Transporting system for transporting products

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11046524-B2
Application number	US-201716329580-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 27, 2017
Priority date	Sep 29, 2016
Publication date	Jun 29, 2021
Grant date	Jun 29, 2021

Abstract

A transport system includes a guide rail having a loop-wound pathway with straight portions and curved portions linking the straight portions. A carriage is movable along the guide rail, a first and a second shaft being mounted on the carriage transversely to the carriage movement direction. A first pair of rollers are mounted rotatably on the first shaft so that a first roller contacts the internal wall of the guide rail and a second roller contacts the external wall of the guide rail. A second pair of rollers mounted rotatably on the second shaft include a first roller in contact with the internal wall of the guide rail and a second roller in contact with the external wall. The first and the second shaft are mounted on the carriage for pivoting about an axis perpendicular to the carriage.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A transport system for transport of products, comprising:
at least a guide rail having a loop-wound pathway and comprising straight portions and curved portions for connecting the straight portions, the guide rail being conformed so as to have an internal rolling wall and an external rolling wall;
at least a carriage for transport of at least a respective product that can be moved in a movement direction along the loop-wound pathway of the guide rail;
a first pair of rollers;
a second pair of rollers;
a first shaft mounted and predisposed on the carriage transversely to the movement direction of the carriage;
a second shaft mounted and predisposed on the carriage transversely to the movement direction of the carriage;
the rollers of the first pair of rollers being rotatably mounted on a first shaft, flanked to and distanced from one another so that a first roller is arranged internally of the guide rail and has a contact portion of the lateral surface thereof in contact with the internal wall of the guide rail and can roll on the internal wall when the carriage is moved in the movement direction and so that a second roller is arranged externally of the guide rail and has a contact portion of the lateral surface thereof in contact with the external wall of the guide rail and can roll on the external wall when the carriage is moved in the movement direction;
the rollers of the second pair of rollers being rotatably mounted on a second shaft, flanked to and distanced from one another so that a first roller is arranged internally of the guide rail and has a contact portion of the lateral surface thereof in contact with the internal wall of the guide rail and can roll on the internal wall when the carriage is moved in the movement direction and so that a second roller is arranged externally of the guide rail and has a contact portion of the lateral surface thereof in contact with the external wall of the guide rail and can roll on the external wall when the carriage is moved in the movement direction;
the first shaft and the second shaft being predisposed and mounted on the carriage so as to be pivoted according to an axis that is perpendicular to the carriage, said axis being perpendicular to a plane comprising the first shaft and the second shaft, so as to enable the rollers of the first pair of rollers and the rollers of the second pair of rollers to adapt a position/orientation thereof with respect to the internal wall and external wall of the guide rail at the change of direction of the guide rail in the passage from a straight portion to a curved portion, and vice versa, so that the contact portions of the lateral surfaces of the rollers remain always in contact with, and can therefore roll on, the internal wall and external wall independently of the changes of direction of the guide rail.

2. The transport system of claim 1 , wherein the contact portions of the lateral surfaces of the rollers with which the rollers are in contact with the internal wall and external wall of the guide rail are conformed as a portion of a spherical cap.

3. The transport system of claim 1 , wherein the carriage comprises a first through-seating and a second through-seating and in that it comprises a first support element predisposed in the first through-seating so as to be rotatable in said first through-seating according to an axis that is perpendicular to the carriage and a second support element predisposed in the second through-seating so as to be rotatable in said second through-seating according to an axis that is perpendicular to the carriage, and in that the first shaft is mounted and predisposed on the first support element and the second shaft is mounted and predisposed on the second support element.

4. The transport system of claim 3 , wherein the first support element comprises a central housing and two slots arranged on opposite sides of the central housing and communicating with the central housing, the central housing having a shape and dimension such as to be able to accommodate and freely receive internally thereof the first pair of rollers so as to enable the rollers to be able to freely rotate about the first shaft and the two slots being arranged and dimensioned so a to be able to receive internally thereof by form coupling the ends of the first shaft, and in that the second support element in turn comprises a central housing and two slots arranged on opposite sides of the central housing and communicating with the central housing, the central housing having a shape and dimension such as to be able to accommodate and freely receive internally thereof the second pair of rollers so as to enable the rollers to be able to freely rotate about the second shaft and the two slots being arranged and dimensioned so as to be able to receive internally thereof by form coupling the ends of the second shaft.

5. The transport system of claim 3 , wherein the first support element is inserted and predisposed in the first through-seating by interposing of bearings so as enable rotation of the first support element in said first through-seating according to an axis that is perpendicular to the carriage, and in that the second support element is inserted and predisposed in the second through-seating by an interposing of bearings so as to enable the rotation of the second support element in the second through-seating according to an axis that is perpendicular to the carriage.

6. The transport system of claim 5 wherein the first support element is inserted and maintained in the first through-seating by first elastic means that are elastically preloaded so as to enable a translation of the first support element with respect to the first through-seating perpendicularly to the guide rail as a consequence of an eventual change of height of the guide rail with respect to a reference plane so as to maintain the rollers of the first pair of rollers predisposed on the first support element with the respective contact portions always in contact with the internal wall and the external wall of the guide rail, and in that the second support element is inserted and maintained in the second through-seating by second elastic means that are elastically preloaded so as to enable a translation of the second support element with respect to the second through-seating perpendicularly to the guide rail as a consequence of an eventual change of height of the guide rail with respect to a reference plane so as to maintain the rollers of the second pair of rollers predisposed on the second support element with the respective contact portions always in contact with the internal wall and the external wall of the guide rail.

7. The transport system of claim 6 , wherein the first elastic means comprise: a first plate, predisposed and mounted on the carriage on an opposite side with respect to the guide rail at the first through-seating and so as to be able to translate vertically with respect to the carriage, a first elastic organ that is elastically preloaded, constrained, at a first end, to the carriage and, at a second end, to the first plate, the first support element being predisposed in the first through-seating so that the respective bearings interposed there-between are borne and mounted on the first plate;
and in that the second elastic means comprise a second plate, predisposed and mounted on the carriage on an opposite side with respect to the guide at the second through-seating and so as to be able to translate vertically with respect to the carriage, a second elastic organ that is elastically preloaded and constrained, at a first end, to the carriage and, at a second end, to the second plate, the second support element being predisposed in the second through-seating so that the respective bearings in

Assignees

• Marchesini Group Spa

Inventors

• Monti Giuseppe

Classifications

• B65G17/20 Primary

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

• B61B13/00

  Other railway systems · CPC title

• B65G9/002 Primary

  Load-carriers, rollers therefor · CPC title

• B65G21/22

  Rails or the like engaging sliding elements or rollers attached to load-carriers or traction elements · CPC title

• B65G39/20

  attached to moving belts or chains · CPC title