Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B61—RAILWAYS
  • B61B—RAILWAY SYSTEMS; EQUIPMENT THEREFOR NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • B61B10/00—Power and free systems
  • B61B10/02—Power and free systems with suspended vehicles

Definitions

• the invention relates to a conveyor system with track-guided trolleys carrying the conveyed loads and is moreover of the kind described in the intro ⁇ duction to claim 1.
• Such conveyor systems are used in innumerable places such as in production plants or service facilities where a large number of units are moved around in a plant or facility during the processing or working up of some kind of the units.
• the track-guided trolleys are carried along according to require ⁇ ments and carried by main tracks and/or branches dependent on conditions in the individual plant or factory. There are therefore various kinds of mechanisms permitting engagement and disengage ⁇ ment of the trolleys from the drive chain.
• the trolleys are normally provided with a locking or gripping mechanism which may engage a passing driving member which member is releasable so that the trolley is not carried further for example if the trolley is to wait for the correct position ⁇ ing of a points or if it meets an accumulation stop in front of a working station, a storing or packing station or a buffer store on the produc ⁇ tion or working line.
• the mechanism must moreover be designed in such a manner that an accumulation of parked trolleys that are to be put into service- again are always and automatically started from the front end in the direction of travel i.e. the front parked trolley is to start first even though a driving member will first meet the rear trolley in the line. . .
• the trolley in the system according to the invention as disclosed in claim 3, it is possible to have the driving member run on the side of the trolley track which is most advanta ⁇ geous for the moment. It is thus possible to have driving members on one side of the track for a distance thereof and to have driving members on the other side of the track for another distance -thereof. It is also possible to have designs where a drive chain extends on both sides of a track
• a driving member will be lifted out sideways by the pusher part so that gravitation may force the driving member into the first available recess and carry along the trolley.
• the rear part of a trolley can reach over and block the recess of the succeed ⁇ ing trolley so that a passing trolley will always engage the front trolley.
• the rear part of for example a parked trolley will act as a disengagement mechanism for the driving member on impacts or accumulation of trolleys. This simple disengagement mechanism has no moving parts whatsoever and thus require no maintenance at all.
• the system according to the invention is designed as further disclosed in claim 7.
• the brackets positioning the tracks in relation to each other may secure the chain track so that the driving members run on the desired side of the trolley track and by simply turning the brackets, the driving members are moved to the other side of the trolley, track.
• the system according to the invention may preferably be designed as disclosed in claim 8. This is possible because among other things it is of no importance on which side the driving members run and because it is simple to have a chain track in systems of this kind extend so as to form a loop and intersect its own course.
• the usual accessories by the points are saved in that the continuous chain will drive the main track as well as carry the trolleys a distance onto the branch. Since it is the same chain that runs on the branch as well as on the main track there is automatically always synchronisation between the driving members.
• the usual accessories by points are generally synchronised with the main track in order to assure a reliable passage 1 of the points.
• Points in the system according to the invention are preferably designed as further disclosed in 5 claim 9.
• the simple design of trolleys and driving members means that on a points there will merely have to be arranged some fixed stopping plates. The point mechanism itself will thus. automatically guard against accidents in that, the position of 10 the points will automatically place the mounted stopping plates in the correct position.
• the conveyor system according to the invention is particularly - suitable for being designed such
• Fig. 1 is an inclined view of a section of a conveyor system according to the 0 invention and a trolley freely arranged in front of same.
• Fig. 2 is a sectional plane view along line II-II in Fig. 1
• Fig. 3 is a schematic view of a conveyor system according to the invention having a single branch
• Fig. 4 is a schematic view of the same system as in Fig. 3 but designed according to conventional techniques.
• Fig. 5 is a schematic view . of a convergent points according to the invention.
• Fig. 6 is a schematic sectional plane view through a system• with coupled trolleys carrying a heavy load.
• the reference numeral 1 refers to a trolley with wheels and bearings and an underslung trolley plate 2 ,designed symmetrical on its longitudunal axis.
• the function of the trolley plate is partly to form the basis of suspension of the load to be conveyed and partly to form that part of the trolley which a "driving member will engage.
• the trolleys travel in a trolley track 7 and the drive chain 10 which is only sketched extend in a chain track 8.
• the two tracks are built up by longitu ⁇ dinally extending hollow metal profiles having rectangular or quadratic cross-section and with a downwardly facing longitudinally extending slot 21.
• the slot 21 in the trolley track 7 makes room for the means securing the trolley plate 2 to the trolley 1 itself.
• The* slot 21 in the chain track 8 makes room for hinged joints whereto driving members 6 are secured so that they may reach beyond the actual track profile.
• the driving member 6 is hinged in such a manner that in relation to the chain 10 it can only pivot in a plane perperdicular to the chain corresponding to the plane II-II, cf. also Fig. 2, where the double arrow shows the possibilities of movement of the driving member.
• the actual trolley 1 with wheels and bearings and the drive chain 10 are moreover of a generally known nature and will therefore not b any further described in the present application.
• the drive mechanism for the chain and lubrication and cleaning means for chain and trolley are of a generally known kind and will be described no further.
• the trolley on the contrary is designed with a trolley plate 2 having a particular design * In the front end of the trolley plate in the direction of travel - as indicated by an arrow in Fig. 1 - there is on either side arranged a recess 3 which may receive a passing driving member 6.
• a driving member engages a trolley plate 2
• the drive chain will thus drive the trolley and any load secured thereto.
• a means force the driving member out of its engagement with the trolley plate may consist of a metal plate with an inclined face pushing the advancing driving member away from the trolley plate which means may be . rigidly secured by the track or is pivotably secured and carried to its active position by an electromagnet, a pneumatic or hydraulic cylinder or a similar actuation means.
• the disengagement may also be effected when a driven trolley meets a parked trolley in that the rear part of the trolley plate is designed with fin-like parts forming a pusher part 4 with a guiding edge 11.
• the pusher part 4 on the parked trolley will release the driving member 6 and the driven trolley is thereby parked next to the one already parked.
• the pusher part 4 is offset a distance 5 corresponding to a little more than the. plate thickness of a trolley plate so that a following trolley can reach somewhat under a parked trolley.
• the rear part of each trolley is provided with a recess 12 wherein the supporting means of the trolley plate can be introduced.
• Fig. 1 moreover shows how the chain track 8 is mounted in relation to the trolley track 7 in that a bracket 9 is used retaining the two tracks at the correct distance from each other and staggered in horizontal as well as vertical direction. Since the trolley plates are symmetrical on their longitudinal direction, the driving member 6 can be carried forward on the side of the trolley track which is most advantageous.. The bracket 9 is merely turned whereby the chain track is retained at the correct distance from the trolley track but on the opposite side.
• Fig. 3 schematically shows a conveyor system according to the invention wherein the arrows indicate the direction of travel of the .chain.
• the main track 7 with the chain 10 extends from the left at the top to the right and back again from the right at the bottom to the left.
• Reference numeral 13 indicates a branch where the centre part may be a hand-operated track which can be coupled to the main track by two points 15.
• Fig. 4 shows the same track as in Fig. 3 but made by using generally known techniques.
• transfer apparatuses 14 consisting of a short, independent and endless chain with driving members and with its own driving engine M.
• This system requires that the speed and position of the driving members of the transfer apparatuses 14 are synchronised with the driving members of the main track if the system is to work without problems.
• Fig. 5 ' shows a points 15 comprising the point parts 16 and 17 which are movable as shown by the double arrow.
• the drive chain is as shown moved by the chain parts. Rigidly secured to the point parts 16 and 17 there may be provided stopping plates 18 having an inclined pusher or guide edge forcing the drive member out of its engagement with the trolley in case the trolley is not to enter the points for example because this has not been shifted for entrance. If the chain 10 extends as shown in Fig. 3, it is possible by means of the position of the points to ensure that two trolleys will never meet directly in the points and by a correct choice of the size of the loop, waiting time by the points may be minimised.
• Fig. 6 shows how a heavy load 19 is conveyed by the system according to the invention.
• the trolley 1' is coupled to the trolley 1 by means of a length of chain 20 made by quite the same chain as the drive chain 10.
• the coupled trolley 1' is indirectly driven by the drive chain 10, namely through the pull of the drive chain 10 in the trolley 1. It thus becomes possible to convey heavy loads 19 in curves with a fairly small curve diametre because the pull from the trolley 1 is transmitted directly to the following trolley and not through the load 19.
• the driving member 6 is shown as a quadratic bar. Practical tests have shown that the bar which may also have rectangular cross-section should have rounded corners so that it more easily engages and more easily disengages the recess 3 in the trolley plate 2. It has proved to be particularly advantageous with a driving member having circular or oval cross-section in that it is possible at the same time to give the front straight edge of the recess 3 in the trolley plate 2 a small negative angle of a few degrees so that the recess 3 becomes somewhat wider towards the bottom thereof.
• a driving member having circular cross-section is particularly preferable

Landscapes

• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Transportation (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Chain Conveyers (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=8102705

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (4)

Citations (5)

• 1984
  • 1984-02-29 DK DK125084A patent/DK151700C/da not_active IP Right Cessation
• 1985
  • 1985-02-25 EP EP19850900991 patent/EP0174940A1/en not_active Withdrawn
  • 1985-02-25 AU AU39998/85A patent/AU3999885A/en not_active Abandoned
  • 1985-02-25 WO PCT/DK1985/000014 patent/WO1985003923A1/en unknown

Patent Citations (5)

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