WO1995007771A1

WO1995007771A1 - Transfer device for unit items, especially mail

Info

Publication number: WO1995007771A1
Application number: PCT/DE1994/001045
Authority: WO
Inventors: Rudolf Schuster
Original assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
Priority date: 1993-09-17
Filing date: 1994-09-12
Publication date: 1995-03-23
Also published as: EP0719186A1

Abstract

The transfer device comprises a rotating paddle wheel (FR) in which the paddles (F) rotating about the wheel axis (RA) form cells (Z) which receive the unit items arriving on a first conveyor (FE1) and deliver them to circulating unit item carriers (ST) of a second conveyor (FE2). The distribution of the movable paddles in the circumferential region of the paddle wheel (FR) can be altered in such a way that the cells (Z) have a wide aperture in the receiving zone and a narrow one in the delivery zone. The wide aperture in the receiving zone ensures that the unit items (S) are reliably gathered while the narrow aperture in the delivery zone permits matching to the pitch (t) of the carriers (ST) and hence reliable transfer thereto.

Description

Transfer device for general cargo, in particular for postal goods

The machine-readable postcodes to be indicated on postal items such as letters, postcards, small parcels and the like as an identification number for a post location enable a rapid mechanical distribution of the post. The incoming mail items are sorted with the aid of controllable parcel carriers, which are loaded with a mail item in each case in special input locations and then deliver this mail item to a sorting container assigned to the respective postcode or a corresponding sorting compartment. Since the sorting containers or sorting compartments can be arranged on different levels, the piece goods carriers rotating around conveying devices may also have to be able to bridge different heights. After the mail item has been handed over to the assigned sorting container or the assigned sorting compartment, the empty general cargo carriers can be loaded again with mail items as they pass an input location. When transferring the mail to the sorting device described above, this must be done on a conveyor, such as mail arriving at a belt conveyor is specifically and preferably individually delivered to the general cargo carriers passing at a relatively high speed.

The invention specified in claim 1 is based on the problem of a simply constructed transfer device for

To create mail good, with which the mail good arriving on a conveyor device can be reliably delivered to rotating piece goods carriers of a sorting device.

In addition to the transfer of mail to a sorting device, the transfer device according to the invention can also be used, for example, in storage systems or automatic picking systems for comparable tasks, in which items arriving on a first conveyor device are provided with codes. hen general cargo is to be transferred to a second conveyor device.

The invention is based on the knowledge that a vane wheel with movably arranged vanes can be optimally adapted to the conditions when picking up and delivering the piece goods, and thus ensures reliable transfer. Secure opening is ensured by the wide opening of the cells formed by the wings in the receiving area, while the narrow opening of the cells in the delivery area enables targeted transfer to the circulating general cargo carriers. Accordingly, the terms "wide opening" and "narrow opening" of the cells are to be understood in terms of a safe pick-up and a targeted transfer of the piece goods. In any case, the opening of the cells in the delivery area should be significantly narrower than the opening of the cells in the receiving area.

Advantageous embodiments of the invention are specified in the subclaims.

The embodiment according to claim 2 enables a geometrical adaptation of the opening of the cells in the delivery area to the

Division of the circulating general cargo carriers. When using a single transfer device, each passing general cargo carrier can be loaded, while, for example, when using two transfer devices, only every second general cargo carrier is loaded.

The embodiment according to claim 3 ensures an exact and permanent assignment of the cell openings in the delivery area to the division of the rotating general cargo carriers.

The development according to claim 4 enables an optimal transfer of the piece goods by adapting the discharge direction of the cells to the inclination of the piece goods carriers. The embodiment according to claim 5 enables a permanent adjustment and adaptation of the impeller to the division of the piece goods carrier even if there are gaps between individual groups of piece goods carriers. Such gaps arise, for example, when a plurality of piece goods carriers are attached to rotating carriages of the second conveyor.

The further developments according to claims 6 and 7 relate to two possibilities for reliably preventing the piece goods from falling out of the cells in the circumferential area of the impeller located in front of the delivery area.

The preferred embodiment according to claim 8 enables a reliable and robust mechanical control of the wings by scenes, wherein such a scenery control can be realized in a particularly simple manner with a link wheel according to claim 9. The dispensing direction of the cells and the ratio of the cell openings in the receiving area and in the dispensing area can be influenced in a simple manner by the position and the distance between the axis of the link wheel and the wheel axis of the wing wheel.

The development according to claim 10 relates to a particularly reliable implementation of the link control of the wing.

According to claim 11, the advantages of a gate control can also be used for the control of the additional wings provided for the formation of empty cells. In this case, it is then particularly favorable to arrange the additional cushions required for this also according to claim 12 on the sliding block.

An embodiment of the invention is shown in the drawing and will be described in more detail below.

Show it FIG. 1 shows a transfer device for general cargo equipped with an impeller,

FIG. 2 shows the mode of operation of the winged wheel shown in FIG. 1 during pick-up, transport and delivery of the piece goods,

FIG. 3 shows the basic principle of a link control for the wings of the impeller shown in FIGS. 1 and 2,

FIG. 4 shows a top view of a link wheel used for the link control of the wing,

FIG. 5 shows a complete side view of the transfer device according to FIGS. 1 and 2,

Figure 6 shows the storage of the impeller and sliding block in a partially broken side view

Figure 7 shows the arrangement of the impeller in relation to an incoming conveyor and a sorting device in plan view.

FIG. 1 shows a transfer device for piece goods in a highly simplified schematic representation. This transfer device comprises a rotating impeller FR, the wings F of which are arranged around the wheel axis RA indicated by a cross and form sector-shaped cells Z which receive the piece goods arriving on a first conveying device FEI and deliver them to rotating piece goods carriers ST of a second conveying device FE2. The inner ends of the vanes F are pivotally mounted on the impeller FR via axes of rotation D, the pivotal movement of the individual vanes F being carried out by a link control which will be explained later. The division of the pivotably arranged wings FR can be changed such that a wide one in the receiving area

Opening of the cells Z for the secure reception of the piece goods arriving at the first conveyor FEI at a speed v2 of, for example, 2 m / s. In contrast causes the gate control in the delivery area a narrow opening of the cells Z, which is matched to the division t of the piece goods carriers ST of the second conveyor FE2. The peripheral speed u of the impeller FR rotating at a constant angular velocity ωl is matched in the delivery area to the speed v2 of the rotating general cargo carrier ST such that the horizontal components of these speeds are the same and the illustrated assignment of the division of the cells Z remains in the circumferential area for the division of the general cargo carrier ST. It can also be seen that the discharge direction of the cells Z in the discharge area is adapted to the inclination α of the general cargo carriers.

The general cargo carriers ST of the second conveying device FE2 passing at a speed v2 of, for example, 0.625 m / s are components of a sorting device for mail items, the structure and mode of operation of which are described, for example, in the earlier patent applications P 43 23 564.6 and 43 23 565.4 is described.

FIG. 2 shows various stages in the pick-up, transport and delivery of the piece goods by the impeller FR. The piece goods S represented by dash-dotted lines are letters which arrive at the first conveyor FEI at the speed v1. The division or the spacing of the incoming piece goods S is determined by transverse ribs, not shown in detail, of the first conveyor FEI, which is designed as a belt conveyor. It is evident that the cell Z located in the receiving area has a wide opening, so that a secure pick-up of the incoming piece goods S is ensured. As a result of the backdrop control already mentioned, the opening of the cells Z in the direction of rotation DR of the impeller FR is then increasingly narrow until it corresponds to the narrow receiving opening of the general cargo carrier ST or is even narrower than this receiving opening. The general cargo S then falls, as shown in FIG. 2, from the cells Z in the delivery area into the assigned general cargo carrier ST. In the direction of rotation DR In front of the discharge area of the peripheral area of the impeller FR, guide means FM are assigned, which in the illustrated embodiment are formed by a fixed guide wall and prevent the piece goods S from falling out of the cells Z. Instead of the guide means FM, holding wings can also be used which press the piece goods S picked up by a cell Z against a piece F until they are delivered to a piece goods carrier ST. These holding wings HF, which are only indicated in a cell Z, can also be controlled via scenes, the pressing force being exerted by corresponding compression springs.

It can also be seen from FIG. 2 that the impeller FR is equipped with movably arranged additional vanes ZF, each of which, with the wing F lagging in the direction of rotation DR, form empty cells LZ, which fill the gaps designated L between two groups of piece goods carriers ST of the second Conveyor FEI are assigned. These gaps result from the fact that, in the exemplary embodiment shown, four piece goods carriers ST are attached to a rotating carriage of the second conveyor FE2.

From Figure 2 it can also be seen that the individual wings F are guided over rollers R in scenes K, the roles R are indicated by points and the scenes K by lines.

The basic principle of the gate control is shown purely schematically in FIG. The vanes F rotate about the wheel axis RA already mentioned, while the links K rotate about an axis A, the wheel axis RA and axis A being arranged parallel and at a distance from one another. It can be seen that this distance between the wheel axle RA and the axle A causes wide openings to arise between two wings F in the upper peripheral region, while narrow openings between two wings F result in the lower peripheral region. The cooling control shown in principle in FIG. 3 is implemented via sliding wheels KR arranged on both sides of the wings F, the shape of which can be seen in FIG. In addition to the twelve curvilinear scenes K for controlling the movement of the wings F (compare FIGS. 1 and 2), there are also a total of three additional scenes ZK on the scenery wheel KR, which are provided for controlling the movement of the additional wings ZF mentioned in connection with FIG.

Figure 5 shows a complete side view of the transfer device shown in Figures 1 and 2. In this side view, all the scenes K and additional scenes ZK of the scenery wheel KR can be seen, which are assigned to the individual vanes F or to the additional vanes ZF of the vane wheel FR shown by dash-dotted lines. The relative position between the wheel axis RA of the impeller FR and the axis A of the link wheel KR can also be seen, the distance between these two axes influencing the opening ratio of the cells Z in the receiving area and in the delivery area, while the lateral offset of the two axes the delivery direction of the cells Z is influenced. The constant angular velocities ωl and 0) 2 of the impeller FR and the cooling wheel KR are the same.

FIG. 6 shows a partially broken side view of the mounting of the impeller FR and the link wheel KR in a frame designated by G. The wheel axle RA is mounted on both sides in the frame G via first rolling bearings WL1, but only one side of this mounting is shown in FIG. 6. A second roller bearing WL2 is provided for the storage of a link wheel KR, the inner ring of which is connected to the frame G, while a ring R attached to the link wheel KR sits on the outer ring. The mounting of the second link wheel KR, not shown in FIG. 6, is designed in the same way. A toothed belt wheel ZR is provided for driving the impeller FR. The ring R mentioned above is likewise designed as a toothed belt wheel for driving the link wheel KR. det. The toothed belt wheel ZR and the second toothed belt wheel formed by the ring R are driven via a common drive shaft, not shown in the drawing, by means of which a synchronous running of the impeller FR and the link wheel KR is ensured.

FIG. 6 also shows the arrangement of a roller R attached laterally to a wing F in the associated link K of the link wheel KR formed by a slot. In addition, the pivotable mounting of the wavy wing F on the impeller FR is also shown. It can be seen that the wing F, which is pivotably mounted on the axis of rotation D, has a cam-shaped design in the region of the bearing and engages in an associated circumferential profile of the impeller FR. This interlocking prevents the item S (see FIGS. 2 and 5) from becoming jammed in the swivel area of the wings F.

FIG. 7 shows a top view of the first conveyor FEI, the impeller FR and the second conveyor FE2.

The piece goods S are fed in via four input devices EE, in which the corresponding letters are provided in stacks. When processing the stacks, it will

General cargo S is individually picked up by a reading device (not shown in more detail), placed on belt belts Rb and fed obliquely to the first conveyor FEI in the direction of the arrows Pf. From each of the four input devices EE, for example, 5000 parts per hour can be fed onto the first conveyor device FEI, which is designed as a collecting belt. The piece goods S are then transferred from the first conveying device FEI to the cells Z (compare FIGS. 1, 2 and 5) of the impeller FR and then individually delivered to the piece goods carriers ST of the second conveying device FE2. The general cargo carriers ST then give the general cargo S corresponding sorting codes to the respective postcode or code. compartments or sorting containers of a sorting system not shown in the drawing.

Claims

claims

1. Transfer device for general cargo (S), in particular for postal cargo, with a rotating impeller (FR), the wings (F) of which are arranged around the wheel axis (RA) and form cells (Z) that arrive on a first conveyor (FEI) Take up (S) and deliver it to the circulating general cargo carrier (ST) of a second conveyor (FE2), the division of the movably arranged blades (F) in the peripheral region of the impeller (FR) being variable such that a wide opening in the receiving region of the cells (Z) and in the dispensing area there is a narrow opening of the cells (Z).

2. Transfer device according to claim 1, characterized in that the narrow opening of the cells (Z) in the delivery area is matched to the division (t) or an integer multiple of the division (t) of the piece goods carrier (ST).

3. Transfer device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the peripheral speed (u) of the impeller (FR) in the delivery area and the speed (v2) of the rotating cargo carrier (ST) are coordinated.

4. Transfer device according to one of the preceding Ansprü¬ che, characterized in that the delivery direction of the cells (Z) in the delivery area is adapted to the inclination (α) of the general cargo carrier (ST).

5. Transfer device according to one of the preceding Ansprü¬ che, characterized in that the impeller (FR) is equipped with movably arranged additional wings (ZF), each of which together with a trailing wing (F) form empty cells (LZ) which form the Lük- ken (L) between two groups of piece goods carriers (ST) are assigned.

6. Transfer device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that each wing (F) of the impeller (FR) is assigned a movably arranged holding wing (HF), the piece goods (S) received by a cell (Z). until it is released between the wing (F) and the associated retaining wing (HF).

7. Transfer device according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that in the direction of rotation (DR) lying in front of the delivery area peripheral region of the Flügelradeε (FR) guide means (FM) for the piece goods (S) are assigned.

8. Transfer device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the movement of the wings (F) of the impeller is controlled by coulis (K).

9. Transfer device according to claim 8, characterized in that the scenes (K) are arranged on a with the same Winkelgeschwin¬ speed as the impeller (FR) rotating backdrop wheel (KR), the axis (A) parallel to the wheel axis (RA) the impeller (FR) is aligned.

10. Transfer device according to claim 9, characterized in that the inner ends of the wing (F) are pivotally mounted on the impeller (FR) and that in the central region of the wing (F) fixed rollers (R) in the associated Ku¬ lissen ( K) of the link wheel (KR) are guided.

11. Transfer device according to claim 5, characterized in that the movement of the additional wing (ZF) is controlled by additional scenes (ZK).

12. Transfer device according to claims 9 and 11, characterized in that the additional scenes (ZK) on the link wheel (KR) are angeord¬ net.