Method for emptying the pockets of a transport device in the form of a suspension conveyor, and device for carrying out said method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10040641-B2
Application number	US-201615542887-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 7, 2016
Priority date	Jan 26, 2015
Publication date	Aug 7, 2018
Grant date	Aug 7, 2018

Abstract

A method for emptying the pockets of a transport device in the form of a suspension conveyor, the transport device including one or more trolleys which are movably mounted on a trolley track and on each of which a pocket hanging downwards for receiving goods is arranged, the pocket formed by at least one flexible material web that is planar when open and that is fastened at both ends to the trolley, forming a loop hanging downwards. The material web is releasably fastened by at least one end to the trolley. The method includes: advancing a closed pocket, opening the pocket by releasing the fastening of the at least one end of the material web to the trolley, emptying the goods from the opened pocket, closing the pocket by fastening the at least one end of the material web to the trolley, and transporting away the emptied and closed pocket.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for emptying the pockets ( 20 ) of a transport device ( 10 ) in the form of a suspension conveyor comprising:
movably mounting one or more carriages ( 11 ) on a running rail ( 15 ) in the running rail direction;
arranging a downwardly hanging pocket ( 20 ) on each of the one or more carriages ( 11 ) for receiving transported goods ( 28 ), wherein the pocket ( 20 ) is formed by at least one flexible material web ( 18 ) which is planar in an open state and which is fastened at both ends to the carriage ( 11 ), forming a downwardly hanging carrying loop and/or transport loop; and
releasably fastening the material web ( 18 ) to the carriage ( 11 ) on at least one end ( 16 ) of the material web ( 18 ), by the steps:
(a) advancing a pocket ( 20 ) in a closed state,
(b) opening the pocket ( 20 ) by releasing the fastening of the at least one end ( 16 ) of the material web ( 18 ) to the carriage ( 11 ),
(c) emptying, the transported goods ( 28 ) from an opened pocket ( 20 ),
(d) closing the pocket ( 20 ) by fastening the at east one end ( 16 ) of the material web ( 18 ) to the carriage ( 11 ), and
(e) moving away an emptied and closed pocket ( 20 ), wherein the advancing of the pocket ( 20 ) takes place via a same running rail ( 15 ) as the moving-away of the emptied and closed pocket ( 20 ); and

wherein the at least one end ( 16 ) of the material web ( 18 ) is releasably configured on the carriage ( 11 ) by hooking up the one end ( 16 ), in that the pocket ( 20 ) to be emptied is stopped and emptied on the running rail ( 15 ), in that in step (b) the at least one end ( 16 ) of the material web ( 18 ) is unhooked and in that in step (d) the at least one end ( 16 ) of the material web ( 18 ) is hooked up again.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein after unhooking the material web ( 18 ), an unhooked part of the material web ( 18 ) is fixed to a suction surface ( 25 a ) by a vacuum and for emptying the pocket ( 20 ) the fixed material web is pivoted with the suction surface ( 25 a ) about a pivot axis ( 25 c ) sufficiently far into a downwardly oriented oblique position that the transported goods ( 28 ) located in the pocket slip down out of the pocket.

3. The method according to claim 2 , wherein a grip element ( 29 ) is arranged on at least one end ( 16 ) of the material web ( 18 ) and a mechanism ( 25 d ) for unhooking and/or hooking up the material web ( 18 ) arranged on the suction surface ( 25 a ) grips and lifts and/or lowers the at least one end ( 16 ) of the material web ( 18 ) on the grip element ( 29 ).

4. The method according to claim 2 , wherein the transported goods ( 28 ) slipping out of the pocket ( 20 ) are conveyed via a slide ( 26 ) to a transport device ( 27 , 27 a ) and transported away by means of the transport device ( 27 , 27 a ).

5. An emptying device for emptying the pockets ( 20 ) of a transport device ( 10 ) in the form of a suspension conveyor, comprising:
one or more carriages ( 11 ) moveably mounted on a running rail ( 15 ) in a running rail direction;
a downwardly hanging pocket ( 20 ) arranged on each of the one or more carriages ( 11 ) for receiving transported goods ( 28 ), wherein the pocket ( 20 ) is formed by at least one flexible material web ( 18 ) which is planar in an open state and advanceable in a closed state, and which pocket ( 20 ) is fastened at both ends to the carriage ( 11 ), forming a downwardly hanging carrying loop and/or transport loop;
a first device ( 25 d ) configured to automatically open and close the pocket wherein the at least one end ( 16 ) of the material web ( 18 ) fastened to the carriage ( 11 ) is releasable to open the pocket ( 20 ) and empty the transported goods ( 28 ) from an opened pocket ( 20 ) and wherein the at least one end ( 16 ) of the material web ( 18 ) is fastened to the carriage ( 11 ) to close the pocket ( 20 );
a second device ( 25 ) is configured to fold out the opened pocket ( 20 );
an emptied and closed pocket ( 20 ) is loveable via a same running rail ( 15 ) as the advanceable pocket ( 20 ); and
at least one end ( 16 ) of the material web ( 18 ) is releasably configured on the carriage ( 11 ) by hooking up the one end ( 16 ), in that the pocket ( 20 ) to be emptied is stopped and emptied on the running rail ( 15 ), in that the open pocket the at least one end ( 16 ) of the material web ( 18 ) is unhooked and in that in the closed pocket at least one end ( 16 ) of the material web ( 18 ) is hooked up again.

6. The device according to claim 5 , wherein the first device comprises an unhooking and hooking-up mechanism ( 25 d ), which comprises an engagement element ( 25 e ) which is movable in the vertical direction and which is able to be brought into engagement with a grip element ( 29 ) attached to the pocket ( 20 ).

7. The device according to claim 6 , wherein the second device ( 25 ) comprises a suction surface ( 25 a ) for the unhooked material web ( 18 ) supplied with a vacuum via a vacuum connection ( 25 b ), which suction surface ( 25 a ) is arranged so as to be pivotable about a pivot axis ( 25 c ) in a frame ( 24 ) below the running rail ( 15 ).

8. The device according to claim 7 , wherein a slide ( 26 ) which at the upper end adjoins the downwardly pivoted suction surface ( 25 a ) is provided.

9. The device according to claim 8 , wherein e slide ( 26 ) with its lower end adjoins a transport device ( 27 ) for transporting away the emptied transported goods ( 28 ).

Assignees

• Ferag Ag

Inventors

• Fenile Roberto
• Benz Marc-Andreas

Classifications

• B65G47/38

  by dumping, tripping, or releasing load carriers (by flexing or tilting travelling structures B65G47/94) · CPC title

• B65G9/004 Primary

  Loading or unloading arrangements · CPC title

• B65G47/61 Primary

  for articles · CPC title

• B65G19/025 Primary

  for suspended articles · CPC title

• B65G17/20 Primary

  comprising load-carriers suspended from overhead traction chains · CPC title