GB2225996A

GB2225996A - A traveller for a rail conveyor

Info

Publication number: GB2225996A
Application number: GB8927967A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Ing Klaus Becker; Ing Johannes-Gerhard Spoler
Original assignee: Mannesmann AG
Current assignee: Vodafone GmbH
Priority date: 1988-12-13
Filing date: 1989-12-11
Publication date: 1990-06-20
Anticipated expiration: 2009-12-11
Also published as: DE3842292C2; GB8927967D0; FR2640216B1; IT8922591A1; GB2225996B; IT8922591A0; FR2640216A1; IT1239120B; DE3842292A1

Description

4.L A Traveller for a Rail Conveyor The invention relates to a traveller

as described in the introductory clause of the main claim. A traveller of this kind has been disclosed by DE-OS 23 43 502 and always contacts the lower flange with one counter- roller. When the weight distribution is undefined and load oscillations are likely., the traveller can also be equipped with a second counter- roller. When two counter-rollers are used, during travel round bends these grind against the lower flange, leading to the creation of noise and undergoing heavy wear. In comparison to two-wheel travellers, those equipped with only one supporting running wheel have the advantage of a short structural length and are suitable for the transportation of components having small dimensions which can also be stored in a space- saving fashion on the conveyor rail.

The aim of the present invention is to improve the travelling behaviour of a crab having a short structural length, in particular during travel round bends and in the case of a load which oscillates in the direction of travel. This aim is fulfilled in that each counter-roller Is coupled via Its roller block by means of a vertical pivot axle to a bearing boss of the traveller. During travel round bends the counter-roller adapts to the shape of the rail and neither wear nor noise occurs. The pivot axle is arranged approximately in the centre between the vertical axes of the running wheel and the counterroller so that during travel round bends the axle of the running wheel and two axles of the counter-rollers intersect ideally at the arc centre point of the rail. The traveller and the roller blocks are preferably guided by guide rollers along the flanges of the carrier; the running wheel and counter-rollers can also be equipped with wheel flanges instead of guide rollers.

In conveyor systems comprising vertical bends in the carrier, the axle of each counter-roller can be mounted via damping elements, which consist of rubber elements or similar elastic materIals, In a bearing block of the roller block which can be equipped with vertical guides for the bearing block. The roller i 1 2 block can be provided with a height adjusting device which comprises a plate which is pivot-mounted by a pivot pin in a bore of the roller block and which has support pins, arranged at different heights, for the bearing block.

An exemplary embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the drawings and will be explained in the following.

Figure 1 is a side view of a traveller; Figure 2 is a side view of the traveller; Figure 3 is a section III - III through Figure 1; Figure 4 is a section IV - IV through Figure 1; Figure 5 is a side view of a carrier comprising vertical bends and of the traveller; Figure 6 is a side view of a height adjusting device on an enlarged scale; Figure 7 is a plan view of Figure 6.

A traveller 2 for an attachable load 22 can be moved along a carrier 1 by means of a supporting running wheel 3 which is driven by a motor 4. The motor is supplied with current and where appropriate with information via contact lines 5 arranged beside the carrier 1 and via current collectors 6 which ride over the contact lines. For its lateral guidance the traveller 2 is equipped with guide rollers 7 which contact the sides of the upper and lower flanges.

To prevent load oscillations in the longitudinal direction, the traveller 2 is equipped with two counter-rollers 8 which contact the lower flange of the carrier 1 at the front and at the rear. These counter-rollers 8 are mounted in roller blocks 9 which are mounted by means of their bearing bosses 11 via vertical axles 10 in bearing bosses 21 of the traveller 2. The roller blocks 9 are also provided with guide rollers 12 which contact the sides of the lower 'flange of the carrier 1.

The pivot axle 10 is located approximately in the centre between the vertical axis below the running wheel 3 and the counterrollers 8. This permits a satisfactory rolling motion along the lower flange as the midvertical axes of the running wheel 3 and the counter-rollers 8 meet at a common intersection point which is 1 1 3 3 identical to the arc centre point of the horizontally bent carrier 1, as indicated in Figure 3.

For the safe guidance of the traveller along vertical bends as illustrated in Figure 5, each counter-roller 8 as shown in Figure 4 is mounted by means of roller bearings 13 on an axle 14 mounted in a bearing block 16 via damping elements 15 in the form of rubber springs. The bearing block 16 is mounted in its roller block 9 by means of vertical guide 17. as can also be seen from Figure 3.

In the exemplary embodiment the pre-stress of the damping elements 15 amounts to approximately 3 mm during travel along a straight carrier 1. When the ascending section of the carrier (trough 23) corresponding to Figure 5 is entered, the stress of the damping elements 15 relaxes to approximately 0 mm, indicated by the dimension 'X' in Figure 5. At the transition from the ascending section to the horizontal section (dome 24) the damping elements 15 are temporarily pre-stressed to approximately 6 mm because the counter-rollers 8 are forced away from the running wheel 3.

For the height adjustment of the bearing block 16, the roller block 9 is provided with a height adjusting device 18 which is illustrated in Figures 6 and 7 and which comprises a plate guided by a pivot pin 19, slotted for a screw driver or the like, in a bore in the base flange of the roller block 9. The plate is provided with two upwardly projecting support pins 20 and 20a for the bearing block 16 which. in the Illustrated position. rests on the lower support pin 20a. By rotating the height adjusting device the bearing block 16 can alternatively be arranged to rest on the plate itself or on the higher support pin 20. When the bearing block 16 rests on the plate. the two spacer pins 20 and 20a are positioned in front of the front edge of the bearing block 16, as indicated in dash-dotted lines An Figure 7. The front edge of the bearing block 16 has been shown in dash-dotted lines in Figure 7; the front edge of the roller block 9 has been shown in broken lines. While the height adjusting device 18 is adjusted, the bearing block 16 is raised in relation to the roller block 9 by the use of a screw driver or a similar tool.

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Claims

1. A traveller which moves with a running wheel over an upper flange of a carrier rail and is equipped both in front of and behind the running wheel with counter-rollers of which. depending upon weight distribution and oscillation, at least one is in contact with a lower flange of the carrier rail, wherein each counter-roller (8) is mounted in a roller block (9) and is coupled by a vertical pivot axle (10) to a bearing boss (20) of the traveller (2).

2. A traveller as claimed in Claim 1, wherein each pivot axle (10) is arranged approximately centrally between a vertical plane through the axis of the running wheel (3) and a vertical plane through the axis of the respective counter-roller (8).

3. A traveller as claimed in Claim 1. wherein it is guided laterally by upper and lower guide rollers (7) along the upper and lower flanges of the carrier (1) and that the roller blocks (9) are guided laterally along the lower flange of the carrier (1) by guide rollers (12).

4. A traveller as claimed in one or more of the preceding Claims, wherein the axle (14) of the counter-roller (8) is mounted via damping elements (15) in a bearing block (16) of the roller block (9).

5. A traveller as claimed in Claim 4, wherein the damping elements (15) are elements of rubber or similar elastic materials.

6. A traveller as claimed in Claim 4, wherein the bearing block (16) is guided vertically by guides (17) in the roller block (9) and is provided with a height adjusting device (18).

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7. A traveller as claimed in Claim 6, wherein the height adjusting device (18) is a plate which is rotatably mounted by means of a pivot pin (19) in a bore in a base flange of the roller block (9) and which is equipped with support pins (20. 20a) of different heights for the bearing block (16).

Published 1990atThe Patent Office, State House. 66'71 High Holborn.London WCIR4TP-Fu--ther copies maybe obtained from The Patent Office Sales Branch. St Mary Cray, Orpington. Kent BR5 3RD. Printed by MuIV,13ex techniques ltd, St Mary Cray, Kent. Con 1 S'