WO2004042228A1

WO2004042228A1 - Conveying device

Info

Publication number: WO2004042228A1
Application number: PCT/ZA2003/000166
Authority: WO
Inventors: Johannes Jacobus Du Preez
Original assignee: Johannes Jacobus Du Preez
Priority date: 2002-11-06
Filing date: 2003-11-06
Publication date: 2004-05-21
Also published as: AU2003291211A1

Abstract

The conveying device(10) includes a generally parallelipipedal base (12) which is mounted on wheels (13), a mounting means for mounting a first member on the base(12) to permit linear reciprocal displacement of the first member relative to the base (12). The first member is in the form of a cylinder (14) having a piston or slug (16) mounted co-axially and displaceably therein. The mounting means is in the form of a track (18) on the base (12) and rollers (20) which extend outwardly the cylinder (14) which serve to interconnect and facilitate linear reciprocal displacement between the base (12) and the cylinder (14). The cylinder (14) has projections or arms (22) which are configured to project outwardly in to the channel defined by the track (18).

Description

CONVEYING DEVICE

Field of the Invention

This invention relates to a conveying device.

Summary of the Invention

According to the invention there is provided a conveying device which includes:-

- a base;

- a first member;

- a mounting means for mounting the first member on the base to permit reciprocal displacement of the first member relative to the base; - a first displacement means for reciprocally displacing the first member relative to the base between a position remote an end region of the base and an energy transferring position wherein at least a part of the kinetic energy of the first member is transferred to the said end region of the base thereby to displace the base, and with it the first member.

The base may be mounted on wheels to facilitate displacement thereof together with the first member. The first member may be in the form of a piston and cylinder arrangement.

The mounting means may be in the form of a track-and-roller arrangement which interconnects and facilitates linear reciprocal displacement between the base and the cylinder of the first member.

The conveying device may include a second displacement means for displacing the piston in the cylinder reciprocally between a position remote an end region of the cylinder and an energy transferring position wherein at least a part of the kinetic energy of the piston is transferred to the said end region of the cylinder.

The first and second displacement means may include any suitable pneumatic- and/or hydraulic-ram arrangement. The first and second displacement means may alternatively include an electromagnetically operable drive device.

Detailed Description of the Invention

The invention will now be described by way of examples with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings:-

Figure 1 to 6 show side. and plan views of a conveying device of the invention in various stages of operation;

Figure 7 shows a plan view of another embodiment of the conveying device in accordance with the invention; and

Figure 8 is a schematic for illustrating the operation of the embodiment shown in Figure 7.

Referring now to Figures 1 to 8, reference numeral 10 generally designates a conveying device in accordance with the invention.

The conveying device 10 includes a generally parallelipipedal base 12 which is mounted on wheels 13, a mounting means for mounting a first member on the base 12 to permit linear reciprocal displacement of the first member relative to the base 12. The first member is in the form of a cylinder 14 having a piston or slug 16 mounted co-axially and displaceably therein.

The mounting means is in the form of a track 18 on the base 12 and rollers 20 which extend outwardly the cylinder 14 which serve to interconnect and facilitate linear reciprocal displacement between the base 12 and the cylinder 14. The cylinder 14 has projections or arms 22 which are configured to project outwardly in to the channel defined by the track 18. The conveying device 10 further includes a first displacement means for reciprocally displacing the cylinder 14 relative to the base 12 between a position remote an end region 24 of the base 12 and an energy transferring position wherein at least a part of the kinetic energy of the first member is transferred to the said end region 24 of the base 12 thereby to displace the base 12, and with it the first member. The conveying device also includes a second displacement means for displacing the piston 16 in the cylinder 14 reciprocally between a position remote an end region 26 of the cylinder 14 and an energy transferring position wherein at least a part of the kinetic energy of the piston 16 is transferred to the said end region 26 of the cylinder 14.

The first displacement means includes a rod 28 which is connected at one end to the end region 26 of the cylinder 14, the opposing end being received co- axially a tube 30 which is connected in flow communication with a pneumatic compressor (not shown). In particular, the compressor is adapted to charge the tube 30 with compressed air which in turn displaces the rod 30, and with it the cylinder 14, in the direction of arrow 32.

The second displacement means also includes a pneumatic compressor (not shown) which is connected in flow communication with opposing ends of the cylinder 14 via pipes 34 and 36. In operation, the introduction of compressed air via the pipes 34 and 36 will cause the piston 16 to be displaced in the direction of arrow 38 and 40 respectively. It is however to be appreciated that the first and second displacement means may be replaced with a hydraulically operated system.

In operation in a rest position of the conveying device 10 (Figures 1 and 2), compressed air is initially introduced via pipe 34 to cause the piston 16 to move in the direction of arrow 38 (figure 4) and the cylinder 14 in the direction of arrow 40. When the piston 16 reaches the end 26 of the cylinder 14, compressed air is introduced via pipe 36 to urge the piston 16 and cylinder 14 in the direction of arrows 40 and 38 respectively. Once the cylinder 14 is moving in the direction of arrow 38 relative to the base 12, the tube 30 is charged with compressed air which causes the rod 28, and with it the cylinder 14, to be displaced in the direction of 38 which in turn results in an increase in the kinetic energy in the cylinder 14 as it travels in the direction of arrow 38. As shown in figures 5 and 6, the projections 22 on the cylinder 14 then collide with stoppers 42 at the end 24 of the base 12. This collision serves to transfer the kinetic energy in the cylinder 14 to the base 12 which in turn propels the base 12 in the direction of arrow 44 thereby resulting in displacement of the conveying device relative to the ground. The above steps are then repeated to continue displacement of the conveying device 10 in the direction of arrow 44.

Referring now to figure 7, reference numeral 110 generally designates another embodiment of the conveying device wherein the pneumatic displacement of the cylinder 14 and piston 16 is simply replaced by an electromagnetic displacement arrangement, the steps as described above being equally applicable to this embodiment. In particular, linear displacement of the piston 16 in directions 38 or 40, which is formed from a magnetic material, is achieved by a repelling or attracting force generated by induction coils 46 and 48. Similarly, linear displacement of the rod 28 (which is also formed from a magnetic material) and with it the cylinder 14, is achieved by a repelling or attracting force generated by an induction coil arrangement which is mounted in a housing 50.

Consideration may also be given to the following with reference to figure 8. The base of car (1) is connected to a Slave Electromagnetic coil (2), which acts to push a freely moving Master Cylinder (3) by means of electromagnetic induction towards a front stopper (4). This front stopper. (4) is also rigidly connected to the base (1) of the car. The Master Cylinder (3) contains a freely moving piston (5) made of any magnetic medium. The end points of the Master Cylinder (3) may contain two induction coils (6) fixed rigidly to this Master Cylinder (3), which can accelerate the piston (5) to the left or right side of the figure shown below, thus creating an oscillation. The purpose of the coils (6) is to allow the piston (5) to accelerate alternating to the left and to the right inside the Master Cylinder (3), as shown in the figure. A further purpose of the coils (6) is to allow the piston (5) to collide elastically near or at the endpoints of the Master Cylinder (3). One of the coils (6) may also be replaced with a spring to reflect the piston (5) elastically inside the Master Cylinder (3). Current flows through any coil (6) to allow the electromagnetic push and or pull action on the Piston (5). The current through each coil (6) is alternated to allow the piston (5) to accelerate periodically along the length of the Master Cylinder (3). Current flows alternatively through one or both coils (6), thus alternating between left and right to allow the Master Cylinder to accelerate periodically along the horizontal direction as shown in the Figure. Current flows through one or both coils (6), alternating, with the effect of increasing the kinetic energy of the oscillator marked (3 - Master Cylinder).

One of the preferred methods of operation comprises the acceleration of the Master Cylinder (3) towards the front stopper (4) as a result of current increase in the Slave coil (2) at a time when the piston (5) accelerates from right to left. Two independent forces then accelerates the Master Cylinder (3) towards the front stopper. The push action by the Slave coil (2) on the Master Cylinder (3) and the reaction force on the Master Cylinder (3) due to the backwards acceleration of the piston (5).

The net effect is the transfer of kinetic energy and momentum from the Master Cylinder (3) to the base of the car, thus accelerating the base of the car from left to right. A preferred condition is to have the contact time Tc between the Master Cylinder (3) and the front stopper (4) to be longer than 2L/Cs, where L is the length of the Master Cylinder (3) and Cs the speed of sound in the Master Cylinder (3), which is typically a few thousand meters per second. The purpose of this is to allow those shock waves (generated by the collision between (3) and (4)), reflecting towards the rear end of the Master Cylinder (3), to be reflected (returned) towards the front stopper (4) and transmitted towards the front base of the car, before contact between (3) and (4) is broken after a time Tc. The effect of this is to have all energy in shocks to be transmitted towards the preferred direction of motion as shown in figure 8. A proper absorbent medium at the front of the base (1) may be considered to absorb these forward traveling shocks in the base (1), to allow efficient transfer of kinetic energy and momentum in the shocks to base (car) kinetic energy and momentum towards the preferred direction of motion.

The backward acceleration of the piston (5) results in a reaction force exerted on the front end of the Master Cylinder (3), which, in turn, is transmitted as a forward force on the base of the car, thus accelerating the base further towards the front direction (preferred direction of motion).

Contact between the Master Cylinder (3) and front stopper (4) is at least broken when the piston (5) strikes the rear end of the Master Cylinder (3), thus transferring kinetic energy and momentum elastically to the Master Cylinder (3). At this time one or both of the coils (6) is activated to accelerate the piston (5) from back to front, while accelerating the Master Cylinder (3) further to the left (reaction force). The Slave coil (2) may be activated at this time or somewhat later to retard the receding Master Cylinder (3), which results in a backwards reaction force on the base (1). The piston (5) hitting the front of the Master Cylinder (3) after some time, will transfer kinetic energy and momentum to the Master Cylinder (3), which will cancel some of the negative (receding) momentum and kinetic energy of the Master Cylinder (3). Once the piston (5) hits the front of the Master Cylinder (3), one or both of the coils (6) are activated to accelerate the piston (5) again from front to back, thus creating the abovementioned double positive force on the Master Cylinder (3) through the forward force due to Slave coil (2) and the reaction force of the coil(s) (6), which accelerate the piston (5) towards the rear end of the Master Cylinder (3).

In yet another embodiment one can select to have an elastic collision of the piston (5) with the rear end of the Master Cylinder (3), whereas the collision of the piston (5) with the front end of the Master Cylinder (3) may be organized in such a way, that forward and rearward traveling shock waves are created at the moment of impact, as discussed above: The purpose of this may be the same as discussed for the transfer of shock waves between the Master Cylinder (3) and front stopper (4): In this case the Master Cylinder may experience the additional forward momentum of shock waves reflected from the rear end of the piston (5), towards the front termination of the Master Cylinder (3), given that the contact time between the front of the piston (5) and the front end of the Master Cylinder (3) is longer than the shock propagation time in the piston (5).

In connection with the abovementioned, the front end of the Master Cylinder (3) may be modified (as discussed for the front end of the base (1) of the car), to allow the efficient transfer of all shock energy into forward momentum and kinetic energy of the Master Cylinder (3), such that the net momentum and kinetic energy of the oscillating Master Cylinder (3) points towards the preferred direction of motion of the base of the car (1). This is achieved by employing a suitable shock absorbent means, which is well known to those with skills in this art.

The linear configuration of (2), (3), etc., could be replaced with a lever arm, whereby Slave coil (2) produces a downward force on the horizontal section of the level arm (shaped in the form of an "L"), so that the vertical shaft (of the "L") pushes the Master Cylinder (3) towards the front stopper (4). The lever arm is attached to the base (1) of the car by means of a pivot point at the connection between the two arms of the "L" lever. Other levers may also be designed to have the same effect of pushing the Master Cylinder (3) horizontally towards the front stopper (4), whereas the Slave coil (2) performs work along the vertical direction.

It is to be appreciated that the disclosures made in the applicant's South African provisional patent applications 2003/3227 and 2002/8991 are incorporated by way of reference hereto.

Furthermore, the invention described herein is not limited to the precise constructional and functional details as hereinbefore described.

Claims

1. A conveying device which includes:-

- a base; - a first member;

- a mounting means for mounting the first member on the base to permit reciprocal displacement of the first member relative to the base;

- a first displacement means for reciprocally displacing the first member relative to the base between a position remote an end region of the base and an energy transferring position wherein at least a part of the kinetic energy of the first member is transferred to the said end region of the base thereby to displace the base, and with it the first member.

2. A conveying device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the base is mounted on wheels to facilitate displacement thereof together with the first member.

3. A conveying device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the first member is in the form of a piston and cylinder arrangement.

4. A conveying device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the mounting means is in the form of a track-and-roller arrangement which interconnects and facilitates linear reciprocal displacement between the base and the cylinder of the first member.

5. A conveying device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein conveying device includes a second displacement means for displacing the piston in the cylinder reciprocally between a position remote an end region of the cylinder and an energy transferring position wherein- at least a part of the kinetic energy of the piston is transferred to the said end region of the cylinder.

6. A conveying device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the displacement means is in the form of a pneumatic- and/or hydraulic-ram arrangement.

7. A conveying device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the displacement means is in the form of an electromagnetically operable drive device.

8. A conveying device substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.