The device as claimed in claim 6, characterized in that the support structure (1036; 2092) runs by means of rollers (1084; 2084) in horizontal guide rails (1086; 2086). 8. The device according to claim 5, characterized in that: the vertical guide rails (3096, 3098, 3012, 3112) for said transfer slides (3042, 3060) comprise an upper section (3012), a middle section (3096, 3098) and the lower section (3112) are provided with drive units (3110, 3120), by which the upper section (3012) and the lower section (3112) can move horizontally. 9. The device as claimed in claim 8, characterized in that the drive unit (3110, 3120) is arranged such that the transfer slides (3042, 3060) can be moved horizontally independently of one another. 10. The device according to claim 8 or 9, characterized in that: said guide rail (3096; 3098; 3012; 3112) comprises a first middle section (3096) and a second middle section (3098), said first middle section and second middle section The middle sections are arranged horizontally spaced apart from each other, wherein the upper section (3012) and the lower section (3112) of the vertical rails (3096; 3098; 3012; 3112) respectively can move between the respective first position and the respective second position movement, the upper and lower sections are aligned with the first middle section (3096) in their respective first positions, and the upper and lower sections are aligned with the second middle section (3096) in their respective second positions 3098) alignment. 11. A conveying device for conveying items, comprising: a) track system (12), this track system comprises a first track section (14) and a second track section (16), said first track section is arranged on a first height, and said second track section is arranged at a distance from at a second height different from the first height; b) a plurality of drivable transport carriages (20), by means of which transport carriages at least one article can be moved on said track system (12); c) a transfer device (32), with which the transport trolley (20) can be transferred from the first rail section (14) to the second rail section (16), Its characteristics are: d) A transfer device (34; 1034; 2034; 3034) according to one of claims 1 to 10 is provided as transfer device (32). 12. Conveying device according to claim 11, characterized in that it is designed in the type of an electric overhead conveyor.