GB2030533A

GB2030533A - A transfer apparatus

Info

Publication number: GB2030533A
Application number: GB7929765A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: Mannesmann Demag AG
Current assignee: Mannesmann Demag AG
Priority date: 1978-09-02
Filing date: 1979-08-28
Publication date: 1980-04-10
Also published as: IT1122943B; DE2838351A1; DE2838351C3; DE2838351B2; GB2030533B; FR2434772A1; IT7925434A0

Abstract

Apparatus 9 for guiding and propelling trolleys 4 to and from a lift comprises a casing arranged on the floor adjacent the lift. The casing houses an endless chain 19 supported on chain wheels 17 at the ends of the casing and carrying a number of dogs 20. One of the chain wheels is drivable by an electric motor 15 through a free-wheel mechanism to allow the chain to circulate when the motor is stationary. Each trolley 4 to be guided and propelled by the apparatus has an arm 5 arranged to project through a slot into the casing and be engaged by one of the dogs 20. Each arm also carries a guidance roller. The apparatus may be controlled in response to opening of the lift doors. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION A transfer apparatus This invention relates to a transfer apparatus for guiding and propelling trolleys, pallet carriers or other wheeled load carrying or containing vehicles to and from a lift.

In certain establishments, for example, in a hospital, such vehicles, referred to herein for convenience as trolleys, may be moved from one floor to another in a lift. Trolleys entering and leaving the lift are propelled and guided by apparatus extending along, for example, part of a corridor into which opens the door from the lift shaft.

Various types of apparatus for this purpose are known but suffer from disadvantages. These disadvantages are avoidedby the present invention in accordance with which the apparatus includes an endless traction member trained around return wheels and provided with dogs for engagement with a contact member on each of the trolleys, the traction member being caused to circulate by a motor. The traction member may be housed together with the motor and return wheels within a casing which is arranged along the side of the corridor or other room or space much in the manner of a skirting board so that, unlike certain known apparatus, it is in no way obtrusive. The contact member of each trolley is engaged by one of the dogs in such a way that the trolley continues to travel on all of its wheels rather than being lifted at one side as in the case of certain other known apparatus.

Preferably, the motor drives one of the return wheels by way of a free-wheel or over-running clutch device so that while the motor is switched off a trolley may be introduced into the apparatus, the contact member making contact with one of the dogs and in doing so moving the driving run of the traction member without the motor being operated.

Several such pieces of apparatus (or several traction members) may be arranged one behind the other, each being of one trolley length. Each trolley may then be passed from one apparatus (or traction member) to the next as a further trolley is introduced to a leading apparatus (or traction member).

Preferably, the apparatus is fitted with a guide rail along which run guide rollers carried by the trolleys.

Each trolley may have at least one arm which extends beyond the side of the trolley and carries a respective guide roller. The arm is at a level which enables it to protrude through a slot in the side of the casing of the apparatus and enable the roller to engage the guide rail which is housed within the casing. The casing may be of box-like form and the slot may be defined between a side wall of the casing and a portion of the top wall extending beyond the side wall so as to lessen the risk of foreign bodies entering the slot. Conveniently, the edge of this.projecting portion is turned downwards and a channel is formed between the down-turned portion and the guide rail. Suitable openings are provided at the ends of the casing to enable the rollers to enter the channel and the guide rail is preferably provided with an entry widening.

A further guide rail is provided optionally for at least the working run of the traction member to lessen or prevent deviation of the traction member from its normal path upon it being loaded. The traction member preferably is provided with a plurality of dogs (although it falls within the scope of the invention for there to be a single such dog.) A spacing of about 30 cm. between one dog and the next has been found satisfactory and facilitates the transfer of a trolley from one apparatus (or traction member) to the next.

To avoid a trolley being jerked into motion, the trolley may be provided with a contact member which is resiliently supported on the body or frame of the trolley. A spring, for example, a soft helical spring, may be interposed between the contact member and the frame or body, or some other buffer arrangement may be employed.

The motor of the apparatus, or all of the motors if several such apparatus (or traction members) are arranged in succession, may be controlled in re sponge to opening and closing of the lift doors. Thus, as soon as the lift cage arrives at a floor provided with apparatus in accordance with the invention and the door opens, the or each of the motors is switched on and the waiting trolley or trolleys propelled into the lift. A similar arrangement may be provided for withdrawing trollies from the lift. This control of the motor or motors may be achieved by means of a switch which responds to movement of the door.

The invention will now be described in greater detail but by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein; Figure lisa perspective view of a building provided with a lift and apparatus in accordance with the invention; Figure 2 is a plan view of apparatus in accordance with the invention, Figure 3 is a side view of the apparatus shown in Figure 2, Figure 4 is a section taken on the line IV-IV in Figure 2, and Figure 5 is a section taken on the lines V-V in Figure 2.

Referring to the drawings, the building shown in Figure 1 has a number of floors 1 interconnected by a lift shaft 2 for a lift cage 3. Doors 22 open into the shaft and allow trolleys 4 to enter and leave the lift cage at each floor. Herein, the word trolley is used to include any load carrying or containing vehicle, or other vehicle, which conventionally travels on wheels on the floors of a multi-storied building and is moved between floors by a lift. Herein, therefore, trolleys includes pallet trucks, wheeled baskets, platform trucks and so on.

Arranged adjacent each door is apparatus for guiding and propelling the trollies into and out of the lift. As illustrated in Figure 1, each door is associated with three successive such apparatus to enable three trollies to be handled simultaneously but within the scope of the invention any practical number of such pieces of apparatus may be provided.

Each such apparatus 9 comprises a casing having a base plate or bottom wall 13 which rests on the floor, side walls 11 and 12, the former of which faces towards the trolleys to be propelled, and the latter of which may abut the wall of the space into which the lift shaft opens, and an upper wall or top plate 10 which terminates flush with the side wall 12 and has a portion 10a projecting beyond the wall 11 and turned down to define a slot 23 running the length of the casing. A guide rail 14 is mounted on the underside of the upper wall 10 so as to define a channel between the guide rail and the down turned portion 1 Oa. The ends of the casing are cut-away to enable the ingress to and egress from the channel of guide rollers 7. Each guide roller is supported for rotation about a vertical shaft 6 carried on an arm which projects from a trolley 4.Each trolley may be provided with one or more such rollers. The arm is arranged at a level such that it passes through the slot as the roller 7 travels within the channel. The guide rail 14 and the down turned portion 10a of the upper wall constrain the guide roller (and hence the trolley) to follow a straight path to or from a door to the lift.

Mounted within the casing at one end thereof is an electric motor 15 which drives a shaft on which a chain wheel 17 is supported with the inter-position of a free-wheel or over-running clutch 16, whereby the chain wheel 17 may be rotated while the motor is stationary. At the other end of the casing, is arranged a return wheel 18, and a roller chain 19 (constituting an endless flexible traction element) is trained around both wheels. The tension in the chain may be adjusted by means of a screw 21 acting on the shaft of the return wheel 18 and supported by a bracket 27 fixed to the casing. A guide rail 25 carried on brackets fixed to the wall 11 supports the upper or working run of the chain as shown in Figure 5.

Supported on the chain at spacings of about 30 cm.

are dogs 20 which project away from the interior of the chain.

Each of the arms 5 mounted at the corners of the trolleys carries a contact member 8, a helical spring 26 being provided to allow the contact member to resile relative to the arm. When a trolley is brought into a position along side the apparatus, the contact member at the forward end of the trolley (shown in Figure 3) enters the channel through the flared end 14a thereof, and, when the motor is energised, is engaged by one of the dogs 20 and propel thereby through the channel so that the trolley is drawn from one end of the apparatus to the other. The guide wheels 7 at the forward and rearward ends of the trolley cause the trolley to follow a straight path, and the shape locking engagement between the contact member and dog enables the trolley to be propelled without being lifted on one side.By arranging for the chain wheel 17 to free-wheel on its shaft, the leading end of the contact member 8 may displace the chain if a dog blocks its path during engagement of a trolley with the apparatus. The contact member at the other end of the trolley may be used for propelling the trolley if the trolley is turned through 90"for example during withdrawal from the lift.

The overhanging arrangement of the poriton 10a lessens the risk of foreign bodies entering the slot 23. The rigidity of the box-like casing which is lost by the provision of the slot is restored by support bars 24 shown in Figure 2 at the ends of the apparatus. By permitting the contact member 8 to resile relative to the arm 5, the trolley accelerates smoothly and without jerks.

As shown in Figure 1,the arrangement may be such that there are two laterally spaced doors to the lift on each side of the shaft at each floor, and three sets of apparatus are arranged in a row in association with each door, one door being used for trolleys entering the lift and the other for trolleys leaving it.

The motors of the sets of apparatus may be controlled by the door-opening contact of the lift.

Instead of arranging a series of separate pieces of apparatus in succession, it falls within the scope of the invention for a single apparatus to have a plurality of separate traction members each driven by a separate motor, or all driven by the same motor, and for a single traction member to accommodate more than one trolley.

Reference is made to German Patent Application No. P2838351.9-22, the disclosure of which (so far as it differs from the foregoing) is incorporated herein by reference.

Claims

1. Atransfer station for guiding and propelling trolleys, pallet carriers or other wheeled load carrying or containing vehicles to and from a lift, comprising an apparatus arranged on or adjacent the floor in the vicinity of the lift, said apparatus including an endless traction member guided around reversing wheels and drivable by a motor, the traction member having at least one dog for engagement with a contact member on each vehicle to be guided and propelled by the apparatus.

2. The invention claimed in Claim 1 wherein one of said wheels is drivable by the motor and includes a free wheel mechanism to enable the wheel to rotate when the motor is stationary.

3. The invention claimed in Claim 1 or Claim 2 wherein the apparatus includes a guide rail for contact with at least one guide roller on each vehicle.

4. The invention claimed in Claim 3 wherein each guide roller is supported on a spindle or shaft of an arm arranged to extend through a slot in a side of a casing of the apparatus.

5. The invention claimed in Claim 4wherein the casing includes an upper wall with a portion which projects beyond a side wall and is turned down to define the slot.

6. The invention claimed in Claim 5 wherein a channel for the guide rollers is defined between the guide rail and the down turned portion.

7. The invention claimed in Claim 6 wherein the channel is widened at its inlet end.

8. The invention claimed in any preceding claim including a further guide rail for the traction member.

9. The invention claimed in any preceding claim including a plurality of dogs carried by the traction member.

10. The invention claimed in any preceding claim wherein each contact member is resiliently mounted.

11. The invention claimed in Claim 10wherein the contact member is resiliently mounted by means of a helical spring.

12. The invention claimed in any preceding claim wherein the motor is arranged to be activated in response to operation of a door-opening contact of the lift.

13. Apparatus for guiding and propelling trolleys, pallet carriers, or other wheeled load carrying or containing vehicles to and frqm a lift, comprising a casing, a pair of longitudinally spaced chain wheels supported for rotation about horizontal shafts one of which shafts is drivable by an electric motor mounted within the casing, a side wall of the casing having therein a longitudinal slot, guide means adjacent the slots for engagement with guide members on the trolleys, and at least one dog carried by the chain for engagement with contact members of the trollies.

14. The invention claimed in Claim 1 or Claim 13 and substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.