GB2209319A

GB2209319A - Handling device

Info

Publication number: GB2209319A
Application number: GB8714650A
Authority: GB
Inventors: George Geoffrey Haith
Original assignee: Tickhill Engineering Co Ltd
Current assignee: Tickhill Engineering Co Ltd
Priority date: 1987-06-23
Filing date: 1987-06-23
Publication date: 1989-05-10
Anticipated expiration: 2007-06-23
Also published as: GB8714650D0; GB2209319B

Abstract

A handling device comprises a base (11) a carousel (12) mounted on the base, the carousel (12) having a support (33) on which an article to be handled may be placed, whereby an article may be moved to and from a work station by articles of a drive means (50) which drives the carousel (12). <IMAGE>

Description

Title: Handling device.

Description of Invention This invention relates to a handling device particularly, but not exclusively, for handling containers of produce such as potatoes/carrots and other crops. However the invention has other wide and varied application as will become apparent from the ensuing description.

According to a first aspect of the invention we provide a handling device comprising a base, a carousel mounted on the base, and drive means for moving the carousel relative to the base, the carousel having a support on which an article to be handled is placed, whereby an article placed on the carousel may be moved to and from a work station by actuation of the drive means.

The support may be constructed to enable an article to be lifted from the support from beneath the article.

For example, the support may be provided by a group of support members which are spaced apart from each other to enable a lifting device, such as the forks of fork lift truck or other lifting device, to be placed beneath the article.

The carousel may be rotatable relative to the base about a generally vertical axis and the support members of the group may extend radially and/or chordally relative to the axis, and preferably the support members are generally parallel. Preferably a plurality of groups of support members are provided, each group being capable of supporting an article simultaneously.

In one example, three groups of support members are provided which 0 are spaced apart from each other at about 1200 around the rotational axis so that upon the carousal being rotated through 1200, one group of support members is moved to a position previously occupied by another of the groups of support members. Of course in an alternative construction, more than three groups of support members could be provided.

This arrangement enables the carousel to be used for example adjacent a work station at which containers, which comprise articles handled by the device, are filled with for example farm produce or other substance, one container supported by one of the groups of support members being filled whilst a full container is removed from another of the groups of support members and an empty container is placed on another of the, or the remaining, group of support members, ready to be moved to the position occupied by the container being filled.

The carousel may be carried by any desired means although preferably is carried on a bearing surface provided by rollers or roller bearings mounted on the base, and a bearing around the rotational axis of the carousel which receives a shaft of the base.

The base may comprise a frame on which rollers may be mounted to provide the bearing surface and an upstanding column on which the shaft for co-operation with the bearing of the carousel, may be provided.

The carousel may be moved by any desired motive means directly or via a transmission as required although preferably the carousel is chain driven.

According to a second aspect of the invention we provide a method of handling articles utilising a handling device according to the first aspect of invention, the method comprising performing a working operation on an article placed on the carousel at a work station, moving the carousel to move the article away from the work station to a position where the article may be removed from the carousel whilst a working operation is simultaneously being performed on a second article which is moved to the work station whilst the first article is moved away from the work station, and placing on the carousel in another position, a third article, simultaneously with the working operation being performed on the second article which was placed on the conveyor in the another position prior to being moved to the work station.

The method is particularly applicable where the articles each comprise containers and the working operation comprises filling a container with produce or other substance, for example farm produce such as potatoes and carrots.

The method steps of placing an article on the conveyor and removing the article from the conveyor may be performed simultaneously or subsequently utilising a lifting device which carries a pair of lifting forks, such as a fork lift truck.

Where the containers are filled with produce, the method step of filling the containers at the work station may utilise equipment known as a box filler for reducing damage to produce as the produce falls from a loading conveyor into the box.

The invention will now be described with the aid of the companying drawings in which: FIGURE I is an exploded perspective view of a handling device in accordance with the invention with a drive means thereof omitted for clarity.

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary side sectional view of the device of Figure I shown in an assembled condition.

FIGURE 3 is a plan view of part of the device of Figures I and 2 showing the drive means.

Referring to the drawings, the handling device 10 comprises a base II which supports a carousel 12 for rotation about a generally vertical axis A the carousel being driven by a drive means which is shown generally at 40 in figure 3.

The base II comprises a generally hexagonal outer frame structure 13 made up of individual channel section members 14 to 19, the channels each opening inwardly. The members 14 to 19 each carry adjacent their mid points, a roller 20, which rollers 20 are each mounted for rotation about individual generally horizontal axes B.

From corners of the frame 13, where the members 14 to 19 are joined to adjacent members, inwardly extending spoke-like supports 22 are provided and at the centre of the outer frame structure 13 a hexagonal plate 23 connects the supports 22 so that the hexagonal outer frame 13 is supported from the plate 23. A column 24 extends upwardly from the plate 23, the column 24 being generally cylindrical with six equally spaced fins 25 which reduce in width towards the upper end 27 of the column 24. The fins 25 maintain the column 24 in an upright position and add rigidity to the entire base structure II.

The rollers 20 stand proud of the members 14 to 19 on which they are mounted and provide rolling supports to the carousel 12.

The carousel 12 comprises a generally channel shape circular rim 30, the channel of which opens upwardly. Thus a base 31 of the channel provides a bearing surface which rests on the rollers 20 of the base 11.

The rim 30 is connected to a central region 32 of the carousel by a plurality of load carrying support members 33, 33a. The support members 33, 33a do not all extend radially relative to the rim 30 but rather the members 33, 33a are grouped in groups of three, the central member 33a of each group extending generally radially whilst the members 33 to either side of the members 33a extend chordally. The three support members 33, 33a of each group thus extend generally parallel to one another and thus are secured by welding or otherwise to the rim 30.

The central region 32 of the carousel 12 comprises a generally triangular plate 34 carried on a triangular framework 34a which is spaced above but secured to the rim 30 and the support members 33, 33a by uprights 35 which are aligned with and extend between the members 33, 33a and the framework 34a. Thus importantly, between each of the three support members 33, 33a and the respective uprights 35, there is a space 36.

A pulley wheel 37 which has a sprocket teeth 38 in the channel of the pulley, is connected to and beneath the support members 33, 33a which pulley wheel 37 comprises part of the drive means 40 which will be described hereinafter.

The triangular plate 34 has a central opening 41 surrounded by a bearing 42 which, in use, receives a shaft 43 provided that the upper end 27 of the column 24 of the base II.

Thus the base 11 and carousel 12 can be assembled as shown in Figure 2 so that the carousel can rotate relative to the base II about axis A.

The carousel 12 is driven by the drive means 40.

Referring particularly Figure 3, an electric motor 50 is provided, an output shaft of which (not shown) provides an input to a gear box 51 which in turn has an output shaft 52 on which a first sprocket 53 is received. The sprocket 53 is connected via a chain 54 to a second sprocket 55 which is on a common shaft 55a with a further sprocket 55b which receives a further chain 56 which is received around the pulley wheel 37 of the carousel 12, the sprocket teeth 38 within the channel of the pulley wheel 37 engaging the links of the chain 56.

The motor 50 and gear box 51 are supported by a sub frame which includes a pair of converging side limbs 57 which at their (broad) base ends, are secured to the hexagonal frame structure 13 of the base 11, and at their (narrower) other ends carry a mounting plate 58 for the gearbox and motor 50 unit. A further sub frame 60 secured to the hexagonal frame structure 13 carries the shaft S5a which is mounted between the frame 60 a housing 50a of the gearbox 51 and the electric motor 50 unit.

Thus as the motor 50 is operated, drive is transmitted to the carousel 12 which thus rotates relative to the base 11.

Use of the device 10 will now be described.

The device has been developed particularly, but not exclusively, for handling containers for farm produce such as potatoes and carrots.

After washing and grading such produce, the produce is placed into containers (for example wooden boxes which hold approximately one tonne) using a proprietory box filler which reduces the possiblity of damage to the produce as the produce drops into the containers, for example from a loading conveyor. One typical box filler is placed in a container and withdrawn as the container is filled with produce. It is preferred for the process of filling containers to be continuous, but as the containers are filled, previously it has been necessary to stop the process for a significant time whilst the full container is removed and replaced with an empty one.

However, using the device 10 described above the "stop" time can be reduced to a minimum thus considerably speeding up the process of filling containers.

A first container on one of the three groups of support members 33,33a, when the carousel 12 is stationary, is filled with produce as previously described. When the container is full, the carousel 12 is rotated in one direction e.g. clockwise to move the full first container out of the way of the produce feeding equipment i.e. from the work station. By rotating the carousel 12 through 1200 an empty second container which was previously placed on the next anticlockwise group of three support members 33,33a is thus moved into the position previously occupied by the first container whilst being filled and filling can continue.

As the second container is being filled, the first full container can be removed from the carousel 12 without interfering with the working operation of the feeding apparatus, and similarl-* a further third empty container can be placed on the 1200 anticlockwise position previously occupied by the second container now being filled. The process can continue in this way for an indefinite number of containers and it is only necessary to stop the working operation for a very short time whilst the full container is removed from the work station and replaced with an empty one.

Because of the spaces 36 between the support members 33 and 33a and the uprights 35, the forks of a fork lift truck or other lifting device can be used to place and remove the containers on and off the carousel 12, by lifting the containers from beneath, the forks being received in the spaces 36.

The drive means 40 described, in conjunction with the rollers 20 and bearing 42 provide a robust construction capable of handling large loads such as full containers of heavy produce.

The drive means 40 may automatically index the carousel 12 through 0 120 or another angle, depending on the number of load supports, at set time intervals, or operated manually as required, or operated in response to a container being filled to a predetermined degree which may be sensed for example by movement of the box filler as it is withdrawn from the container.

Various modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the invention. For example, the base need not have a hexagonal frame structure 13 as described but any alternative suitable construction could be used. The carousel 12 could be otherwise constructed although preferably the carousel has means such as the spaces 36 to enable a lifting device to be used to lift full containers from beneath, from the carousel 12.

Any alternative drive means may be provided which may have an electrical or other motive means, and a chain/pulley gear or other transmission may be provided as required to drive the carousel.

Although as described, the invention has been applied to handling articles comprising containers of farm produce, the invention may be applied to handling any other article.

The features disclosed in the foregoing description, or the accompanying drawings, expressed in their specific forms or in terms of a means for performing the disclosed function, or a method or process for attaining the disclosed result, or a class or group of substances or compositions, as appropriate, may, separately or in any combination of such features, be utilised for realising the invention in diverse forms thereof.

Claims

I. A handling device comprising a base, a carousel mounted on the base, and drive means for moving the carousel relative to the base, the carousel having a support on which an article to be handled is placed, whereby an article placed on the carousel may be moved to and from a work station by actuation of the drive means.
2. A device according to claim I wherein the support is constructed to enable an article to be lifted from the support from beneath the article.
3. A drive according to claim 2 wherein the support is provided by a group of support members which are spaced apart from each other to enable a lifting device to be placed beneath the article.
4. A device according to any one of claims I to 3 wherein the carousel is rotatable relative to the base about a generally vertical axis and the support members of the group extend radially and/or chordally relative to the axis.
5. A device according to claim 4 where the support members are generally parallel.
6. A device according to any one of claims 3 to 5 wherein a plurality of groups of support members are provided, each group being capable of supporting an article simultaneously.
7. A device according to claim 6 wherein three groups of support members a are provided which are spaced apart from each other at about 120 around a rotational axis so that upon the carousel being rotated through 1200, one group of support members is moved to a position previously occupied by another of the groups of support members.
8. A device according to claim 6 or claim 7 wherein the carousel is adjacent a work station at which containers, which comprise articles handled by the device, are filled.
9. A device according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the carousel is carried on a bearing surface provided by rollers or roller bearings mounted on the base, and a bearing around a rotational axis of the carousel which receives a shaft of the base.
10. A device according to claim 9 wherein the base comprises a frame on which rollers are mounted to provide the bearing surface and an upstanding column on which the shaft for co-operation with the bearing of the carousel, is provided.
I. A device according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the carousel is moved by a means via a transmission which includes a chain drive.
12. A handling device substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as shown in the accompanying drawings.
13. A method of handling articles utilising a handling device according to any one of the preceding claims, the method comprising performing a working operation on an article placed on the carousel at a work station, moving the carousel to move the article away from the work station to a position where the article may be removed from the carousel whilst a working operation is simultaneously being performed on a second article which is moved to the work station whilst the first article is moved away from the work station, and placing on the carousel in another position, a third article, simultaneously with the working operation being performed on the second article which was placed on the conveyor in the another position prior to being moved to the work stat ion.
14. A method cccording to claim 13 wherein the articles each comprise containers and the working operation comprises filling a container with produce or other substance.
15. A method according to claim 13 or claim 14 wherein the method steps of placing an article on the conveyor and removing the article from the conveyor are performed simultaneously or subsequently utilising a lifting device which carries a pair of lifting forks.
16. A method according to claim 14 or claim 15 where appendant to claim 14 wherein the method step of filling the containers at the work station utlises a box filler.
17. A method of handling articles substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
18. Any novel feature or novei combination of features as herein defined and/or shown in the accompanying drawings.