EP2902297A1 - Transport device - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a transport device (100) with vehicles (55) which can be moved along guideways (50), preferably in a form-fitting manner. So that the vehicles (55), whose position along the track (50) should be able to be precisely determined at any time, can make a turn along the track (50), and yet the position of the vehicle (55) can be determined exactly, the pinch rollers ( 4) and pinion (3) for the rack (51) in the guideway (50) in a respective guide head (2 a, b) at the respective end face of the base body (1) of the vehicle (55), wherein each guide head (2 a , b) carries two pairs of exactly opposite pinch roller (4) and pinion (3).

Description

I. Field of application

The invention relates to a transport device.

II. Technical background

For example, in order to transport the packaging to the products in packaging installations, the applicant has known for some years a transport device under the name "Transmodul", as described, for example, by US Pat EP 2070843 is described:

In this case, individual vehicles that can be controlled and moved independently of one another drive along a track on which they are positively guided. On track bodies are each formed on both the top and on the bottom of a track, so that the vehicles can drive both on the bottom and along the top of the railway body. At the end of a track body, a turning module may be present, in which the track body with track on the top and the bottom can be pivoted about its longitudinal axis by 180 ° and thereby can spend a vehicle standing on it from the lower track to the upper track and vice versa.

The drive of the vehicles along the track is done by means of a rack / pinion drive, the rack along the track is present and the power driven and controlled pinion at one end of the vehicle.

The energy supply of the vehicles via a laid along the track power line, which is tapped inductively from the vehicles. The data transmission takes place from an extending in the center of the railway body leaky waveguide to an antenna in the vehicle.

So far, the vehicles could only travel along a straight track and be positioned exactly, so did not allow cornering. The turning modules could only be arranged at the end of a travel because they had at their free end a relatively large-sized energy converter and a gear for the rotation of the railway body, which could not be run over.

The position determination along the track was carried out via a detection of the pinion turns and is determined correctly in a non-straight track with a rigid vehicle only for the location of the pinion.

III. Presentation of the invention a) Technical task

It is therefore the object of the invention to improve the construction of this transport device so that at least cornering is possible and in particular turning stations can be run over.

b) Solution of the task

This object is solved by the features of claim 1 . Advantageous embodiments will be apparent from the dependent claims.

By the vehicle is not rigid, but on the body of the vehicle at each end pivotally about a vertical axis depending a guide head is arranged, each having two pairs of pinion and opposing pinch roller for running on the rack of the track, each guide head is tangential the rack guided and the main body between the guide heads also tangential to the rack.

As a result, the position of the central body and attached thereto packaging or tools relative to the track is known exactly at any time without complex compensation calculation, so that packaging or tools can be accurately positioned on the vehicle in a workstation, even if they have previously gone through a curve or Workstation even lies in the area of a curve.

In each pair of pinion and pinch roller one of these two elements, preferably the pinch roller, transversely to the rack movable and biased towards the rack, so regardless of occurring wear or transverse offset when cornering the pinion mesh with the rack backlash.

One of the pinions of the vehicle is designed as a drive pinion and driven by a motor. Preferably, this drive pinion is detected with respect to its rotation and evaluated for determining the position of the vehicle along the track.

Preferably, in each pair of pinion and pinch roller, these two elements are exactly one another with respect to the longitudinal direction of the rack so that the connecting line from the center of the pinion to the center of the pinch roller is perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the rack at this point.

As a result, the change in the distance between the gear and pinion is reduced to a minimum. For this, the additional pinion is accepted, because only the positiveness of the position would be a pinion with two pinch rollers or vice versa also sufficient.

The movably mounted pressure rollers are preferably arranged on a rocker eccentrically to the pivot point, and the entire rocker is biased by a spring in the direction of the rack. This considerably reduces the number of necessary parts and the assembly.

The sub-circle lines of the upper and lower rack of the track body are exactly above each other and considered in the longitudinal direction of the track this is point-symmetrical. This can u.a. the guide heads be identically formed, even if the pivot axis is not arranged to the main body center-symmetrically on the base body.

The toothed rack and pinion module is a metric tooth module that does not have a factor of π, which makes it easier to create metric modules that can be aligned with each other.

At least the guide head, which contains the drive pinion, preferably both guide heads are pivotable relative to the base body about a pivot axis, which is structurally designed as a turntable, and wherein via the hollow interior of the turntable, the lines for energy and data transmission from the main body into the guide head and can be reversed.

In this case, the pivot axis, in particular the center of the turntable, located exactly in the middle between the two pairs of pinion and pinch roller of this guide head, in particular at the intersection of the connecting lines of a pinion to the pinch roller of the other pair and vice versa. By this symmetrical guidance of the guide head both before and behind the pivot axis is achieved that at the same biasing force, the two pinch rollers are deflected equally far due to the curvature of the rack.

Here, on the one pivot axis, in particular the center of the turntable, the drive pinion driving motor is arranged so that its motor shaft is located on the pivot axis.

On the other pivot axis, a vacuum pump is arranged, which supplies the arranged on the vehicle vacuum cleaner for sucking and holding objects with negative pressure.

The waves of motor and vacuum pump are not affected by a pivoting movement of the guide heads because of this arrangement.

Each guide head comprises two bearing blocks, of which the two pinch rollers are mounted in one and the two pinions in the other, as well as two rollers in each bearing block, which roll on the running surface of the track. The two bearing blocks in each guide head are identical, possibly up to the bias of the bearing block with the rollers against the rack.

These two bearing blocks are bolted to the underside of the motor flange, on which on the top at one bearing block of the engine, in the other, the vacuum pump is screwed.

Of the infrastructure modules one, in particular the turning module, which is pivotable about its longitudinal axis by 180 ° , a lifting device have to lift the track relative to the base body of this sheet body.

As a result, a vehicle can not only be turned downwards onto the lower travel path about the longitudinal axis, but also be brought to another height and aligned with another travel path without turning the rail body module.

To use this on a turning module of the track body, has the advantage that it is then possible to drive the vehicle after lifting the track on the end face sitting on the turning module turning drive, which normally extends to the height of the non-elevated track.

In addition, if the bending angle between the base body and at least one, better two, guide heads is detected, the position of the central body relative to the longitudinal direction, ie the rack, can be determined more accurately.

By a direct coupling of the two guide heads with respect to their pivotal movement around the base body around can be achieved that both guide heads always take the exact same bending angle relative to the base body, which also improves the orientation of the central body relative to the track, so in particular the rack.

c) embodiments

Fig. 1a:

eine Pickerstraße in der Aufsicht,

Fig. 1b:

einen Querschnitt durch die Transportvorrichtung,

Fig. 1c:

einen Längsschnitt durch die Transportvorrichtung

Fig. 2a:

eine Aufsicht auf ein in einer Kurve befindliches Fahrzeug in der Transportvorrichtung,

Fig. 2b:

eine Aufsicht auf ein Fahrzeug ohne Fahrweg,

Fig. 3a:

eine Prinzipdarstellung eines Führungskopfes und

Fig. 3b:

einen Schnitt durch einen Führungskopf und

Fig. 4a, b:

einen Bahnkörper mit anhebbarem Fahrweg.

Embodiments according to the invention are described in more detail below by way of example. Show it:

Fig. 1 a:

a picker road in the supervision,

Fig 1 b.:

a cross section through the transport device,

Fig 1 c.:

a longitudinal section through the transport device

Fig. 2 a:

a plan view of a vehicle located in a curve in the transport device,

Figure 2 b.:

a view of a vehicle without a track,

Fig. 3 a:

a schematic diagram of a guide head and

Fig. 3 b:

a section through a guide head and

4 a, b:

a railway body with liftable track.

Fig. 1a shows in the plan view from above a so-called picker road, consisting of several robots 104 which take on a conveyor belt 106, which runs in this case from left to right, delivered products P and put into containers on vehicles 55 of a transport device according to the invention in the opposite direction For this purpose, in this case on both sides of the conveyor belt 106th

The robots 104 are spaced in the longitudinal direction of the conveyor belt 106 , suspended from a respective transversely over the conveyor belt 106 extending bridge and each consist of a movable upper arm 102 and a movable lower arm 103, at the free end of the so-called picker, usually one with Negative pressure the product P sucking sucker, is located.

In the field of picker road, the transport device 100 usually runs straight, but before or after that it is often necessary that the track 50 of the transport device 100 makes a curve, for example, because the upstream or downstream workstation is positioned according to the picker road.

The track 50 is formed on the top of a track body 52 , which also carries on its underside another road 50 .

• Der Bahnkörper 52 ist ein etwa H-förmiges Profil, bei dem in der Mitte des mittleren, verbindenden Schenkels ein sogenannter Leckwellenleiter 21 verläuft der die Datenübertragung zu den einzeln und unabhängig voneinander entlang des Bahnkörpers 52 verfahrbaren Fahrzeugen 55 sicherstellt.

Such a web body 52 is in Fig. 1b shown in cross section:

• The track body 52 is an approximately H-shaped profile in which in the middle of the connecting connecting leg, a so-called leaky waveguide 21 extends the data transmission to the individually and independently along the track body 52 movable vehicles 55 ensures.

The track body 52 is point-symmetrical to its center and thus the leaky waveguide 21 , because both on its top and on its underside a guideway 50 a , b is formed, in the form of grooves in the inner sides of the free-ending legs of the H-shaped profile which serve as raceways for rolling on or off rollers 16 of the vehicles 55 .

Also point-symmetrical to the center 52 a of the web body 52 carries this in both its upper and in the lower space a rack 51 which are positioned so that their teeth 51 a point symmetrical to the center 52 a are formed.

The opposite, non-toothed side of each rack 51 serves in a certain height range as a running surface for a there rolling roller 4.

In another height range is on the rack 51 as the leaky waveguide 21 in the longitudinal direction 10 of the guideway 52 extending conductor 22 , which serves for non-contact inductive power supply of the vehicle 55 .

On the vehicle 55 , a drive pinion 13 is present, which is driven by a motor 15 and the vehicle 55 by rolling on the teeth 51 a of the rack 51 along the track 50 a or 50 b moves, the position of the vehicle 55 by an incremental encoder 12 is constantly detected, which is mounted directly on the motor shaft 14 of the motor 15 and counts its revolutions. Lying in the direction behind the engine 15 , the negative pressure for the vehicle 55 generating pump 29 is indicated.

The point-symmetrical position of the two teeth 51 a to each other to the center 52 a of the web body 52 is necessary because there are modules of the web body 52 which are pivotable about its longitudinal direction 10 , for example by 180 ° , whereby a first on the upper track 50 b running Vehicle 55 is brought into alignment with the lower track 50 a of an adjacent module of the railway body and there must be able to mesh with the teeth 51 a.

Therefore, it is in the teeth 51 a of the rack 51 is also a metric tooth module.

Fig. 1c shows a longitudinal section of a piece of the rail body 52, on which both on the top and on the bottom of each vehicle 55 is located, which already carries on its base 1 a format plate 23 which is designed according to the container 101 to be transported, the in the upper vehicle 55 is placed on it, and in which there is already a product P is.

On the upwardly or downwardly directed outside of the format plate 23 , the suckers 25 can be seen, with which a container 101 on the vehicle 55 can be held and transported, which is already partially filled with products P.

It can be seen in the upper half of the teeth 51 a of a rack 51 , with the drive pinion 13 and the other, non-driven pinion 13 of an upper vehicle 55 meshes, while in the lower half of the tread 24 of the lower rack 51 to recognize is on which the two pinch rollers 4 of a lower vehicle 55 roll.

Furthermore, the current conductor 22 can be seen in the lower half of the picture.

On the lower track of the rail body 52 , however, empty vehicles 55 can be moved back to its original position.

The FIGS. 2a and 2 B show a vehicle 55 once when cornering on the track and once without a track.

The vehicle 55 comprises a main body 1, which in the supervision of FIGS. 2 a . b

in the middle approximately trough-shaped and in this central area the batteries 26 are stored for power storage as power to the motor 15 , as well as the servo-controller 27 and the controller 28 of the vehicle 55th

At its ends in the longitudinal direction of the base body 1 each has a plate-like projection, under each of which a guide head 2 a , b is mounted opposite this projection of the body 1 on its longitudinal center 10 ' about a vertical axis 11 by means of a turntable 8 .

Such a guide head 2 a is in Fig. 3a shown with an exaggerated curvature of the rack 51 :

It should be pointed out why each guide head 2 a , b seen in the plan view of two pairs of a pinion 3, one of which is a drive pinion 13 , and a pinch roller 4, which press on the non-toothed back of the rack 51 . On the one hand, the connecting lines 9, 9 ' between the centers of each pair of pinion 3 to pinch roller 4 at right angles to the longitudinal direction 10 of the guide head 2 a , b also with the direction of the tangent to the curved rack 51 exactly in the middle between matches the two pairs.

Further, at the intersection of the diagonal connecting lines between the two pinions 3 and the two pinch rollers 4, the vertical axis 11, ie the center of the ring gear 8 about which the guide head 2 a , b rotates relative to the base body 1 , and by the hollow interior of the rest Energy and data from the body 1 to the respective guide head 1 a , b are transmitted.

Only this arrangement ensures that the transition from a straight rack 51 to a curved rack 51, the necessary axial offset, which should be possible on each of the two pairs of pinion 3 and pinch roller 4 , can be kept as low as possible.

The axial offset can usually be realized on the pressure roller 4 by the pressure roller is mounted eccentrically in the Andruckrollen unit 30 , indicated by the arcuate arrow on each pinch roller 4 about the pivot axis also drawn.

In particular, in solutions with three arranged in a triangle roles or pinions of this axial offset would be much larger and would lead to an undefined position of the guide head.

For this purpose are according to Fig. 3b the two pinch rollers 4 are combined in a pinch roller unit 30 , which not only the two pinch rollers 4 carries, but also the two existing on this page rollers 16, of which only one can be seen because of the view in the longitudinal direction 10 in this figure.

The movable in the transverse direction to the longitudinal direction 10 pinch rollers 4 are biased by a rotary spring 7 and eccentrically about an eccentric axis 31, in addition to the axis of rotation of the pinch roller 4 as a dashed line in FIG. 3 b is located opposite the Andruckrollen unit 30 and thus the guide head 2 a , b pivotally.

This ensures that when cornering each guide head 1 a , b occupies a defined pivot position relative to the base body with a defined bending angle 11 between the longitudinal direction 10 'of the base body 1 and the longitudinal direction of the guide head 1 a and 2 b.

By additional measures can be ensured that the two bending angle 11 at the two guide heads 2 a , b of a vehicle 55 always set the same and thus a precisely defined position of the body 1 is given in the curve of the route 50 , for example by detecting and Controlling the bending angle 11 relative to each other on the two guide heads 2 a , b.

In this way, both the Andruckrollen units 31 can be preassembled and these are arranged in a guide head 2 a , b as a further preassembled unit.

The two guide heads 2 a , b differ only in that in the one guide head 2 a of the pinion 3 is driven by a motor 15 as a drive pinion 13 , while all other pinion 3 are only follower pinion, which serve the leadership of the vehicle 55 ,

The drive pinion 13 driving motor 15 is arranged concentrically to the vertical axis 11, ie the center of the turntable 8, its guide head. Concentric with the vertical axis 11 of the other guide head 2 b, however, a pump (see Fig. 1b ) arranged to generate negative pressure, which supplies the vacuum-loaded suckers of the vehicle 55 with negative pressure.

An essential point of the transport device described is the ability to pivot a module of the web body 52 about its longitudinal axis 110 , thereby mitzuschwenken a previously on the upper track 50 running vehicle 55, after being driven on such a turning module 54 and in alignment with align lower track 50 of an adjacent track body 52 and let it continue there.

In this context, the shows Fig. 4a a driven along the lower track 50 on the turning module 54 vehicle 55, which is after turning the turning module 54 on the upper track 50 , as in Fig. 4b shown.

Normally, the turning module 54 is the end of a track body 52. Therefore, on the front side of the turning module 54, the turning drive 58 is arranged, which is driven by a separate turning rotor 60 and consists essentially of a gear and a control. However, there is often the need for a vehicle 55 can leave the turning module while maintaining its direction of travel again, so can drive over the turning module 54 .

However, the end face of the turning module 54 fixed turning drive 58 is in the way.

Therefore, according to the invention, the turning module 54 is designed such that the two travel paths 50 can each be raised and lowered in a controlled manner via a lifting device 57 to a base body 56 of the turning module 54 .

In the raised state, that is to say removed from the longitudinal center 110 , the latter is as far away from the longitudinal axis 110 as in FIG Fig. 4 b shown for the upper track 50 - that this with an adjacent track 50 on the left side of Fig. 4 b Aligns, which runs above the turning drive 58 , so that the vehicle 55 can leave the turning module 54 while overcoming the turning drive 58 , if there is a correspondingly positioned track 50 is arranged.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

1

body

2 a, b

guide head

3

pinion

4

pinch

5

wing

6

pivot point

7

feather

8th

slewing ring

9, 9 '

connecting line

10

longitudinal direction

10 '

longitudinal center

11

vertical axis

12

incremental

13

pinion

14

motor shaft

15

engine

16

caster

17

bearing block

18

motor flange

19

A vacuum pump

20

bending angle

21

Leaky Cable

22

conductor

23

format plate

24

tread

25

sucker

26

battery pack

27

servo controller

28

control

29

pump

30

Pressure roller unit

31

eccentric axis

50

roadway

51

rack

51 a

gearing

52

roadbed

52 a

Focus

53

Pitch line

54

turning module

55

vehicle

56

base body

57

lifting device

58

turning drive

59

tread

60

Tilt motor

100

transport device

101

container

102

upper arm

103

forearm

104

robot

105

bridge

106

conveyor belt

110

longitudinal axis

P

product

Claims (15)

Transport device with vehicles (55) which are movable along a travel path (50) with rack (51) , which is also suitable for cornering, wherein the vehicle (55) - Has a base body (1) with at least one drive pinion (13) and at least one pinch roller (4) , marked by - A respective guide head (2 a , b), which is mounted on one end of the base body (1) pivotable about a vertical axis (11) on the base body (1) , - Each guide head (2a, b) in the longitudinal direction (10) spaced two pairs of pinion (3) and pressure roller (4) for abutment on both sides of the rack (51) , - Wherein one of the two guide heads ( 2 a , b) of the pinion (3) is designed as a drive pinion (13) and - For each pair of pinion (3) and pressure roller (4) of one of these two elements is movable transversely biased transversely to the longitudinal direction (10) of the rack (51) . Transport device according to claim 1,
characterized in that
in each pair of pinion (3) and pinch roller (4) the pinch roller (4 ) is movable and biased transversely to the longitudinal direction (10) . Transport device according to one of the preceding claims,
characterized in that
in each pair of pinion (3) and pinch roller (4) these two elements are arranged opposite each other exactly with respect to the longitudinal direction (10) , ie in particular the connecting line (9, 9 ') from the center of the pinion (3) to the center of the pinch roller ( 3) 4) perpendicular to the longitudinal direction (10), in particular the tangent to the rack (51) at this point, runs. Transport device according to one of the preceding claims,
characterized in that
the sub-circle lines (53) of the upper and lower rack (51) lie exactly above one another and, in particular in cross-section to the longitudinal direction (10) considered point-symmetrical to the axis of symmetry of the point-symmetrical track (50). Transport device according to one of the preceding claims,
characterized in that
the tooth module of rack (51) and pinions (3) is a metric, non-adhesive tooth module. Transport device according to one of the preceding claims,
characterized in that
the pressure rollers (4) on a rocker (5) are arranged eccentrically to the pivot point (6) and the rocker (5) in particular by means of a spring (7) in the direction of the rack (51) are biased. Transport device according to one of the preceding claims,
characterized in that
at least the guide head (2 a ), which contains the drive pinion (13) via a turntable (8) is mounted as a pivot axis relative to the base body (1) , and via the hollow interior of the turntable (8) energy and data from the base body ( 1 ) are guided in the guide head ( 2 a) or vice versa. Transport device according to one of the preceding claims,
characterized in that
the pivot axis, in particular the turntable (8), exactly in the middle between the two pairs of pinion (3) and pressure roller (4) of this guide head ( 2 a), in particular at the intersection of the connecting lines (9 ') of a pinion (3) to that of the pinch roller (4) of the other pair. Transport device according to one of the preceding claims,
characterized in that
the rotation detection of the drive pinion (13), in particular the incremental encoder (12), centrally on the drive pinion (13) driving motor shaft (14) is arranged. Transport device according to one of the preceding claims,
characterized in that
the motor shaft (14) of the drive pinion (13) driving the motor (15), which is located in the base body (1) passes through the pivot axis of the base body, in particular the center of the turntable (8). Transport device according to one of the preceding claims,
characterized in that
each guide head ( 2 a, b) comprises two bearing blocks (17) , in each of which either the two pinch rollers (4) or the two pinions (3) are mounted, and in addition two rollers (16) on the running surface ( 16). 59) of the travel path (50) . Transport device according to one of the preceding claims,
characterized in that
the two bearing blocks (17) are bolted to the underside of the motor flange (18), is bolted to the top of the motor (15) . Transport device according to one of the preceding claims,
characterized in that
in the base body (1) in alignment with the pivot axis on the one pivot axis of the drive pinion (13) driving motor (15) and on the other pivot axis, a vacuum pump (19) is arranged. Transport device according to one of the preceding claims,
characterized in that
a turning module (54) of the track body (52) between at least one of the travel paths (50) of the turning module (54) and the base body (56) of the turning module (54) has a lifting device (57) , by means of which the track (50) raised so far can be that after lifting the turning module (54) from a vehicle (55) in the direction of the turning drive (58) can be relied on an adjacent elevated track. Transport device according to one of the preceding claims,
characterized in that - The articulation angle (20) between the base body (1) and at least one of the guide heads ( 2 a, b), in particular both guide heads ( 2 a, b), is detected, and / or - The two guide heads ( 2 a, b) with the main body (1) and / or directly coupled to each other so that both guide heads ( 2 a, b) always take the same bending angle (20) relative to the base body.

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