Transporting apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10189655-B2
Application number	US-201615558665-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 24, 2016
Priority date	Apr 7, 2015
Publication date	Jan 29, 2019
Grant date	Jan 29, 2019

Abstract

A transporting apparatus comprises a track ( 2 ) and at least one movable element ( 3 ) movable along said track ( 2 ), said movable element ( 3 ) comprising a supporting body ( 14 ), said track ( 2 ) comprising a first guiding surface ( 11 a ) and a further first guiding surface (lib) facing towards said supporting body ( 14 ), a second guiding surface ( 12 a ) and a further second guiding surface ( 12 b ) facing away from said supporting body ( 14 ), and a third guiding surface ( 13 a ) arranged transversally to said first guiding surface ( 11 a ) and said second guiding surface ( 12 a ) and a further third guiding surface ( 13 b ) arranged transversally to said further first guiding surface (lib) and said further second guiding surface ( 12 b ), wherein said movable element ( 3 ) comprises a first couple of rollers ( 15 ) slidably coupled to said first guiding surface ( 11 a ), a further first couple of rollers ( 16 ) slidably coupled to said further first guiding surface (lib), a second couple of rollers ( 17 ) slidably coupled to said second guiding surface ( 12 a ), a further second couple of rollers ( 18 ) slidably coupled to said further second guiding surface ( 12 b ), a third couple of rollers ( 19 ) slidably coupled to said third guiding surface ( 13 a ) and a further third couple of rollers ( 20 ) slidably coupled to said further third guiding surface ( 13 b ).

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A transporting apparatus, comprising a track and at least one movable element movable along said track, said movable element comprising a supporting body, said track comprising a first guiding surface and a further first guiding surface facing towards said supporting body, a second guiding surface and a further second guiding surface facing away from said supporting body, and a third guiding surface arranged transversally to said first guiding surface and said second guiding surface and a further third guiding surface arranged transversally to said further first guiding surface and said further second guiding surface, wherein said movable element comprises a first couple of rollers slidably coupled to said first guiding surface, a further first couple of rollers slidably coupled to said further first guiding surface, a second couple of rollers slidably coupled to said second guiding surface, a further second couple of rollers slidably coupled to said further second guiding surface, a third couple of rollers slidably coupled to said third guiding surface and a further third couple of rollers slidably coupled to said further third guiding surface, and
further comprising four rotation units each supporting a group of three rollers, each group of three rollers comprising a roller belonging to said first couple of rollers or to said further first couple of rollers, a further roller belonging to said second couple of rollers or, respectively, to said further second couple of rollers and a still further roller belonging to said third couple of rollers or, respectively, to said further third couple of rollers.

2. The transporting apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein said first guiding surface and said further first guiding surface are mutually aligned, wherein said second guiding surface and said further second guiding surface are mutually aligned and parallel to said first guiding surface and said further first guiding surface, and wherein said third guiding surface is perpendicular to said first guiding surface and said second guiding surface, and said further third guiding surface is perpendicular to said further first guiding surface and said further second guiding surface.

3. The transporting apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the rotation axes of the rollers of said first couple of rollers are perpendicular to said third guiding surface and said further third guiding surface, wherein the rotation axes of the rollers of said further first couple of rollers are perpendicular to said third guiding surface and said further first guiding surface, wherein the rotation axes of the rollers of said second couple of rollers are perpendicular to said third guiding surface and said further third guiding surface, wherein the rotation axes of the rollers of said further second couple of rollers are perpendicular to said third guiding surface and said further second guiding surface, wherein the rotation axes of the rollers of said third couple of rollers are perpendicular to said first guiding surface, said further first guiding surface, said second guiding surface and said further second guiding surface, and wherein the rotation axes of the rollers of said further third couple of rollers are perpendicular to said first guiding surface, said further first guiding surface, said second guiding surface and said further second guiding surface.

4. The transporting apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein said second guiding surface is arranged on the opposite side of said supporting body with respect to said first guiding surface, and wherein said further second guiding surface is arranged on the opposite side of said supporting body with respect to said further first guiding surface.

5. The transporting apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein said rotation unit comprises a rotation element that is rotatably coupled to said supporting body and is rotatable around a rotation axis perpendicular to said third guiding surface and said further third guiding surface.

6. The transporting apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein said rotation element comprises a bracket portion provided with a pin that rotatably supports said roller and a further pin that rotatably supports said further roller.

7. The transporting apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein said rotation element further comprises a seat that receives said still further roller and a still further pin protruding into said seat and rotatably supporting said still further roller.

8. The transporting apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the axes of rotation of said roller and said further roller are aligned on a line that, when said movable element moves along said track, remains perpendicular to said first guiding surface, said further first guiding surface, said second guiding surface and further second guiding surface.

9. The transporting apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the axes of rotation of said roller, said further roller and said still further roller are arranged in a plane.

10. The transporting apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein said first couple of rollers comprises a first roller and a second roller, said further first couple of rollers comprises a third roller and a fourth roller, said second couple of rollers comprises a fifth roller and a sixth roller, said further second couple of rollers comprises a seventh roller and an eighth roller, said third couple of rollers comprises a ninth roller and a tenth roller and said further third couple of rollers comprises an eleventh roller and a twelfth roller.

11. The transporting apparatus according to claim 10 , wherein said movable element comprises four rotation units, a first rotation unit comprising said first roller, said fifth roller and said ninth roller, a second rotation unit comprising said second roller, said sixth roller and said tenth roller, a third rotation unit comprising said third roller, said seventh roller and said eleventh roller, a fourth rotation unit comprising said fourth roller, said eighth roller and said twelfth roller.

12. The transporting apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein said supporting body comprises a front part, and a first side part and a second side part protruding from opposite sides of said front part, said first rotation unit and said second rotation unit being rotatably coupled to said first side part, and said third rotation unit and said fourth rotation unit being rotatably coupled to said second side part.

13. The transporting apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein said track comprises a guiding member, said guiding member being provided, at a first side thereof, with said first guiding surface, said second guiding surface and said third guiding surface, said guiding member being further provided, at a second side thereof, opposite to said first side, with said further first guiding surface, said further second guiding surface and said further third guiding surface, said guiding member having a first linear branch, a second linear branch, a first curved branch and a second curved branch, said first curved branch and said second curved branch being interposed between said first linear branch and said second linear branch.

14. The transporting apparatus according to claim 1 , and comprising a plurality of movable elements, said track housing individually-excitable solenoids and said movable elements housing permanent magnets, or said movable elements housing individually-excitable solenoids and said track housing permanent magnets, said movable elements being independently movable along said track by individually controlling said solenoids.

15. A packa

Assignees

• Tetra Laval Holdings & Finance

Inventors

• Pradelli Massimo
• Rimondi Fabrizio

Classifications

• B65G54/02 Primary

  electrostatic, electric, or magnetic · CPC title

• B61B3/02

  with self-propelled vehicles · CPC title

• B65G35/00

  Mechanical conveyors not otherwise provided for · CPC title

• B65G2201/02

  Articles · CPC title

• B65B65/00

  Details peculiar to packaging machines and not otherwise provided for; Arrangements of such details · CPC title