Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65H—HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
  • B65H29/00—Delivering or advancing articles from machines; Advancing articles to or into piles
  • B65H29/003—Delivering or advancing articles from machines; Advancing articles to or into piles by grippers
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65H—HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
  • B65H29/00—Delivering or advancing articles from machines; Advancing articles to or into piles
  • B65H29/02—Delivering or advancing articles from machines; Advancing articles to or into piles by mechanical grippers engaging the leading edge only of the articles
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65H—HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
  • B65H2405/00—Parts for holding the handled material
  • B65H2405/50—Gripping means
  • B65H2405/55—Rail guided gripping means running in closed loop, e.g. without permanent interconnecting means

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a method and a device for storing transport elements according to the preambles of claim 1 and claim 9.
• Conveyor systems with conveyor lines along which certain products can be conveyed with the help of grippers are used in a wide variety of industrial sectors, for example in the printing industry.
• Transport means coupled to the grippers must be temporarily stored in such conveyor systems for certain applications.
• a buffer route is known from Swiss patent specification CH 382 768, in which only a relatively small number of means of transportation can be stored in a buffer route of a predetermined length due to the storage space required by the means of transport coupled to the grippers.
• Grippers and means of transport require less storage space according to the Swiss patent specification CH 569 197, although this advantage has to be bought disadvantageously due to the need to swivel grippers and means of transport by 90 ° if a product is to be gripped by a gripper.
• the invention is based on the object of creating a possibility of storing the means of transport without the simultaneous creation of significant disadvantages in such a way that they require as little storage space as possible.
• the method according to the invention provides that the storage space of a means of transport is determined by the degree of opening of its gripper or - if the gripper is sufficiently closed - by the dimensions of the means of transport, and opened grippers are at least partially closed without performing a holding function before the transport means coupled to these grippers are fed to a buffer line.
• a shorter buffer path is claimed by the means of transport than in known principles, in which open, relatively large space-consuming, touching grippers with transport means spaced apart from one another enter a buffer path.
• a comparatively large number of means of transport can be stored in a buffer section, they can advantageously be moved relatively slowly within the buffer section - if this is part of a conveying section - or introduced into or retrieved from the buffer section at low speed. It is preferred if the transport means are conveyed along the buffer section and the grippers are closed to such a degree that their dimensions in the conveying direction are equal to or less than the dimensions of the transport means in the conveying direction.
• the grippers can be closed, for example, by conveying the transport means past a closing device, for example a closing gate, in the entrance area of the buffer section, which then, e.g. in cooperation with a closing element of the gripper, close it.
• a closing device for example a closing gate
• the means of transport can be conveyed on the conveyor line individually and independently of one another, continuously or intermittently. This can either be done actively by coupling each transport element to a drive means via a holding part, with which it is held and guided in a guide element of the conveyor line, or by driving only individual transport means, which are then other, non-driven transport means push in front of you. Alternatively, however, it is also possible to use means of transport e.g. to move in a state decoupled from drive means due to a pulse imparted to each or only individual means of transport or due to its own gravity.
• transport means can in principle be connected to a drive means or also decoupled from a drive means to save. Transport means with or without drive means can thus be buffered.
• a closing device can be moved along the conveyor line. This shifting option allows the length of the buffer section to be matched to the number of transport elements to be stored. For example, it is possible to react flexibly to irregularities in the working speed of certain work stations.
• the transport means are guided past an opening device, which can be designed, for example, in the form of an opening backdrop, when leaving the buffer line, so that, seen in the conveying direction, only ready-to-take transport means, i.e. Means of transport with open grippers are available.
• the opening movement of the gripper legs is preferably carried out in the conveying direction.
• the mutual distance between the centers of two successive means of transport is preferably always equal to or slightly less than the maximum distance between two gripping legs of an open gripper. This ensures that the gripping legs of adjacent means of transport always touch each other when open and against each other fix in their orientation with respect to the conveyor line.
• a conveyor system with a closing device can be used shortly before the buffer line or in the entrance area thereof.
• the closing device can be arranged such that the grippers are closed immediately after a product has been dispensed, so that the gripper is ready for intermediate storage immediately after this product has been dispensed.
• the closing device can be designed in the form of a closing link, which is preferably displaceable along the conveying section, so that the length of the buffer section can be adjusted according to the respective requirement.
• an opening device can e.g. be provided in the form of an opening backdrop, which ensures that only means of transport with open grippers leave the buffer line.
• closing and opening device can be activated and deactivated as required, entire buffer sections can be switched on or off as required.
• a special advantage results if the spatial extent of the transport means in the conveying direction with the gripper projecting perpendicularly from the conveying path is approximately equal to or less than the extent of the closed gripper in the conveying direction.
• FIG. 1 shows a section of a conveyor line according to the invention with a section of a transport line and an input region of a buffer line with a closing link adjoining the transport line;
• FIG. 2 shows a section of a conveyor line according to the invention with an opening backdrop in the exit area of a buffer route and with a section of a transport route adjoining the exit area.
• FIG. 1 shows a section of a conveyor line 10 with a section of a transport line 12 and a buffer line 14 downstream of this transport line 12 in the direction of conveyance A, which has a closing gate 18 in its input area 16.
• Transport means 20 with grippers 22, which have a closing-opening element 24, are located in the conveyor path 10.
• the grippers 22 are connected via a bearing element 26 to a holding part 28, which is only indicated in the drawing.
• the holding part 28 holds the transport means 20 in a schematically illustrated guide element 30 of the conveyor line 10 the means of transport 20 are coupled via their holding parts 28 for the purpose of promotion.
• the bearing elements 26 of the transport means 20 have an extent a that extends only insignificantly beyond the dimension of a width b of the closed grippers 22.
• the holding parts 28 are shaped in such a way that they do not prevent mutual contact of successive bearing elements 26 in the buffer section 14.
• the distance between the transport means 20 stored in the buffer section 14 is essentially determined by the dimensions of the bearing elements 26, which are part of the transport means 20. If the bearing elements were to be made even smaller than shown in FIG. 1, the distance mentioned would be predetermined by the dimensions of the closed grippers 22.
• FIG. 1 shows how a means of transport 20, the gripper 22 of which is open, is conveyed in the conveying direction A from the transport path 12 to the input region 16 of the buffer path 14.
• the transport means 20 In the entrance area 16 of the buffer section 14, the transport means 20 is conveyed past a closing link 18, which can be displaced in particular in the conveying direction.
• the closing link 18 acts on the closing opening element 24 attached to the gripper 22 and moves it in the direction B, so that the gripper 22 is closed without performing a holding function.
• Only means of transport 20 are on the buffer section 14 closed grippers 22 stored. This reduces the length of the buffer section 14 required for storage.
• FIG. 2 shows an opening backdrop 34 in the exit area 36 of a buffer section 14 and a section of the transport section 12 adjoining it.
• the approximately axially symmetrical transport means 20 are spaced apart from one another in the region of the transport path 12 with their symmetry axes 38 at an ideal distance d which is somewhat equal to the leg distance d 'of two gripping legs 40, 40' forming the gripper 22 in the open state. This ensures that the gripping legs 40, 40 'of two adjacent transport means 20 touch, in particular under mechanical tension.
• FIG. 2 shows how the transport means 20 stored in the buffer section 14 with closed grippers 22 that do not perform a holding function are conveyed past the opening backdrop 34 in the exit region 36 of the buffer section 14.
• the opening link 34 acts on the closing opening element 24 of the grippers 22 and shifts this in the direction C, so that the grippers 22 are opened. At least the beginning of this movement of the closing opening element 24 is favored by the fact that the bearing elements 26 touch and support one another, which enables good power transmission to the closing opening element 24.
• the transport means 20 are during the opening movement of the grippers 22 - if necessary. by suitable Accelerating means - accelerated or coupled with their holding parts 28 to the drive means 32 in such a way that they can be conveyed further apart on the transport path 12 adjoining the conveying direction A in such a way that the opened grippers 22 with their gripping legs 40, 40 'in the touch described way.
• the transport means 20 therefore leave the buffer section 14 in the ready-to-receive state, ie with the grippers 22 open.
• the transport means 20 are conveyed in the transport path 12 following the buffer path 14 at an ideal distance d, so that the gripper legs 40, 40 'of the grippers 22 touch one another and form a closed zigzag line. Flat products to be supplied at a later time cannot therefore get between two adjacent grippers 22.
• the means of transport 20 may be by suitable means, e.g. can be called up individually or in groups from the buffer section 14 by mechanical release means
• the buffer sections 14 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 are each shown as an integrated component of the respective conveyor section 10. However, it is also conceivable not to design these buffer sections 14 as a fixed component of the conveyor section 10, but in such a way that they can be removed from the conveyor section 10 and replaced by other buffer or conveyor sections. This is advantageous, for example, if you Mente 20 temporarily for a long time and therefore wants to remove from the conveyor line 10.

Landscapes

• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Feeding Of Articles By Means Other Than Belts Or Rollers (AREA)
• Forklifts And Lifting Vehicles (AREA)
• Specific Conveyance Elements (AREA)
• Container Filling Or Packaging Operations (AREA)
• Discharge By Other Means (AREA)
• Input Circuits Of Receivers And Coupling Of Receivers And Audio Equipment (AREA)
• Auxiliary Devices For And Details Of Packaging Control (AREA)
• Road Repair (AREA)
• Buffer Packaging (AREA)
• Container, Conveyance, Adherence, Positioning, Of Wafer (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Publications (2)

Family

ID=4245653

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (13)

Families Citing this family (7)

Family Cites Families (9)

• 1998
  • 1998-12-08 US US09/554,983 patent/US6464067B1/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 1998-12-09 BR BR9814461-8A patent/BR9814461A/pt not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 1998-12-09 DE DE59807342T patent/DE59807342D1/de not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 1998-12-09 WO PCT/CH1998/000527 patent/WO1999033733A1/fr active IP Right Grant
  • 1998-12-09 AU AU13310/99A patent/AU742124B2/en not_active Ceased
  • 1998-12-09 EP EP98956762A patent/EP1042205B1/fr not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 1998-12-09 DK DK98956762T patent/DK1042205T3/da active
  • 1998-12-09 ES ES98956762T patent/ES2189271T3/es not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 1998-12-09 RU RU2000119790/12A patent/RU2199481C2/ru not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 1998-12-09 AT AT98956762T patent/ATE233225T1/de not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 1998-12-09 CA CA002308498A patent/CA2308498C/fr not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 1998-12-09 JP JP2000526431A patent/JP2001527012A/ja not_active Withdrawn
• 2000
  • 2000-06-19 NO NO20003184A patent/NO20003184L/no not_active Application Discontinuation

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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