Linear transport system with minimal transport spacing

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10569974-B2
Application number	US-201615776349-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 8, 2016
Priority date	Dec 21, 2015
Publication date	Feb 25, 2020
Grant date	Feb 25, 2020

Abstract

A transport system for the transport of containers in a container treatment facility includes a transport track with at least one long stator of a linear motor and multiple transport elements for transporting one or multiple containers. The transport elements are arranged movably on the transport track and formed to be guided along the transport track through magnetic interaction with the at least one long stator. The front and back sides of the transport elements are formed to driven into one another at least in pairs and to have a minimal attainable transport spacing that is smaller than the longitudinal extension of the transport elements.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A transport system for transporting containers in a container treatment facility, the transport system comprising:
a transport track with at least one long stator of a linear motor; and
a plurality of transport elements to transport the containers,
wherein the plurality of transport elements are disposed movably on the transport track and are configured to be guided individually and independently of one another along the transport track through magnetic interaction with the at least one long stator,
wherein a front side of a trailing transport element of the plurality of transport elements is to be driven into a back side of a leading transport element of the plurality of transport elements,
wherein a minimal attainable transport spacing between the leading transport element and the trailing transport element is smaller than a longitudinal extension of at least one of the trailing transport element or the leading transport element, and
wherein the minimal attainable transport spacing between the leading transport element and the trailing transport element is defined by a distance of corresponding reference points of the leading transport element and the trailing transport element that can be achieved by guiding the leading transport element and the trailing transport element at a closest possible distance to one another.

2. The transport system of claim 1 , wherein a corresponding front side and a corresponding back side of each of the plurality of transport elements is formed in such a way that the corresponding front side of any trailing transport element can be driven into the corresponding back side of any leading transport element.

3. The transport system of claim 1 , wherein each transport element of the plurality of transport elements comprises bearing elements that are spaced from one another in a longitudinal direction, wherein the bearing elements cause the transport element to be mounted movably on the transport track, and wherein the minimal attainable transport spacing is smaller than distance of the bearing elements in the longitudinal direction.

4. The transport system of claim 3 , wherein the bearing elements are rollers.

5. The transport system of claim 1 , wherein:
the front side has an essentially convex form and the back side has an essentially concave form; or
the back side has the essentially convex form and the front side has the essentially concave form.

6. The transport system of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of transport elements are formed in a wedge shape or an angular shape, and wherein successive transport elements are rotated by 180 degrees relative to each other.

7. The transport system of claim 1 , wherein each transport element of the plurality of transport elements has rollers that cause the transport element to be supported on the transport track, and wherein arrangement of the rollers is inversion-symmetric.

8. The transport system of claim 1 , wherein the transport track has at least one guiding rail on which the plurality of transport elements are mounted movably via gothic rollers.

9. The transport system of claim 8 , wherein the gothic rollers of the plurality of transport elements are divided into two halves along a symmetry plane perpendicular to a corresponding rotary axis of each of the gothic rollers, and wherein the two halves are mounted such that the two halves can rotate independently of one another.

10. The transport system of claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of transport elements comprises a corresponding holding device to hold one or more of the containers.

11. The transport system of claim 10 , wherein the corresponding holding device comprises a neck handling bracket for neck handling of bottles.

12. The transport system of claim 1 , wherein:
the transport track comprises at least one guiding rail;
each of the plurality of transport elements comprises bearing elements spaced from one another in a longitudinal direction and by means of which the plurality of transport elements are mounted movably on the transport track;
each of the plurality of transport elements comprises a secondary part comprising at least one of a permanent magnet or an electromagnet;
each of the plurality of transport elements is to be moved along the transport track through the magnetic interaction with the at least one long stator of the transport track via the secondary part; and
a first course of the at least one guiding rail and a second course of the at least one long stator deviate in sections from a parallel course.

13. The transport system of claim 12 , wherein the transport track comprises a curved piece and a straight piece, and wherein the second course of the at least one long stator relative to the first course of the at least one guiding rail deviates in a first area of the curved piece from the second course of the at least one long stator relative to the first course of the at least one guiding rail in a second area of the straight piece.

14. The transport system of claim 13 , wherein the second course of the at least one long stator relative to the first course of the at least one guiding rail in the first area of the curved piece deviates from the second course of the at least one long stator relative to the first course of the at least one guiding rail in the second area of the straight piece as a function of a spacing of the bearing elements of the plurality of transport elements in the longitudinal direction and a curvature radius of the curved piece, wherein an air gap or an overlap area between the at least one long stator and at least one of the permanent magnet or the electromagnet of the secondary part is constant along the curved piece and the straight piece.

15. The transport system of claim 14 , wherein the curvature radius of the curved piece is a variable curvature radius.

16. The transport system of claim 13 , wherein the transport track comprises a first guiding rail and a second guiding rail two guiding rails routed in parallel on which the plurality of transport elements are mounted movably via the bearing elements, wherein the at least one long stator of the linear motor comprises a first long stator and a second long stator, and wherein a first distance between the first guiding rail and the first long stator in an outer curve is larger than a second distance between the second guiding rail and the second long stator in an inner curve of the curved piece.

17. The transport system of claim 12 , wherein individual sections of the transport track are associated with different load conditions of the plurality of transport elements, and wherein a relative course of the at least one long stator to the at least one guiding rail varies as a function of a respective load condition along the transport track.

18. The transport system of claim 17 , wherein a first distance between the secondary part and the at least one long stator is smaller in first sections of higher load conditions than a second distance between the secondary part and the at least one long stator in second sections of lower load conditions.

19. A plurality of transport elements for transporting containers in a container treatment facility, the plurality of transport elements comprising:
a leading transport element comprising a back side; and
a trailing transport element comprising a front side configured to be driven into the back side of the leading transport element,
wherein the plurality of transport elements are disposed movably on a transport track and are to be guided indiv

Assignees

• Krones Ag

Inventors

• Neubauer Michael

Classifications

• H02K41/033

  with armature and magnets on one member, the other member being a flux distributor · CPC title

• H02K7/08

  Structural association with bearings · CPC title

• H02N15/00

  Holding or levitation devices using magnetic attraction or repulsion, not otherwise provided for (electric or magnetic devices for holding work on machine tools B23Q3/15 {; monorail vehicle propulsion or suspension B60L13/00}; sliding or levitation devices for railway systems B61B13/08; material handling devices associated with conveyors incorporating devices with electrostatic or magnetic grippers B65G47/92; separating thin or filamentary articles from piles using magnetic force B65H3/16; delivering thin or filamentary articles from magnetic holders by air blast or suction B65H29/24; bearings using magnetic or electric supporting means F16C32/04; relieving bearing loads using magnetic means F16C39/06; magnets H01F7/00; dynamo-electric clutches or brakes H02K49/00 {; electric furnaces with simultaneous levitation and heating H05B6/32}) · CPC title

• B65G54/02 Primary

  electrostatic, electric, or magnetic · CPC title

• B65G2201/0247

  Suspended bottles · CPC title