GB2433956A

GB2433956A - A picking up apparatus

Info

Publication number: GB2433956A
Application number: GB0522713A
Authority: GB
Inventors: David Ratledge; Anthony Paul Fazekas; Knut Roesch
Original assignee: CARILLION CONSTRUCTION Ltd
Current assignee: CARILLION CONSTRUCTION Ltd
Priority date: 2005-11-08
Filing date: 2005-11-08
Publication date: 2007-07-11
Also published as: GB0522713D0

Abstract

A picking up apparatus 10 is described for picking up a stack of elongate articles 11, 12, 13, 14 from a first surface 20, and dispensing the elongate articles11, 12, 13, 14, individually, onto a second surface, the apparatus 10 including a support member 15 and a dispensing device 40, 41 connected to the support member 15, the dispensing device 40, 41 including first 45 and second 55 holding members which are each moveable between respective first and second positions by driving means 71, 72, 73, 74, the first holding member 45 being configured to hold, in its first position, a lowermost elongate article 11 relative to the support member 15 and the second holding member 55 being configured to hold, in its first position, an elongate article 12 above the lowermost elongate article 11, wherein the driving means 71, 72, 73, 74 is configured to move the first holding member 45 from its first position to its second position to dispense the lowermost elongate article 11. The articles may be railway sleepers or ties.

Description

1 2433956 Title: A Picking Up Apparatus DescriDtion of Invention This

invention relates to a picking up apparatus, particularly for picking up a stack of elongate articles from a first surface and dispensing the elongate articles, individually, i.e. one at a time, onto a second surface.

The invention has been devised in relation to the laying of railway sleepers for a railway track, although it must be appreciated that it has many other uses.

Railway sleepers for a railway track, which are, for example, made from wood, concrete or metal (e.g. steel) are required to be laid on a ground surface at an installation site to support rails of the track. A known device for laying railway sleepers includes a cartridge mechanism whereby a plurality of railway sleepers are loaded into the cartridge mechanism in stack configuration. The cartridge mechanism then dispenses the railway sleepers, one at a time, at regular intervals as the device is moved across a ground surface. This method of laying railway sleepers is slow and inefficient and relies on the device being re-filled, from the top one-by one, when the cartridge mechanism has emptied, for which the device will have to be returned to a location where the railway sleepers are stored.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved apparatus for such use.

According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a picking up apparatus for picking up a stack of elongate articles from a first surface and dispensing the elongate articles, individually, onto a second surface, the apparatus including a support member and a dispensing device connected to the support member, the dispensing device including first and second holding members which are each moveable between respective first and second A1138OGB positions by driving means, the first holding member being configured to hold, in its first position, a lowermost elongate article relative to the support member and the second holding member being configured to hold, in its first position, an elongate article above the lowermost elongate article, wherein the driving means is configured to move the first holding member from its first position to its second position to dispense the lowermost elongate article.

The first holding member may be pivotally moveable. This allows the first holding member easily to be moved between its first and second positions by the driving means.

The second holding member may be pivotally moveable. Again, this allows the second holding member easily to be moved between its first and second positions by the driving means.

Where both the first and second holding members are pivotally moveable, both may be pivotable moveable about a common axis.

The first and second holding members may each include at least one projecting formation which is engageable with the elongate articles.

Preferably the first and second holding members each have two projecting formations, which are preferably spaced from each other. For example, the projecting formation(s) engages an underside of the elongate article.

The second holding member may include a formation to receive at least part of the first holding member. The formation in the second holding member may be an opening through which the first holding member is pivotally moveable by the driving means.

Alternatively, the first holding member may include a formation to receive at least part of the second holding member. The formation in the first holding Al 1380GB member may be an opening through which the second holding member is pivotally moveable by the driving means.

The driving means may be slidably connected to the first holding member.

Alternatively, or in addition, the driving means may be slidably connected to the second holding member.

The slidable connection of the driving means to the first and/or second holding member may be provided by a cam mechanism. The driving means may include a cam member engageable with a cam track provided on the first and/or second holding member. Thus linear movement of the cam effects pivoting of the first and/or second holding member relative to the support member.

The cam track in the first and/or second holding member may be an elongate recess or, alternatively, an elongate aperture and the cam member of the driving means may be slidable along the recess or aperture. The first and/or second holding member may be provided with a pair of aligned cam tracks and the driving means may include a cam member which engages both cam tracks of the first and/or second holding member.

The dispensing device of the apparatus may be connected to the support member by a resilient member. The resilient member may allow the apparatus to pick up the stack of elongate articles from the first surface, because when the apparatus is lowered over the stack of elongate articles the dispensing device is free to move outwardly, i.e. away from the elongate articles whether the first and/or second holding members are in their respective first or second positions, whilst the resilient member biases the dispensing device towards the elongate articles.

Al 1380GB The apparatus may include two dispensing devices as above described, one provided at each end of the support member. Thus the two dispensing devices engage opposite ends of the elongate articles.

According to a third aspect of the invention there is provided an apparatus having a plurality of apparatuses in accordance with the first aspect of the invention. Thus the apparatus in accordance with the second aspect of the invention is capable of picking up a plurality of adjacent stacks of elongate articles from a first surface and dispensing the elongate articles, one from each stack simultaneously, onto a second surface.

According to a third aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of picking up a stack of elongate articles from a first surface and dispensing the elongate articles, individually, onto a second surface, using an apparatus according to the first aspect of the invention, the method including the steps of: -a) providing a stack of elongate articles on a first surface; b) moving the apparatus to a position substantially above the stack of elongate articles; c) lowering the apparatus over the stack of elongate articles, until the required number of elongate articles are received by the apparatus: d) lifting the apparatus, together with the elongate articles, from the first surface; e) transporting the apparatus, together with the elongate articles, to a second surface where the lowermost elongate article is to be dispensed; and f) operating the apparatus to dispense the lowermost elongate article from the apparatus onto the second surface.

Operating of the apparatus may cause the driving means to move the first holding member from its first position to its second position.

Al 1380GB The method may include the further step of causing the driving means to move the first holding member from its second position to its first position, once the lowermost elongate article has been dispensed from the apparatus.

The method may include the yet further step of causing the driving means subsequently to move the second holding member from its first position to its second position. This will cause the remaining elongate articles in the apparatus to move downwardly towards the first holding member, with the elongate article which was adjacent the now-dispensed elongate article moving into engagement with the first holding member and thus becoming the current lowermost' elongate article.

The method may include the yet further step of causing the driving means subsequently to move the second holding member from its second position to its first position, once elongate article which was adjacent the now-dispensed elongate article has engaged the first holding member. The second holding member thus engages the elongate article which is adjacent the current lowermost' elongate article.

The method may include the yet still further step of moving the apparatus to a position above the second surface where the next elongate article is to be dispensed.

The method according to the third aspect of the invention is then repeated, starting from step e), to dispense the current lowermost elongate article.

Embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which:-Figure 1 is a perspective view from one side and above of an apparatus in accordance with the present invention; Al 1380GB Figure 2 is a side view of the apparatus of figure 1; Figure 3 is a further side view of the apparatus of figure 1; Figure 4 is a yet further side view of the apparatus of figure 1; Figure 5 is an enlarged perspective view from one side and above of a dispensing device of the apparatus shown in figures 1 to 4; Figure 6 is a side view of a component of the apparatus in accordance with the present invention; and Figure 7 is a side view of another component of the apparatus in accordance with the present invention Referring to figures 1 to 5 there is shown a picking up apparatus 10 in accordance with the present invention for picking up a stack of elongate articles from a first surface 20 and dispensing the elongate articles individually, onto a second surface (not shown). The elongate articles in this example are railway sleepers 11, 12, 13, 14 for a railway track, although the apparatus 10 could be utilised for the picking up and dispensing of other elongate articles. The railway sleepers 11, 12, 13, 14 are stacked in their numerically numbered order from bottom to top between four pairs of upright supports 21 which are spaced from each other and which are connected to the first surface 10. The upright supports 21 ensure that the railway sleepers 11, 12, 13, 14 are aligned correctly on top of each other.

The apparatus 10 includes a support member in the form of an elongate frame 15, which in use is, for example, connected to a boom of a lifting device (not shown). The lifting device is provided to effect lifting and lowering of the apparatus 10, which will be discussed in greater detail later. Connected at Al 1380GB each end of the elongate frame 15 is a respective dispensing device 40, 41.

The dispensing devices 40, 41 are mirror images of each other and are thus identical in their component parts and operation. Therefore the component parts of the dispensing device 40 only will be discussed herein.

The dispensing device 40 includes a frame 44 which is pivotally connected at its upper end to the end of the elongate frame 15 by a resilient member in the form of a pair of coil springs 42, 43 and depends substantially perpendicularly therefrom. The springs 42, 43 act to hold the frame 44 in a substantially perpendicularly position relative to the elongate frame 15. If the lower end of the frame 44 is pivoted outwardly, away from the other dispensing device 41, the springs 42, 43 act to bias the lower end of the frame 44 inwardly, i.e. towards the dispensing device 41.

The dispensing device 40 includes a first holding member 45 which includes a pair of substantially identical planar elements 46, each having, at an upper end thereof near the elongate frame 15, an aperture 17. The apertures 17 of both planar elements 46 are aligned with each other. The planar elements 46 are pivotally connected to the frame 44 by an axle 16 which passes through the apertures 17 and through a formation provided on the frame 44. The axle 16 in this example is fixed for rotation with the first holding member 45, but any other appropriate configuration could be used. The first holding member is thus pivotable about an axis A. Each planar element 46 includes a projecting formation 47 which extends away from the frame 44 towards the other dispensing device 41. The purpose of the projecting formations 47 is to engage the lower most railway sleeper 11, which will be discussed in greater detail later.

Referring now also to figure 6, the planar elements 46 of the first holding member 45 each include a cam track in the form of an aperture 50. The Al 1380GB apertures 50 of both planar elements 46 are aligned with each other. Starting from an upper part of the apertures 50, when the planar element 46 depends substantially perpendicularly from the elongate face 15, it has a first section 52 which is substantially linear and extends substantially perpendicularly away from the elongate frame 15, followed by a second substantially linear section 53 which is connected to the first section 52 and extends away from the elongate frame 15 as it extends towards the other dispensing device 41.

The dispensing device 40 also includes a second holding member 55 which includes a pair of substantially planar elements 56 which sandwich the planar elements 46 of the first holding member 45. Each planar element 56 has, at an upper end thereof near the elongate frame 15, an aperture 18. The apertures 18 of both planar elements 56 are aligned with each other. The planar elements 56 are also pivotally connected to the frame 44 by the apertures 18 which are received on opposite ends of the axle 16. The second holding member 55 is free to rotate relative to the axle 16. Thus the first 45 and second 55 holding members pivot about a common axis A. Each planar element 56 includes a projecting formation 57 which extends away from the frame 44 towards the dispensing device 41. The purpose of the projecting formations 57 is to engage the lower most railway sleeper 11, which will be discussed in greater detail later. The projecting formation 57 is similar in shape to the projecting formation 48, but is spaced thereabove closer to the elongate frame 15.

Although the planar elements 56 define an opening through which the planar elements 46 of the first holding member 45 are pivotally moveable, as an alternative configuration, the planar elements 46 could instead sandwich the planar elements 56.

A1138OGB Referring to figure 7 the planar elements 56 of the second holding member 55 each include a cam track in the form of an aperture 60. The apertures 60 of both planar elements 56 are aligned with each other. Starting from an upper part of the aperture 60 it has a first section 62 which is substantially linear and extends away from the other dispensing device 41 as it extends away from the elongate frame 15, followed by a second substantially linear section 63 which is connected to the first section 62 and which extends substantially perpendicularly away from the elongate frame 15.

The dispensing device 40 includes driving means which is slidably connected to the first and second holding members 45, 55. The driving means includes a pneumatically or hydraulically operable actuator 70, with a cylinder 71 and piston 72. The cylinder 71 is connected to the frame 44 at an upper end thereof, near the springs 42, 43, and a free end of the piston 72 is provided with a connecting member 73 which is slidably connected to the frame 44. The connecting member 73 supports a cam member in the form of a rod 74 which passes through the apertures 50 and 60. A longitudinal axis B of the rod 74 is substantially parallel to the axis A of the axle 16. Movement of the piston 72 causes the connecting member 73 to slide relative to the frame 44, which causes the rod 74 to travel along the apertures 50 and 60.

The engaging device 40 operates as follows. Figure 2 shows the rod 74 in what will be referred to as its "neutral" condition, with the rod 74 lying at the intersection between the first 52, 62 and second sections 53, 63 of the apertures 50, 60, and with the first and second holding members 45, 55 lying in their respective first positions. The projecting formations 47 engage an underside of a lowermost sleeper 11 and the projecting formations 57 engage the underside of the next lowermost sleeper 12.

Because of the shape of the apertures 50, 60, movement of the rod 74 downwardly, i.e. away from the connection of the cylinder 71 to the frame 44, Al 1380GB from its neutral condition by the piston 72 causes the planar elements 46 of first holding member 45 to pivot outwardly, i.e. away from the other dispensing device 41 to its second position (shown in figure 3). However, the planar elements 56 of the second holding member 55 are not caused to pivot because the rod 74 simply moves downwardly along the linear section 63 of the aperture 60 in each planar element 56. Movement of the rod 74 back to its neutral condition by the piston 72 causes the planar elements 46 of the first holding member 45 to pivot inwardly back to the position shown in figure 2.

Movement of the rod 74 upwardly, i.e. towards the connection of the cylinder 71 to the frame 44, from its neutral condition by the piston 72 causes the planar elements 56 of the second holding member 55 to pivot outwardly, i.e. away from the dispensing device 41 to its second position (shown in figure 4), although the planar elements 46 of the first holding member 45 are not caused to pivot. Movement of the rod 74 back to its neutral condition causes the planar elements 56 of the second holding member 55 to pivot inwardly back to the position shown in figure 2.

In the present example the apparatus 10 is configured to pick up four railway sleepers 11, 12, 13, 14, although it could be modified to pick up a greater or fewer number of railway sleepers. The apparatus 10 is operated as follows to pick up and dispense the railway sleepers 11, 12, 13, 14.

Figure 1 shows the apparatus 10 in a "loading" condition, in which the rod 74 has been moved upwardly by the piston 72 from its neutral condition. Thus the first holding member 45 lies in its first position and the second holding member 55 lies in its second position. The apparatus 10 is then lowered over the stack of railway sleepers 11, 12, 13, 14. Because the frame 44 of each dispensing device 40, 41 is connected to the elongate frame 15 by the springs 42, 43, when the apparatus 10 is lowered over the railway sleepers 11, 12, 13, 14, the lower end of both dispensing devices 40, 41 pivot outwardly away Al 1380GB from each other, because they abut the free ends of the railway sleepers 11, 12, 13, 14, thus other allowing the railway sleepers 11, 12, 13, 14 to be received therebetween.

The projecting formations 47 together with the free ends of the railway sleepers 11, 12, 13, 14 act somewhat akin to a ratchet mechanism when the railway sleepers 11, 12, 13, 14 are being received therebetween. Because the springs 42, 43 bias the dispensing devices 40, 41 towards each other, once the apparatus 10 has been lowered sufficiently for projecting formations 47 engage an underside of the lowermost railway sleeper 11.

The apparatus 10 is then lifted by a boom of a lifting apparatus (not shown), to which it is connected, and moved to a position above a second surface (not shown), which in this example is a ground surface at an installation site where the railway sleepers 11, 12, 13, 14 are to be laid to form part of a railway track.

The apparatus 10 is then lowered until it is positioned just above the second surface, or rests thereon. The piston 72 of each dispensing device 40, 41 is then caused to move the rod 74 downwardly to its neutral condition (shown in figure 2), which in turn causes the second holding member 55 of each dispensing device 40, 41 to pivot inwardly until the projecting formations 57 thereof engage, or are positioned underneath, the railway sleeper 12.

The piston 72 is caused to move further downwardly (shown in figure 3) which causes the first holding member 45 to pivot outwardly to its second position.

Movement of the first holding member 45 of each dispensing device 40, 41 to its second position causes the projecting formations 47 to disengage the underside of the respective free ends of the lowermost railway sleeper 11.

The railway sleeper 11 is thus dispensed from the apparatus 10 and drops downwardly onto the second surface, or is released already in contact with the second surface.

A1138OGB The piston 72 is then caused to move upwardly to its neutral condition, which pivots the first holding member 45 back to its first position. The piston 72 continues to move upwardly which causes the second holding member 55 to pivot to its second position, thus disengaging the projecting formations 57 from the respective free ends of the railway sleeper 12. This causes the railway sleepers 12, 13, 14 to move downwardly until the free ends of the railway sleeper 12 abut the projecting formations 47.

The piston 72 is then caused to move the rod 74 downwardly back to its neutral position, which engages the projecting formations 57 with an underside of the free ends of the railway sleeper 13.

The apparatus 10 is then moved to an adjacent part of the second surface and operated as described above until the railway sleepers 12, 13 and 14 have been dispensed from the apparatus 10. The apparatus 10 is then moved back to the first surface 20 where it is operated to pick up a new stack of four railway sleepers.

A plurality of apparatus 10 may be provided adjacent each other on a larger structure which itself is connected to a boom of a lifting apparatus. Preferably, the larger structure supports twenty apparatus 10 in side-by-side relationship.

The benefit of providing a plurality of apparatus 10 adjacent each other is that adjacent stacks of railway sleepers can be picked up and dispensed synchronously. Where there are provided a plurality of apparatus 10 on a larger structure, the first surface 20 may have further upright supports 21 connected thereto to space adjacent stacks of railway sleepers from each other. The apparatus is thus able to pick up 80 railway sleepers at a time (twenty stacks of four) and dispense twenty railway sleepers simultaneously.

A1138OGB The features disclosed in the foregoing description, or the following claims, 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, as appropriate, may, separately, or in any combination of such features, be utilised for realising the invention in diverse forms thereof.

A1138OGB

Claims

CLAIMS

1. A picking up apparatus for picking up a stack of elongate articles from a first surface and dispensing the elongate articles, individually, onto a second surface, the apparatus including a support member and a dispensing device connected to the support member, the dispensing device including first and second holding members which are each moveable between respective first and second positions by driving means, the first holding member being configured to hold, in its first position, a lowermost elongate article relative to the support member and the second holding member being configured to hold, in its first position, an elongate article above the lowermost elongate article, wherein the driving means is configured to move the first holding member from its first position to its second position to dispense the lowermost elongate article.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the first holding member is pivotally moveable.

3. An apparatus according to claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the second holding member is pivotally moveable.

4. An apparatus according to claim 3 as appendant to claim 2 wherein both the first and second holding members are pivotable moveable about a common axis.

5. An apparatus according to any preceding claim wherein the first and second holding members each include at least one projecting formation which is engageable with the elongate articles.

6. An apparatus according to claim 5 wherein the first and second holding members each have two projecting formations.

Al 1380GB 7. An apparatus according to any preceding claim wherein the second holding member includes a formation to receive at least part of the first holding member.

8. An apparatus according to claim 7 as appendant to claim 2 wherein the formation in the second holding member is an opening through which the first holding member is pivotally moveable by the driving means.

9. An apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6 wherein the first holding member includes a formation to receive at least part of the second holding member.

10. An apparatus according to claim 7 as appendant to claim 3 wherein the formation in the first holding member is an opening through which the second holding member is pivotally moveable by the driving means.

11. An apparatus according to any preceding claim wherein the driving means is slidably connected to the first holding member.

12. An apparatus according to any preceding claim wherein the driving means is slidably connected to the second holding member.

13. An apparatus according to claim 11 wherein the slidable connection of the driving means to the first holding member is provided by a cam mechanism.

14. An apparatus according to claim 12 or claim 13 wherein the slidable connection of the driving means to the second holding member is provided by a cam mechanism.

A1138OGB 15. An apparatus according to claim 13 wherein the driving means includes a cam member engageable with a cam track provided on the first holding member.

16. An apparatus according to claim 14 or 15 wherein the driving means includes a cam member engageable with a cam track provided on the second holding member.

17. An apparatus according to claim 15 or claim 16 wherein the cam track is an elongate recess or elongate aperture and the cam member of the driving means is slidable along the recess or aperture.

18. An apparatus according to any one of claims 15 to 17 wherein the first holding member is provided with a pair of aligned cam tracks and the driving means include a cam member which engages both cam tracks of the first holding member.

19. An apparatus according to any one of claims 15 to 18 wherein the second holding member is provided with a pair of aligned cam tracks and the driving means include a cam member which engages both cam tracks of the second holding member.

20. An apparatus according to any preceding claim wherein the connection of the dispensing device to the support member is provided by a resilient member.

21. An apparatus according to any preceding claim including two dispensing devices, one provided at each end of the support member.

22. An apparatus having a plurality of apparatuses according to any preceding claim.

Al 1380GB 23. An apparatus according to claim 22 wherein the two dispensing devices engage opposite ends of the elongate articles.

24. A method of picking up a stack of elongate articles from a first surface and dispensing the elongate articles, individually, onto a second surface, using an apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 23, the method including the steps of:-a) providing a stack of elongate articles on a first surface; b) moving the apparatus to a position substantially above the stack of elongate articles; c) lowering the apparatus over the stack of elongate articles, until the required number of elongate articles are received by the apparatus: d) lifting the apparatus, together with the elongate articles, from the first surface; e) transporting the apparatus, together with the elongate articles, to a second surface where the lowermost elongate article is to be dispensed; and f) operating the apparatus to dispense the lowermost elongate article from the apparatus onto the second surface.

25. A method according to claim 24 wherein the operating of the apparatus causes the driving means to move the first holding member from its first position to its second position.

26. A method according to claim 25 including the further step of causing the driving means to move the first holding member from its second position to its first position, once the lowermost elongate article has been dispensed from the apparatus.

27. A method according to claim 26 including the further step of causing the driving means subsequently to move the second holding member from its first position to its second position.

A1138OGB 28. A method according to claim 27 including the further step of causing the driving means subsequently to move the second holding member from its second position to its first position, once elongate article which was adjacent the now-dispensed elongate article has engaged the first holding member.

29. A method according to claim 28 including the further step of moving the apparatus to a position above the second surface where the next elongate article is to be dispensed.

30. An apparatus substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and/or as shown in the accompanying drawings.

31. A method substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and/or as shown in the accompanying drawings.

32. Any novel feature or novel combination of features described herein with reference to and/or in the accompanying drawings.

A1138OGB