EP0700816B1 - Double track conveyor installation - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an installation of double conveyors channel, such as those known under the designation "Power and Free".

This installation includes a carriage track, a motor network comprising at least a first and a second spaced motor pathway vertically from said carriage track, carts carried by the track trolleys and propulsion means carried by the drive tracks.

These propulsion means comprise pushers, extending in direction of the carriage track and each having a thrust face, while each cart has a structure with a system drive comprising a drive stopper extending in the direction of driving tracks and endowed with a drive face. Cleat drive is movable, relative to said structure, between a position in which its drive face is likely to cooperate with the push face of a pusher and a no position operation in which it escapes the pushers.

The installation also includes a transfer area to which a carriage is propelled by a first pusher, called "sending", belonging to the first driving track and from which said carriage is powered by a second pusher, called "reception", belonging to the second channel motor.

In such an installation, known from French patent FR 2 508 013, the training cleat is integral with a pair of wing sections extending transversely, through which the transmission of the propulsion, from the send button to the receive button. Thus, in the transfer area, the send button is gradually found shifted to a first section of wings before ceasing to cooperate with the driving cleat, while the receiving pusher comes into contact with the second section of wings to gradually shift towards the part center of the drive stopper.

It can therefore occur during the transfer a situation in which the send and receive buttons cooperate simultaneously with the drive cleat, which creates the risk of mechanical conflict. The pusher or cleat may then be damaged and the conveyor may get stuck. In addition, in certain circumstances, a clutch carriage in relation to the send button can occur, which, at all less, slows down the propulsion on the conveyor installation.

We have already tried to reduce the risk of mechanical conflict by providing the wing sections with an anti-jamming cam surface, which does not solve the problems associated with declutching.

The present invention aims to remedy these drawbacks.

For this purpose, for each carriage, the drive system has two fixed side arms, extending on each side of the cleat drive in the direction of the motor and integral pathways of the structure. Each of said arms has an active face, arranged substantially in the same plane as the drive face of the drive stop when it occupies its operating position and is capable of cooperating with the send button. In the transfer area, the respective positions first and second motor pathways are determined such that the reception pusher does not come into contact with the stopper drive only when the drive contact between the pusher sending and said stopper has stopped.

Thanks to this conformation, and insofar as, when the contact between the send button and the drive stop, it stops is replaced by a drive contact between this send button and one side arms, it ensures a positive drive of the carriage in the area transfer using the send button. We also provide positioning correct for this carriage for its handling by the reception pusher without risking the appearance of mechanical conflicts, since only one of the pushers can, at a given moment, cause the driving cleat.

Advantageously, the lateral arms extend in the direction of the driving tracks over a shorter distance than the drive stop.

This ensures that if, when it arrives at the cart, the reception button is not yet sufficiently centered with respect to the drive system to ensure propulsion in good conditions, and if its speed is higher than that of the send button, it passes simply under one of the arms without risking damaging the cleat or jam the carriage.

The send button is progressively shifted towards one of the arms, the active face of which is suitably arranged, and the receiving pusher only comes into contact with the cleat when, firstly, the contact between this stopper and the send pushbutton has ceased, and secondly, the reception pusher is effectively correctly positioned by report to the training system.

• la figure 1 est une vue en élévation latérale d'une partie de l'installation de convoyeur double voie selon l'invention, avec un chariot,
• la figure 2 est une vue en élévation latérale de la partie du chariot qui comprend le système d'entraínement, sur laquelle ce dernier coopère avec un poussoir d'une voie motrice,
• les figures 3 à 6 sont des vues de derrière du chariot de la figure 2 montrant différents stades de sa propulsion,
• la figure 7 est une vue de dessus du convoyeur dans la zone de transfert, montrant différentes positions du chariot dans cette zone, et sur laquelle, outre certains éléments appartenant aux voies motrices et à la voie à chariots, seul le taquet d'entraínement et les bras latéraux du chariot, ainsi que le poussoir d'envoi et le poussoir de réception, sont schématisés.

The invention will be clearly understood and its advantages will appear better on reading the detailed description which follows, of an embodiment indicated by way of nonlimiting example. The description refers to the accompanying drawings in which:

• FIG. 1 is a side elevation view of part of the double-track conveyor installation according to the invention, with a carriage,
• FIG. 2 is a side elevation view of the part of the carriage which comprises the drive system, on which the latter cooperates with a pusher of a driving track,
• Figures 3 to 6 are rear views of the carriage of Figure 2 showing different stages of its propulsion,
• FIG. 7 is a top view of the conveyor in the transfer zone, showing different positions of the carriage in this zone, and on which, in addition to certain elements belonging to the drive tracks and to the carriage track, only the driving cleat and the side arms of the trolley, as well as the sending pushbutton and the receiving pushbutton, are shown diagrammatically.

In FIG. 1, the carriage track 10 is located above the network motor, of which only one drive track 12 is shown.

The carriage 14 travels on the carriage track 10 and carries a load 16, for example constituted by the carcass of a vehicle during manufacture. The conveyor installation transports this load to the different stations used for its manufacture.

We can also design a similar conveyor installation double track, in which the carriage track is located below the network engine, the main thing being that the carriage track and the drive tracks are spaced vertically.

In the following, we will take the case of the example shown, that is to say, the lower parts of the various elements will be designated parts closest to the motor pathways. However, the parties higher will be the most distant from the motor pathways.

In the example shown, the carriage 14 includes two trolleys load carriers 18 and 20, and a trolley before training 22. This the latter is not directly part of the load-bearing structure, but is connected to the rest of the carriage by a drawbar 24.

Depending on the load to be carried, the trolley may include a different number of trolleys. Depending on the case, and in particular when the carriage has two or even one trolley, the training trolley can also be part of the load-bearing structure itself.

As best seen in Figures 3 to 6, the carriage track is consisting of two U-shaped rails, 10a and 10b, arranged horizontally in look at each other. The trolleys are provided with lateral wheels 26 which roll on these rails and a central wheel with vertical axis 28 which cooperates with the ends of the upper branches of the U-shaped rails 10a and 10b for suitably guide the trolley.

The drive track is also formed by two U-shaped rails 12a and 12b facing each other, in which wheels 30 which support a chain 32. This chain is driven in the driving track 12 by means classics not shown. In addition to this chain, the means of propulsion of carriages have pushers 34 which extend in the direction of the track to carriage 10. In the figures, it can be seen that the pushers 34 are mounted on the chain 32 and extend upwards.

Each cart has a structure with a system training. In the example shown, this structure is constituted by the chassis 36 of the driving trolley 32 and the driving system 38 extends downward from this chassis.

Referring to Figures 2 and 3, we now describe a system and a push button.

The drive system 38 includes a drive stop 40 which extends in the direction of the motor tracks and has a face 40a. This cleat is fixed on a support 42 pivotally mounted by relative to the structure 36 around an axis 44. In fact, the cleat can be fixed on the support 42 or become one with it.

This training cleat 40 can thus adopt a position of operation in which its drive face 40a is capable of cooperate with the thrust face 34a of a pusher 34 and a position of no operation in which it escapes the pusher. We see indeed that at on the occasion of sufficient pivoting of the support 42, the lower end of the cleat 40 can be located above the upper end of the pushers 34.

The support 42 is normally stressed, for example under the effect of its own weight, so that the operating position is that that spontaneously adopts the cleat. The support 42 can be ordered from so as to bring the drive stopper into its no position operation.

We are particularly interested here in the propulsion of the carriage in a transfer area of the conveyor installation. Indeed, the installation includes at least one transfer zone in which the track to carriages pass from one drive way to another, for example during a switch or change of conveyor.

Figure 7 shows a transfer area in which a change of conveyor, the carriages being carried by the continuous route 10 (shown in dashed lines), while the buttons on the first driving track 12 are relayed by those of the second driving track 12 '. In fact, the first and second motor pathways can be two sections of the same track. The qualifiers "first" and "second" are used to differentiate these two sections in the transfer area.

In this figure, to avoid weighing down the design, the cleat is shown schematically by a rectangle framed by two squares diagramming the two lateral arms. The send and receive buttons are also shown diagrammatically by squares.

Referring to Figures 2 to 6, we see that the system drive 38 has two fixed side arms 46 and 48 which extend on each side of the driving cleat 40 in the direction of the driving tracks and are integral with the structure 36.

We see in Figure 2 that the arm 46 is fixed relative to the structure 36, either as an integral part of it as shown, or fixed by any suitable means.

The arms 46 and 48 each have an active face 46a and 48a, arranged substantially in the same plane as the drive face 40a of the training cleat 40 when it occupies its position operation. This is visible in the side view of Figure 2, on which we see that the faces 40a and 46a are located in the extension of each other.

Figures 3 to 6 show the respective system situations and pushers in successively occupied positions by the latter in the transfer area and indicated by the references A, B, C and D.

Figure 3 illustrates position A of Figure 7, in which the drive is done in a conventional way, by drive contact between the thrust face 34a of the plunger 34 and the drive face 40a of the cleat drive 40. This drive face 40a is arranged relative to the direction of propulsion F of the carriage, on the rear side of the cleat 40.

The lateral arms 46 and 48 extend in the direction of the drive tracks that is to say, in the example shown, downwards, over a distance less than the drive stop 40.

Figure 4 shows the carriage in its position B of Figure 7. We sees that the send cleat 34 has shifted towards the lateral arm 46, situation in which the propulsion of the carriage by this pusher 34 can be carried out through the drive contact of the push face 34a on the active face 46a of the arm 46.

This transition from the driving cleat to the arm 46 is done so progressive and smoothly. Indeed, although the arm 46 extends downward over a lesser distance than the cleat 40, its active face 46a is at same level as the upper part of the drive face 40a of the cleat.

In addition, as can be seen by comparing Figures 3 and 4, the send button 34 is in the transfer area in a position higher than that which it occupies in conventional conditions of propulsion, outside this zone.

To allow a gradual transition from one to the other of these positions, the drive track 12 has, on entering the transfer zone, a section T1 (visible in FIG. 7) on which, from its level normal, it gradually approaches the vertical level of the track at carts to reach a level known as "shipment transfer", which it occupies when the pusher 34 passes from the cleat 40 to one of the lateral arms.

It can be seen in FIGS. 4 and 5 that the distance between the carriage track 10 and the second drive track 12 'is slightly greater than the normal spacing, visible in Figure 3, between the carriage track and a drive track 12. This deviation is calculated in such a way that, if the reception button occurs too early in the axis of the arm 48 and if the speed of the pusher 34 'is greater than that of the plunger 34, this plunger 34 'does not come into contact with the arm 48 but just overtakes the cart.

In addition, when properly positioned, the pusher reception can thus come into contact with the extreme part of the face 40a drive, that is to say, here, its lower part, without engaging the arm 48.

To this end, the second driving path 12 ′ is, at its entry into the transfer zone, vertically further from the carriage track 10 than, in the normal direction of propulsion F, downstream of this zone. To reach gradually its normal level, it presents, at the exit of the zone of transfer, a section T2 on which, from a level known as "transfer of reception ", it is gradually approaching the vertical level of the track carts.

In general, the second driving path 12 ′ does not occupy, by relative to the carriage track 10, a position capable of allowing a drive contact between the cleat 40 and a receiving pusher 34 'that when the first driving track 12 occupies a position which does not allow driving the carriage by the push button 34 only through of one of the side arms of the drive system.

For this purpose, the respective vertical positions of the two channels driving can be taken advantage of.

In a complementary or alternative way, the respective horizontal positions of the two drive tracks. To do this, the T zone in which the two driving paths are tangent is globally centered on the longitudinal axis X of the carriage track and relatively short, for example of the same order of magnitude as the width of the cleat drive, the second drive track 12 'enters the transfer zone with an angle α of incidence relative to the carriage track 10 relatively high, for example in the range of 30 ° to 50 °, while the exit angle β defined by the first drive track 12 with respect to the carriage track 10 to its exit from the transfer zone and the T zone is also relatively high, for example equal to the angle α.

Figure 5 illustrates position C of Figure 7, which corresponds to moment when the send push-button 34 stops cooperating with the lateral arm 46. We see that at this moment the propulsion of the carriage is ensured by the cooperation of the push face of the receiving pusher 34 'and the face 40a.

Figure 6 illustrates position D of Figure 7, in which the carriage is near the end of the transfer area. We see that at this place, the receiving pusher 34 'is located in the axis of the driving cleat 40. Up to this point, the pusher 34 'is in contact with the end part (lower) of the drive face 40a located beyond the end of the arms 46 and 48, that is to say that the second driving path 12 'still occupies its level of reception transfer. This is where the T2 section allowing the pusher 34 'to adopt its conventional position of propulsion in which its thrust face cooperates with the whole of the drive face 40a and which corresponds to the situation in FIG. 3.

In Figure 2, we see that the drive face 40a of the cleat and the active faces of the lateral arms 46 and 48 are inclined downwards and towards the front. Generally, the faces 40a, 46a and 48a are inclined towards the driving tracks and in the normal direction F of propulsion.

To facilitate the gradual release of the send button, you can also plan to make the active sides of the side arms so that that their outer lateral end is set back from their inner side end. Of course, the outer side end with one arm is its end farthest from the drive cleat, while that its inner lateral end is closest to this cleat.

In this configuration, we at least ensure that the ends inner side of the arms are at least at the level of the part upper of the drive face 40a.

We see in the figures that the drive system includes a retaining cleat 50 arranged, in the normal direction of propulsion, in rear of the driving cleat 40. The cleats 40 and 50 are arranged between them a space 51 adapted to the dimensions of the pushers.

Thus, as seen in Figure 2, the pusher 34 is arranged between the training and restraint cleats under normal conditions propulsion. If as a result of a slowdown in the means of propulsion, the thrust face 34a temporarily ceases to cooperate with the active face 40a, the retaining cleat 50 prevents the pusher from disengaging from the training system.

The retaining cleat is likely to adopt a position which allows the insertion of a pusher in space 51 and a restraint position which prevents it from restraining from leaving this space.

We see in Figure 2 that the retaining cleat 50 is pivotally mounted on the support 42 of the driving cleat 40. Thus, even when the cleat drive is in the operating position, the retaining cleat 50 can adopt its erasing position.

Consequently, when a pusher arrives from the rear of the carriage to enter into engagement with the training system, it can cooperate with the rear face of the retaining cleat which acts as a cam surface, to bring the latter into its erasing position and, whatever its speed, enter into cooperation with the active face 40a of the cleat which has remained in its operating position.

The retaining cleat is stressed, for example under the effect of its own weight, to naturally adopt its retaining position. This position can be defined by a stop surface 52 offset relative to the pivot axis 53 of the retaining cleat 50.

To avoid straining the retaining tab in the transfer area, we can realize the latter so that even in its position natural restraint, it extends towards the motorways over a less distance than the driving cleat, so that the pusher 34 'can enter into cooperation with the lower part of the active face of the driving cleat 40 without acting on the retaining cleat 50.

Claims (5)

1. Double track conveyer plant comprising a carriage track (10), a drive network including at least a first and a second drive track (12, 12') vertically spaced from the said carriage track (10), carriages (14) carried by the carriage track and propulsion means (32, 34) carried by the drive tracks (12, 12'), these propulsion means including pushers (34), extending in the direction of the carriage track (10) and each having a pushing surface, each carriage having a structure (36) provided with a drag system (38) having a drag catch (40), extending in the direction of the drive tracks (12) and provided with a drag surface (40a), this catch being mobile, relative to the said structure (36), between a working position in which its drag surface (40a) is able to co-operate with the pushing surface (34a) of a pusher and a non-working position in which it avoids the pushers (34), the plant also comprising a transfer zone towards which a carriage (14) is propelled by a first "sending" pusher (34), belonging to the first drive track (12) and away from which the said carriage is propelled by a second "receiving" pusher (34'), belonging to the second drive track (12'),
      characterised by the fact that, for each carriage, the drag system (38) includes two fixed lateral arms (46, 48), extending on each side of the drag catch (40) in the direction of the drive tracks (12, 12') and attached to the structure (36), by the fact that each of the said arms (46, 48) has an active surface (46a, 48a), arranged substantially in the same plane as the drag surface 40a of the drag catch (40) when the latter is in its working position and able to co-operate with the sending pusher (34), and by the fact that, in the transfer zone, the respective positions of the first and second drive tracks (12, 12') are so determined that the receiving pusher (34') only enters into dragging contact with the catch (40) when the dragging contact between the sending pusher (34) and the said catch has ceased.
2. Plant as described in claim 1, characterised by the fact that the lateral arms (46, 48) extend in the direction of the drive tracks (12, 12' ) over a distance smaller than the drag catch (40).
3. Plant as described in either of claims 1 or 2, characterised by the fact that the second drive track (12') is, at its entry into the transfer zone, vertically more distant from the carriage track (10) than at its normal level downstream of this zone.
4. Plant as described in any one of claims 1 to 3, characterised by the fact that the first drive track (12) has, at its entry into the transfer zone, a section (T1) along which it progressively approaches the vertical level of the carriage track to reach a "transfer" level.
5. Plant as described in any one of claims 1 to 4, characterised by the fact that the drag surface of the catch (40) and the active surfaces (46a, 48a) of the lateral arms (46, 48) are inclined towards the drive tracks (12, 12') and, in the normal direction (F) of propulsion.

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