JPH04504996A - sorting conveyor - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] This bulletin contains application data before electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] sorting conveyor The present invention relates to a series of laterally tiltable annular conveying bras, of the type with a platform. These platforms are equipped with movable support members for sorting conveyors. The goods to be sorted are placed on a transport platform or so-called tray. passing through a loading station located above and selectively loading said trays. A series of unloading or receiving stations that operate and tilt to load and unload items. conveyed through the station.

The tray has a drive station which cooperates with a chain which fixes the support member of this tray. It is usually driven by a very heavy chain or The links of the chain are fitted with thrust guide rollers that cooperate with longitudinal guide rails. , the tune itself forms a stabilizing base for the tray support member. Unwanted Ji If jamming and shaking must be prevented, this device can be used with very precise tolerances. Requires a guidance system made with Because of the lack of cooperation, the chain itself must also be manufactured with precise tolerances. blood The chain links can now be moved relative to each other in more directions while maintaining tight tolerances. The chain must be able to move both horizontally and vertically. This places extra demands on the chain structure. Meanwhile, single unloadings said actuating device for tilting the tray at the station or by the passage of each associated tray. operatively, e.g. at a point in the conveyor path with a tachometer. This makes it possible to control the exact position of all trays in the system.

The object of the present invention is to provide a conveyor system for sorting of the above type, which provides various important effects. The purpose is to provide a new structure.

The main features of the invention include a drive station and a conveyor chain moving in one direction. The principle of driving the conveyor is completely abandoned, and instead Single tray element with associated support members evenly distributed along the transport chassis A cart unit is driven along this transport chassis by a near motor. and into this single cart unit at the unloading station. A selectively detectable identification device is provided.

This concept offers a series of important effects. The single unit above is a link in the chain However, the above units as carts are widely spaced apart. guide rails may be provided, which prevents jamming and swaying, or improper When trying to move the conveyor chain without significant wear, the actual conveyor chain must be It is possible to work with a guiding chassis that can be designed without ensuring exact tolerances. Also , the above-mentioned cart itself can be manufactured to rather coarse tolerances, especially regarding the length dimension: Chains are driven by the fact that they have a constant or, more precisely, precise pitch. As a characteristic of the chain driven by the moving station, in the present invention, It is of no operational importance whether the carts have approximately uniform length or not.

If only the linear motor device is suitably distributed widely so that the cart can be driven steadily, In principle, carts do not even need to be interconnected. But easy and very suitable Interconnections between carts can be formed by central ball head connections. is very simple and all carts connected by the central ball head connection described above are mutually rotatable in the possible directions. This creates horizontal and/or vertical curves. This is important when driving past, and in interconnected carts each car Drive rollers should only be provided at the front or rear ends of the It is emphasized that it is rotatably connected to the roller loading end of the connecting cart at the center. There must be. This allows you to, for example, move the cart around a horizontal curve. When moving to a tilted position, the cart can pass through the twisted part of the shear. This allows operation at very high speeds and avoids tipping the cart. tilt the cart to a suitable tilted position along such curves, even if It comes.

The above carts can be very easily removed one by one if replacement is required and can be It is possible to use carts of length.

Although the term linear motor must be understood in a broad sense, it is typically The motor is of a type in which the magnetic field moves, and this magnetic field moving type motor is Usually denoted by this word. Multiple such motors are installed along a conveyor track. It is preferable to evenly distribute the A member such as a vertically extending rail made of Luminium must be provided. stomach. When using carts that are not interconnected, the motors are connected to each cart tray. the spacing is small enough so that the motor has a steady driving connection with at least one motor. Must be placed: A cart moved by inertia is driven by two motors or is capable of moving long distances between motor zones, but preferably at each start of the system. Cart trains with free wheels must be able to start regardless of where they are stopped. It is quite possible to come up with this.

Although the present invention implies an important effect of the method of making the entire system controllable, the present invention The invention is treated in more detail in the corresponding patent application.

The invention will be explained in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the figure, FIG. 1 is a partial perspective view of a sorting conveyor according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a partial perspective view of such a conveyor. a perspective view of an embodiment of a cart within a bear; Figures 3 to 5 are different views of the related tilting mechanism, Figures 6 and 7 are for the tilting mechanism. FIG. 3 is a top view and a side view of the actuating device.

The conveyors shown in FIG. 1 are mounted substantially apart from each other, for example by about 60 an It comprises a rigid chassis provided with two parallel guide rails 2. A series between the rails carts 4 are arranged, each cart having an upper tray 6. Each cart is C-shaped. a transverse member 8 with an outer drive wheel lO rotatable in the rail 2; and a conveying portion 12 protruding forward or backward from the direction member, and this portion at the other end. 12 is rotatably connected to the following or above cart. A tray is placed on this transport section. A top structure I6 is provided which rotatably supports the tray 16. The carrier plate 18 is fixed to a depending ring 20 which is fixed to a pivot bearing of the carrier plate 18. child As a result, these trays can suitably displace the lower end of the hanging ring 20 laterally. It can be tilted. However, this device has some practical drawbacks. It is shown as an illustrative example only.

Arranged along the guide rail 2 on the transverse member 8 and the side arm 22 of the transport section 12 A vertically oriented aluminum plate 24 is installed which cooperates with the near motor 26. be done. This allows the cart or cart train to be replaced by other forms of fixed drive. Can be moved without using stations, i.e. the cart is Designed with precisely positioned members to mechanically engage the drive of do not have to.

A more preferred embodiment is shown in FIG. 2, where the linear motor 26 is located in the center of the cart. The aluminum plate 24 or the horizontal bottom plate at the bottom of the central conveying section 12 is It is installed as. The actuation rod 20 therefore hangs below the central area of the cart. However, in order to tilt the tray 6 to the l side and the other end, They can be arranged side by side in pairs. In addition, FIG. 2 shows that at the free end of the central conveyance section, A coupling head 28 is provided for coupling with the ball head 30 of an adjacent cart. This is illustrated in more detail.

3-5 illustrate a preferred design of the tilting mechanism. Rigid bracket 32 top is fitted with a single sloped body 36 having a laterally extending arm 60 thereon; A pivot bearing 62 is provided at each end of this arm to load a depending pivot arm 64, A cam follower roller 66 is provided at the lower part of the arm 64 and projects laterally. the above A pair of parallel plates 68 are attached to both ends of the bracket, and each parallel plate is attached to the top of the arm 64. A guide cooperating with a roller 72 on a cross-shaft pin 74 located approximately in the central position. A track 70 is provided. Each track 70 has a lowermost inwardly facing track portion 7. 8 and an uppermost corresponding inwardly directed track portion 80. The track portion 80 extends upwardly toward an upper track portion 82 .

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the depending arm 64 is located at the innermost side of the intermediate track portion 80. are placed in their normal position with rollers 72 near the ends, thereby The arm is tilted slightly inward by the force of a tension spring 83 disposed between the arms 64. held in position, the spring continues to swing the lower end of the arm inward. this In these positions, the roller 72 cannot move downward, that is, the tilting mechanism is not activated. It is locked to prevent it from tilting to the wrong side.

As shown in FIG. 4, pull the predetermined lower cam follower roller 66 outward. Afterwards, by pulling downward as shown in FIG. 5, tilting is actually possible. outside When pulled in the opposite direction, the rollers 72 cause the arms 64 to tilt outward, causing the rollers 72 to movement outward within section 80 toward a position proximate the upper end of lower trunk section 76 and is then guided downward along the track portion 76, the tilting body 36 and The arm 64 is pulled downwardly to tilt an associated tray (not shown). It will be done. During this tilting, the roller 72 on the opposing arm 64 is moved within the upper track portion 82. upwards, which causes this arm to rock inward at a nearly constant angle. can be held in the oscillated position, so that by subsequent rocking downwards, the A safe return of the controller 72 to the initial position is ensured. The right arm 64 is downward during the final stage of the pulling operation, i.e. when the rollers 72 are guided by the lower track end 78. 7, which is shown in solid lines in FIG. Change The common center of gravity of the above conveyor tray and the load applied to this tray is due to tilting. All this usually means downwards, since the tilt is maintained. It's not so much a matter of pulling on it, but rather a problem of pushing it downwards.

In order to pull the roller 6G downward, the fixed inclined rail shown inside the chassis bed 2 is used. Rule 84 can be used. However, according to FIG. in the normal position so that free passage of the unit is normally ensured. A rail 66 is placed slightly inside this rail to operate this station. It will be appreciated that it is necessary to tilt arm 64 outwardly. This result To accomplish this, an inner ridge flange 88 is provided near the forward-most upper end of the rail 84. , and as shown by the dotted line in FIG. An L-shaped rail portion 8 that is located in a permanent position and is therefore located outside the path of movement of the rollers 66. 6 is installed. This L-shaped member 86 is pivotally attached to the front end of the lower flange of the rail 84. The embodiment of FIG. It can pivot freely to the position shown by the line, and when the roller 20 passes through this area, the above abuts the protrusion flange 88 and is therefore moved into contact with the rail 84 . An L-shaped member 86 extends outside the pivot connection with the rail 84 and has a protrusion at its end. The strip flange portion swings closely toward the vertical wall of the rail 84; thus, this wall can be used as a pivot stopper for the above-mentioned cross-shaped member. roller 66 or When guided to the end of the roller 84, the roller moves further along the edge of the cross-shaped member. Abutting the outwardly swung end 90 of the flange 88, the pivot connection 84 is located near the outer edge of the bottom flange of the By engaging the roller 66, the L-shaped member 86 is and swings back to the initial position.

The rollers 66 are then initially lowered slightly in cooperation with the top flange of the inclined rail 84. The roller 72 on the arm 64 moves downward within the track portion 76. , roller 66 is then blocked from disengaging from rail 84 and its This roller is then pulled further downward during its subsequent movement along rail 84. the above In the system, the lower end rail 84 is moved by the rollers 72 under the force of springs 83. to the lower track end 78 until the roller 66 no longer engages the rail 84. until the roller 6G is pulled downward until it stops at the position shown in Figure 5. It is designed to.

Initially, the upper flange of rail 84 is used to pull arm 64 downwardly. In a subsequent step, in order to guide the roller 66 downwards, That is, in order to tilt the tilting mass to a point where the center of gravity of the tilting mass is considerably displaced to the outside of the tilting axis 34. The lower flange can be used effectively.

Therefore, the above tilting movement is well controlled from beginning to end, which is a significant advantage. You will understand that there is something.

When passing a non-operating unloading station, the above-mentioned operating roller Of course, it is important that the 66 rollers be able to pass freely through the device that guides them downwards. This is an important condition, but this is the normal position where the rail 84 does not protrude into the area where it is located. This can be easily achieved using the roller 66 shown in FIG. 4.

In order to actually tilt the L-shaped rail portion 86, some suitable mechanism, such as a first A tension magnet 92 shown in FIG. 6 can be used. This magnet is an L-shape that swings outward. Since there is no need to perform a holding operation on the cross-shaped member, the above-mentioned cross-shaped member can be It is sufficient to swing the rollers 66 outward; this L-shaped member In the middle, it is self-supporting and, as mentioned above, is shaken by purely mechanical influence from the roller 66 itself. The actuating member that has been moved back, i.e., used, swings the lightweight L-shaped member into the actuated position. This oscillation is very quick and with minimal energy consumption. It can be carried out. However, for extra safety and ease of operation, the magnet 92 In response to the locking pawl being released, the L-shaped member is swung to the operating position. It is preferable to use a spring to bias the member so that the back-shaped member swings back As a result, this member engages with the locking pawl in a fitted and locked state.

The active travel of the roller 66 is shown on the left side of FIG. 7, and the inactive travel is shown on the - side. The lines are illustrated.

As mentioned above, the actuating unit is locked in the outwardly tilted position by the force of the spring 83. and of course must be corrected again before returning to the loading station. stomach.

However, such correction can be achieved by pulling out the roller from each lower position (Fig. 5). Move the roller upward to the normal position (Fig. 4) where it is self-locked by the force of the rear spring 83. A rigid guide or This can be easily done using a cam device.

A loose tray cart as described above or a separate cart with many trays. By using a train, you can connect many lines in parallel using rail switches. It can be operated on the rail section, and branches can be provided on both horizontal and vertical surfaces as necessary. It must be stated that the sorting system is capable of providing stomach.

Two or more trays 6 on each cart chassis or on several of the chassis It is also possible in special cases to arrange them in succession. These carts are unloaded loaded with a suitable recognition device that can be identified by passing through a logging station. There must be.

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Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. Equipped with a series of integrally moving support units for laterally tiltable transport trays. In addition, these support units have loading stations to receive the items to be sorted. station and then a series of unloading or holding stations. selectively actuates and tilts the tray at this receiving station, and A sorting conveyor that loads and unloads The support units engage the conveyor chassis substantially spaced apart from each other. The cart unit is formed as a cart unit provided with a guide member, and the cart unit is provided with a guide member. It extends in the direction of movement of these units and is fixed to the conveyor chassis. It is characterized by having a drive member that operates in cooperation with a linear motor attached to the Conveyor for sorting. 2. The cart unit is a single-axis cart having a rotatably coupled device. The sorting conveyor according to claim 1, wherein the sorting conveyor is provided with a conveyor. 3. The drive member is disposed vertically below the central portion of the cart unit and is located at the front. A tray actuating arm depending from the tray moves the tray to one side and the other side respectively. The driving member according to claim 1 is mounted on both sides of the driving member to be tilted. Conveyor for sorting. 4. Each actuating arm is mounted so that it can tilt laterally, has a cam at its free end, and has a cam at its free end. The cam is provided with an arm portion that protrudes to the side, and the cam protrudes downward from the tray and is disposed laterally. When the arm pivots, the track cooperates with a track in the plate member The device according to claim 3, having a shape that allows the plate to be tilted and to be tiltable together with the plate. Sorting conveyor. 5. The cam in its normal position when the tray is in the transport position prevents the tray from tilting. The cam is located in front of the engagement part of the plate member to The first actuation of the system causes the engaging portion to swing from the engaging portion to the initial operating engagement position with the track. The sorting conveyor according to claim 4, characterized in that: 6. A track follower roller on said actuating arm is attached to each unloading station. is operable to engage a selectively actuated cam rail in the Yes, these stations have a rail switch element at the inlet end, and this switch The switch element is operable to turn during the movement path of the track follower roller, and The system according to claim 3, wherein the track follower roller is moved to engage the cam rail. A sorting conveyor, Said rail switch element on the other side of the pivot has an elongated end, said elongated end When the rail switch element is tilted, the track frame is moved along the cam rail. The roller pivots in the travel path of the roller, and when the roller passes through that area, this roller moves inside. abuts against the end that has swung in the opposite direction, thereby causing the rail switch element to swung outward. The sorting cot is characterized in that the end portion is swung outward so as to return the main portion that has been removed. Nbear. 7. The track follower roller on the actuating arm tilts the associated transport tray each unloading station to cause relative movement of the actuating arm is operable to engage a selectively actuated cam rail in the The sorting conveyor according to claim 3, The cam rail has two sides for moving the track follower roller. The actuating arm is configured to guide a cover to which the roller is rigidly attached. When leaving the rear end of the Murrell, the actuating arm is passively swung to its final position. and in the final position, a preferred Preferably, the cam rail is connected to the track follower in order to tilt the conveyance tray. The track follower roller is moved in a direction almost perpendicular to the direction in which the array rail is actuated. By pivoting the actuation arm to move the follower roller characterized in that the subsequent travel path of the cam rail is completely separated from the position of the cam rail. Conveyor for sorting. 8. Each actuation arm is laterally pivotally mounted to pull the roller downwardly. , thus in a tilted position on said chassis in order to tilt the tiltable system. a lower truck that can be operatively engaged with a mounted downwardly directed guide rail; the actuating arm has a horizontal slider in its normal position; pivot inwardly to place guide pins or rollers in groove tracks; Spring biased to cooperate with the sliding groove device, i.e. not pulled downwards blocked, these tracks at the outer ends pivot the associated actuating arms outwards. extending into a downwardly directed track portion that allows downward movement of said actuating arm when and the lower end of the track section is located on the engagement surface with the cam rail. to pivot the track follower rollers of the actuating arm inwardly. an inwardly directed roller capable of guiding said guide pin or roller by the action of a spring device; The device according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that the device is provided with a track portion for a truck. Sorting conveyor.