Conveyor system for conveying objects and control process for such a system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9709977-B2
Application number	US-201514943156-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 17, 2015
Priority date	Nov 17, 2014
Publication date	Jul 18, 2017
Grant date	Jul 18, 2017

Abstract

A control process for a conveyor system for conveying pallets or other objects comprises at least two mutually separate free-moving, i.e. not rail-mounted, conveyor units. Of the at least two conveyor units, a first conveyor unit is assigned a superordinate status and a second conveyor unit is assigned a subordinate status. The second conveyor unit therefore follows the first conveyor unit. To this end, the second conveyor unit detects a shift in the mutual relative position of the two conveyor units with the aid of a sensor and modifies its driving parameters depending on the shift in position detected by the sensor.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A control process for controlling a conveyor system, comprising
the steps of:
a) providing laden and unladen load carriers,
b) providing a conveyor system which comprises a first free-moving conveyor unit and a second free-moving conveyor unit separated from each other, wherein each free-moving conveyor unit comprises
a chassis configured to move on floor rollers,
a supporting element which is carried along by the chassis and is configured to be lifted or lowered in relation to the chassis in such a way that, in an empty configuration, the conveyor unit can move under one of the load carriers and, in a conveying configuration, the conveyor unit can carry one of the load carriers by means of the supporting element;
a drive system which is configured to drive at least one of the floor rollers and the supporting element, and
a control device, to which a central control assigns a route, and which determines, on the basis of the route, driving parameters which are used to control the drive system,

wherein the first free-moving conveyor unit and the second free-moving conveyer unit together form, when they are in a conveying state and are arranged so that their longitudinal axes extend parallel to each other, a conveyor device that is configured to carry a load carrier; and
c) at least when the load carrier is unladen and the first and second free-moving conveyor units are in the conveying configuration:
assigning a superordinate status to the first free-moving conveyor unit,
assigning a subordinate status to the second free-moving conveyor unit in such a way that the second free-moving conveyor unit follows the first free-moving conveyor unit, and
detecting a shift in the mutual relative position of the first free-moving conveyor unit and the second free-moving conveyor unit with the aid of a sensor, and
modifying driving parameters, which are used to control the second free-moving conveyor unit, depending on the shift in the relative position which is detected by the sensor.

2. The control process of claim 1 , wherein the first and second free-moving conveyor units approach a load carrier to be transported individually and independently of one another so long as they do not carry a load carrier together.

3. The control process of claim 1 , wherein the sensor is arranged along a longitudinal side of the second free-moving conveyor unit, and wherein the second free-moving conveyor unit is aligned in such a way that the sensor faces the first free-moving conveyor unit.

4. The control process of claim 1 , wherein, when driving in a diagonal direction with respect to a longitudinal axis of the conveyor device, axes of all floor rollers of the first free-moving conveyor unit and the second free-moving conveyor unit are parallel.

5. The control process of claim 1 , wherein, when driving in a direction which is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the conveyor device, axes of all floor rollers of the first free-moving conveyor unit are coaxial, and axes of all floor rollers of the second free-moving conveyor unit are coaxial.

6. The control process of claim 1 , wherein in the event of a failure of a conveyor unit the conveyor device is dismantled and is re-formed with a newly added conveyor unit.

7. A conveyor system for conveying objects comprising:
at least a first free-moving conveyor unit and a second free-moving conveyor unit which is separate from the first free-moving conveyor unit, wherein each free-moving conveyor unit comprises
a) a chassis configured to move on floor rollers,
b) a supporting element which is carried along by the chassis and is configured to be lifted or lowered in relation to the chassis in such a way that, in an empty configuration, the free-moving conveyor unit can move under a load carrier and, in a conveying configuration, the free-moving conveyor unit can carry a load carrier on the supporting element;
c) a drive system which is configured to drive at least one of the floor rollers and the supporting element, and
d) a control device which is configured determine, on the basis of a route assigned from a central control, driving parameters used to control the drive system,
wherein the second free-moving conveyor unit comprises a sensor configured to detect a shift in a mutual relative position of the first free-moving conveyor unit and the second free-moving conveyor unit, and
further wherein the second free-moving conveyor unit is configured to modify the driving parameters determined by its control device depending on the shift in the relative position detected by the sensor.

Assignees

• Eisenmann Se

Inventors

• Schulze Herbert
• Vetter Svenja

Classifications

• B62B3/0612

  power operated · CPC title

• B62B5/0093

  Flat dollys without hand moving equipment · CPC title

• B62B5/0033

  Electric motors · CPC title

• B62B5/0083

  Wheeled supports connected to the transported object · CPC title

• G05B19/41835 Primary

  characterised by program execution · CPC title