GB2043569A - Overhead conveyers - Google Patents

Abstract

A load attaching/detaching/ transferring device for overhead conveyors has a carrier with an upwardly extended stem (1) that carries on each of its sides a freely rotatable pulley (2). The load-carrying members (6) that run on the conveyor track (7) as well as a lifting/lowering car (8) are provided with similar stirrups (3, 4) that can engage from below and support the pulleys (2). The car (8) may be moved vertically as well as horizontally via a further car (9) running on an overhead fixed track (12). Each stirrup has a pulley-engaging surface that slopes from both ends to its centre which is shaped as a seat for the pulleys (2) so that the latter can roll down on the surface and come to a stable rest position in the seat. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Apparatus for transferring suspended carriers in overhead conveyors The invention concerns apparatus for transferring suspended carriers in overhead conveyors for detaching, attaching and transferring goods-conveying fittings or carriers. The invention particularly but not exclusively concerns apparatus wherein above the conveyor track at the desired location there is arranged a detaching/unloading device in the form of a lifting car which can be displaced vertically and which is suspended on a framework and wherein load-carrier devices are suspended on the conveying elements of the conveyor.

Loading/attaching and unloading/detaching devices are known which are additionally suitable for transferring the suspension fittings or carriers conveyed along conveyor tracks to another conveyor. Such a device is, for instance, the so-called CFC apparatus suitable for transferring the carrier between two conveyors, wherein the head of the rod of the carrier is formed so as to enable it to be suspended on a hook on both of its sides. The transfer of the carrier may take place from one conveyor to another and in such cases the two conveyor tracks require to be guided along a given section closely adjacently to each other in mutually parallel vertical planes so that the conveyor track giving up or feeding the carrier is initially in a higher plane than the other, receiving conveyor.The feeding conveyor is then guided to extend in the same plane as the receiving track for transfer and finally sinks below the plane of the latter, while on the receiving track, a free (empty) hook or like carrier-supporting device must be perfectly synchronised with the hook or like device of the feeding conveyor.

This method of transfer does not, however, make it possible to detach the suspension fitting or carrier and to line them up on a buffer or storage track; furthermore, the need to synchronise the two conveyors represents a serious restriction. Moreover, it is not possible to select the carriers, i.e. to transfer only certain desired carriers while leaving others.

The operation and construction of the socalled Transauto apparatus (G.E.C.I.) enables the removal, attachment and transfer to another conveyor of carriers conveyed along the conveyor track, because the upper stem of the carrier terminates in a flat steel member in which a suspension toggle and, beneath it, four running rollers are disposed. The switching apparatus of the conveyor car can arrange carriers disposed on a buffer or storage track to be taken up or to deposit carriers there.

However, this switching unit has to be provided on all cars and therefore this solution is too expensive for long tracks.

An aim of the invention is to reduce or eliminate the disadvantages of the above-described devices. A task of the invention is to provide transfer apparatus for suspended carriers which makes mechanical loading and unloading (attachment and detachment) of goods carriers on conveyors possible as well as their mechanised transfer to another conveyor, expediently by so constructing the carrier that their manual or mechanical displacement, their lining up into ranks and maintenance of a given spacing on a fixed track externally of the conveyor should be readily achievable and thus to ensure the possibility of providing a completely automated material handling and moving system.

The invention accordingly consists in a suspended carrier transfer apparatus for overhead conveyors, suitable for detaching, attaching and transferring goods carriers, wherein a vertically displaceable lifting car constituting an unloading or detaching device is arranged above the conveyor track at a desired location, the said lifting car being suspended on a framework and the conveying element(s) of the conveyor had load carriers suspended on it. The essence of the invention is that in both sides of stem of the goods carrier a respective coupling pulley or disc is rotatably journalled, and both the lifting car and the load carriers are provided with identically constructed stirrups, which can be suspended from below on the said coupling pulley or disc journalled on the stem of the suspension fitting.

The construction of the stirrup on the lifting car of the carrier transfer apparatus and the provision of the coupling pulleys journalled and disposed on both sides of the stem of each carrier together enable at all times a reliable and precise connection and easy disconnection.

The stirrups on the lifting car and on the load carrying device, e.g. the conveying element of the conveyor, are of doubly and oppositely sloped construction and on their central part have seats corresponding to the diameter of the pulley. This construction ensures that, on the one hand, the carrier reliably engages and seats on the stirrup of the conveying device by virtue of the pulley on one side of the carrier and, on the other hand, that on its other side there is no obstacle to lifting the carrier by a similarly constructed stirrup. The construction of sloping the stirrup towards its centre from both sides ensures that in the event of lifting ensuing with a certain amount of inaccuracy the carrier does not fall down, but instead, rolls down the slope and engages accurately in the seat.By forming the stirrup in such a way, the suspended carriers always arrive in the same position irrespective of any inaccuracy in the displacement mechanism.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the framework guiding the vertically displaceable lifting car is expediently supported by a gantry and is mounted on a horizontally displaceable car in the gantry.

The construction according to this preferred embodiment of the invention makes it possible to begin horizontal movement of the carriers after raising them, irrespective of the size of the load, and to move them in a vertical direction after the conveying shaft has passed by. In known constructions, this time was a function of the size of the load which of course reduced the conveying output.

The appratus according to the invention may, in dependence upon the field of application, be manufactured in one-car or two-car variants. In the two-car variant, the framework for the lifting car is suspended from a horizontally movable car. In this way, it is ensured that the carrier to be detached should be able to leave the conveyor track either horizontally or vertically, as desired.

The construction of the transfer apparatus is such that in its basic position it is disposed externally of the countours of the carriers and can thus remove only the desired carrier whilst the others can, if desired, pass by.

A further advantage of the invention is that the apparatus can be mounted above the conveyor track and thus does not occupy any of the useful space beneath the conveyor and thus further increases the advantages afforded by overhead conveyors.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, rolling elements are arranged on the stem of the carriers to enable them after transfer to be displaced along a fixed load track. In this way, the carried goods can continue to be handled on further fixed tracks, which may be level or sloping tracks externally of the conveyor.

The apparatus according to the invention provides for further variations, thus for instance, by connecting together two apparatuses according to the invention and operating them in opposing working cycles, a transfer apparatus is formed. Optionally, a track may be disposed between the two to serve as a buffer and thus it is not an unconditional requirement that the two conveyors should be operated synchronousiy. This of course results in a great simplification in terms of control technology.

In arrangements involving fixed load track perpendicular to the conveyor run, the section of the stem of the carrier between the coupling pulleys and the running rollers can be so constructed that the carrier rolling along the load track cannot abut the stirrup of the lifting car.

The invention is described merely by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein: Figure 1 is a front elevation, partially in section, of a detail of a carrier transfer apparatus according to the invention, Figure 2 is a side view of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1, Figure 3 is a side view on an enlarged scale of a stirrup included in the apparatus of Figs.

1 and 2, Figure 4 is a side view of the apparatus according to the invention, combined with a fixed load track, and Figure 5 is a front view of the apparatus shown in Fig. 4.

Figs. 1 and 2 illustrate the essential parts of the apparatus according to the invention. A load to be conveyed along the conveyor track is not shown in these Figures but is disposed in or on a carrier the stem 1 of which is shown in the drawings. In both sides of the carrier stem 1 a respective coupling roller or pulley 2 is freely rotatably journalled.

Fig. 4 shows an I-section overhead conveyor track 7 on which run rollers of loadcarrying members 6. Ech load-carrying member 6 is provided with a depending stirrup 3.

The stirrups 3 of the load-carrying members 6 are engageable from below with the pulley 2 at the right-hand side (as viewed) of the stem 1 so that the pulley 2 rests on the top surface of the stirrup (as further explained below) and this is how a load 1 5 can be suspended on the conveyor 7.

To remove or detach the load or goods at a desired location, a lifting car 8, illustrated in Fig. 4, is disposed next to the conveyor track 7. The lifting car 8 has a supporting framework 11 which is suspended from above in a manner described below. On the lifting car 8 there is a laterally projecting stirrup 4, the construction of which is identical with that of the stirrups 3. The stirrup 4 can engage with and support the other pulley 2, on the lefthand side (as viewed) of the carrier stem 1, and in this way the carrier stem 1, and thus the load 1 5 can be removed from the stirrup 3 of the load carrying member 6 by displacing the lifting car 8 vertically upwardly. Fig. 3 shows in greater detail the construction of the stirrup 4 of the lifting car 8 and, as has already been said, this is identical in construction with that of the stirrup 3. The upper side (as viewed) of the stirrup 4 slopes from both of its ends towards its centre and at the latter it has a seat corresponding to the diameter of the pulleys 2. This ensures that even in the event of inaccurate alignment, the stem 1 i.e.

the load rolls down in to the seat on the pulleys 2 and occupies a stable vertical position.

In Figs. 4 and 5, there is shown an embodiment of the carrier transfer apparatus wherein the goods or the load are to be transferred to a fixed track 10. Here the lifting car 8 or rather its frame 11 is suspended from a car 9 that is horizontally displaceable in a gantry 1 2 by means of a working cylinder or ram 14.

Another working cylinder or ram 1 3 is disposed in the framework 11 and provides for the lifting and lowering of the lifting car 8. In this case, transfer takes place by actuating the working cylinder 1 3 to raise the car 8 until its stirrup 4 engages with the pulley 2 of the stem 1 and thus the load 1 5 is removed from the stirrup 3 of the load-carrying member 6.

Thereafter, by actuation of the working cylinder 14, the load 1 5 is carried by the car 9 via the lifting car 8 leftwardly, as seen in Fig. 4 until the vertical plane of the commencement of the track 10 is reached, whereupon the working cylinder 1 3 is actuated to lower the load until rolling elements 5 provided on the carrier stem 1 engage the track 1 0. Thereafter, with the aid of the rollers 5 the load may be further displaced along the track 10.In other words, when the car 9 has displaced the framework 11 in the appropriate vertical plane, the car 8 is displaced to the appropriate height so that the rollers 5 of the carrier can be lowered on the track 1 0. Thereafter, the track 10 can carry the carrier to a store or even to beneath a further conveyor track where another apparatus according to the invention carries out the transfer.

As can be seen from Figs. 2 and 5, the upper part of the suspension stem 1 is bent for the purpose of allowing it to roll along without abutting anything after it has been transferred to the track 1 0.

The apparatus according to the invention may be used in the most widely varied ways.

The various working cycles can be controlled by conventional servo-control and the operation of the apparatus can be fully automated.

By addressing the suspension fittings and by local scanning of the addresses, detaching only the desired carriers can be achieved.

As can be seen from the illustrated embodiments, the apparatus according to the invention is of very simple construction but of great versatility of use. The fact that it is highly automatable increases the conveying capacity because in practice the minimum possible division of the carriers can be achieved and the loading and unloading operations can be carried out with either stationary or moving conveyor tracks.

Claims (7)

1. Apparatus for detaching, attaching and transferring goods-conveying carriers suspended on overhead conveyors, wherein the conveyor has load-bearing members for suspending the carriers therefrom, a detaching device in the form of a vertically displaceable lifting car is mounted on a framework at desired locations above or next to the conveyor track, and wherein a respective coupling element is rotatably journalled on two opposite sides of each said carrier and both the lifting car and the load-bearing members are provided with similarly constructed stirrups which can supportingly engage from below the coupling elements journalled on the carriers.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each carrier has an upwardly extending stem which carries said coupling elements.

3. Apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the stirrups of the lifting car and of the load-bearing members are each provided with a surface for engaging with the coupling elements of the carriers which slopes from opposite ends towards its centre, and the centre is formed as a seat shaped to provide stable engagement with the coupling elements.

4. Apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the coupling elements are pulleys and the seats are part-circular with a radius of curvature matching that of the co-operating parts of the pulleys.

5. Apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein the framework for guiding the vertically displaceable lifting car is mounted on a further car which is horizontally displaceable in a gantry that supports the framework.

6. Apparatus according to any preceding claim wherein the carrier (or its stem) carries further rolling elements for engaging and running on fixed tracks associated with the conveyor track.

7. Apparatus according to claim 1 substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as shown in the accompanying drawings.