Transport device having transport rake and counter rake

Abstract

A transport device to transport items that includes a transport rake having at least one tine, and a counter rake having at least one tine. The counter rake is adjustable relative to the transport rake in a transport direction, clamping an item to be transported between the at least one tine of the transport rake and the at least one tine of the counter rake. At least one of the transport rake or counter rake connects to a transport element. The transport element is moveable linearly in the transport direction. The transport device further includes a drive system comprising a corresponding drive element that is not connected to the transport element.

Claims

1. A transport device for an item to be transported, the device comprising: a transport rake having at least one tine; and a counter rake having at least one tine, the counter rake being adjustable relative to the transport rake in a transport direction in order to clamp an item to be transported between the at least one tine of the transport rake and the at least one tine of the counter rake, wherein at least either the transport rake or the counter rake is connected to a movable transport element that is suitable for a purely linear movement in or against the transport direction, a drive element being provided by means of which the transport element can be moved in a purely linear manner in or against the transport direction, and wherein (a) the transport element and (b) the transport rake or the counter rake are interconnected via at least one, articulated rod which is rotatably fastened in an articulated manner both (1) to the transport element and (2) to the transport rake or the counter rake so as to have an axis of rotation perpendicular to the transport direction.

2. The transport device for an item to be transported according to claim 1, wherein at least either the transport rake or the counter rake is connected to two transport elements that are suitable for a purely linear movement in or against the transport direction and are movable relative to one another, a drive system being provided by means of which the transport elements can be moved in a purely linear manner in or against the transport direction.

3. The transport device for an item to be transported according to claim 1, wherein the transport rake or the counter rake is connected to at least two transport elements, said transport elements being movable relative to one another.

4. The transport device for an item to be transported according to claim 1, wherein the transport rake and the counter rake are interconnected with a possibility of a movement relative to one another.

5. The transport device for an item to be transported according to claim 1, wherein both the transport rake and the counter rake are connected to at least one of the transport elements, each connected to at least two of the transport elements.

6. The transport device for an item to be transported according to claim 5, wherein transport elements of the transport rake and the counter rake are movable in the transport direction on paths that extend so as to be offset in parallel.

7. The transport device for an item to be transported according to claim 5, wherein the transport rake and the counter rake are not interconnected.

8. The transport device for an item to be transported according to claim 7, wherein the transport rake and the counter rake are movable in the transport direction independently of one another.

9. The transport device for an item to be transported according to claim 1, wherein the tines have an elongate support rod portion and a receiving region in which the tines taper in a direction orthogonal to an elongate direction of extension.

10. The transport device for an item to be transported according to claim 1, wherein the transport rake or the counter rake comprises a support rod that extends in parallel with the transport direction, from which support rod the tines extend orthogonally to the transport direction.

11. A transport device for an item to be transported, the device comprising: a transport rake having at least one tine; and a counter rake having at least one tine, the counter rake being adjustable relative to the transport rake in a transport direction in order to clamp an item to be transported between the at least one tine of the transport rake and the at least one tine of the counter rake, wherein at least either the transport rake or the counter rake is connected to a movable transport element that is suitable for a purely linear movement in or against the transport direction, a drive element being provided by means of which the transport element can be moved in a purely linear manner in or against the transport direction, and wherein a drive system comprises a drive element to which the transport element is not connected and to which the transport element is coupled or by which the transport element is driven only by means of contactless remote forces.

12. The transport device for an item to be transported according to claim 1, wherein a drive system comprises a linear drive.

13. A system, comprising: a transport device comprising: a transport rake having at least one tine; and a counter rake having at least one tine, the counter rake being adjustable relative to the transport rake in the transport direction in order to clamp an item to be transported between the at least one tine of the transport rake and the at least one tine of the counter rake, wherein at least either the transport rake or the counter rake is connected to a movable transport element that is suitable for a purely linear movement in or against a transport direction, a drive element being provided by means of which the transport element can be moved in a purely linear manner in or against the transport direction; a clean room, wherein the transport rake, the counter rake and the transport element are arranged inside the clean room; and wherein a drive system comprises a drive element to which the transport element is not connected and to which the transport element is coupled or by which the transport element is driven only by means of contactless remote forces, and wherein the drive element of the transport device is arranged outside the clean room.

14. The system according to claim 13, further comprising a plurality of the transport devices.

15. A method for operating a transport device, wherein the transport device comprises: a transport rake having at least one tine; and a counter rake having at least one tine, the counter rake being adjustable relative to the transport rake in a transport direction in order to clamp an item to be transported between the at least one tine of the transport rake and the at least one tine of the counter rake, wherein at least either the transport rake or the counter rake is connected to a movable transport element that is suitable for a purely linear movement in or against the transport direction, a drive element by which the transport element can be moved in a purely linear manner in or against the transport direction, wherein at least either the transport rake or the counter rake is connected to two movable transport elements that are suitable for a purely linear movement in or against the transport direction, in order to move at least one object or one item to be transported that is on a transport surface wherein for transporting the item to be transported, between approaching the item to be transported and releasing the item to be transported, the two transport elements of the transport rake or of the counter rake move both synchronously and relative to one another or in at least one step, the transport elements of the transport rake or of the counter rake move synchronously in or against the transport direction and, in at least one step, the transport elements of the transport rake or of the counter rake move relative to one another.

16. The method according to claim 15, comprising one or more of the following steps: a) moving the two transport elements of the transport rake or of the counter rake synchronously or in parallel until the tines are adjacent to the item to be transported or in a region between (i) the item to be transported and (ii) the transport rake or the counter rake or the transport elements; b) moving the two transport elements of the transport rake or of the counter rake relative to one another until the tines are at a distance from the transport elements which corresponds to the distance between the item to be transported and the transport elements; c) moving the two transport elements of the transport rake or of the counter rake relative to one another until the tines clamp the item to be transported; d) moving the two transport elements of the transport rake or of the counter rake relative to one another until the distance from the item to be transported or the tines to the transport elements reaches a desired value; e) moving the two transport elements of the transport rake or of the counter rake synchronously or in parallel until the tines are adjacent to a placement surface or a region of the transport surface on which the item to be transported is to be placed, or to a transfer station or work station at or in which the item to be transported is to be transferred or processed or placed, or to a transfer region in which the item to be transported is to be transferred or processed or placed; f) moving the two transport elements of the transport rake or of the counter rake relative to one another until the item to be transported is adjacent to or above the placement surface, the region of the transport surface, the transfer station and/or work station and/or the transfer region; g) moving the two transport elements of the transport rake or of the counter rake relative to one another until the item to be transported is released; and h) moving the two transport elements of the transport rake or of the counter rake relative to one another until the tines are close enough to the transport elements to avoid a collision with the item to be transported or other elements.

17. The method according to claim 16, further comprising after step h), repeating step a) with respect to a further item to be transported, wherein the steps are applied simultaneously to a plurality of items to be transported in order to move a plurality of items to be transported simultaneously.

18. The method according to claim 15, wherein the transport surface is spaced, orthogonally to the transport direction, from a region to which the transport elements can be moved.

Description

(1) A preferred embodiment of the invention is explained with reference to the following drawings. All of the movement processes explained in this connection can be part of the method according to the invention in each case individually, but preferably in combination.

(2) FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of a transport rake having associated transport elements for a transport device according to the invention.

(3) FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view of the associated counter rake having transport elements.

(4) FIG. 3a to 3c are schematic plan views of a transport device according to the invention in the process of gripping/clamping a container.

(5) FIG. 4 is a schematic plan view of a transport device according to the invention having another variant of the drive system.

(6) A transport device according to the invention comprises a transport rake 20a and a counter rake 20b. The transport rake 20a shown in FIG. 1 is designed for transport in a direction along or parallel to the elongate support rod 24a of the transport rake 20a.

(7) From said transport rake, the tines 22a extend transversely to the transport direction. The tines 22a have an elongate support rod portion 27a in which a receiving region 28a is formed. This receiving region 28a is preferably tapered in a direction perpendicular to the image plane in FIG. 1. This creates an inclined surface by means of which the receiving region 28a can press a corresponding object slightly upward when acting thereon.

(8) In the embodiment of the invention having a support rod 24b that extends in parallel with the transport direction, and tines 22b having an elongate support rod portion 27b and a receiving region 28b therein, the counter rake 20b is constructed substantially identically to the transport rake 20a, apart from the different orientation of the receiving region 28b. However, a different construction is also possible, as long as corresponding tines of the counter rake can interact with the tines of the transport rake for clamping an object or an item to be transported.

(9) In the present embodiment, both the transport rake 20a and the counter rake 20b are each connected to two transport elements 10 which are movable linearly in the transport direction. The transport elements 10 comprise a magnetic device 12 and rollers 14. By means of the rollers 14, the transport elements 10 preferably travel on a planar surface or wall, drive elements being arranged on the other side of the wall, which drive elements also have magnetic devices, whereby the drive elements are coupled via their magnetic devices to the magnetic devices 12 of the transport elements 10 and thus a movement of the drive elements leads to a movement of the transport elements 10.

(10) The transport elements 10 are rotatably articulated to the articulated rods 18, which in turn are rotatably articulated to the connecting piece 16. These connecting pieces 16 are in turn connected to the relevant support rod 24a or 24b that extends in parallel with the transport direction. In this case, the connecting pieces 16 that are connected to the transport rake 20a are attached to the top of the support rods 24a, while the connecting pieces 16 that are connected to the counter rake 20b are attached to the bottom of the corresponding support rod 24b.

(11) As a result, there is nothing below the support rod 24a in the case of the transport rake 20a and nothing above the support rod 24b in the case of the counter rake 20b. As a result, the support rods 24a and 24b can be arranged one above the other at a short distance from one another such that the tines 22a and 22b are almost at the same height. Alternatively, a vertical offset can also be provided in the tines 22a and 22b and/or in the region of the elongate support rod portions 27a and 27b such that the receiving regions 28a and 28b are completely at the same height.

(12) An arrangement having support rods 24a, 24b one above the other is shown in FIG. 3a, in which the support rod 24b of the counter rake 20a is largely covered by the support rod 24a of the transport rake 20a in plan view. The transport elements 10 of the transport rake 20a and of the counter rake 20b are arranged alternately such that the transport rake 20a and the counter rake 20b cannot simply be separated by movements of the transport elements 10, at least if the transport elements 10 are on the same path and do not move on paths that extend so as to be offset in parallel. The tines 22a and 22b are then preferably also designed, for example having offset pieces, such that they are at the same height.

(13) In the embodiment, the transport elements 10 travel on the wall 60, which is, for example, an outer wall of a clean room, such that the transport rake 20a and the counter rake 20b are located inside a clean room, while the drive elements 50, which likewise belong to the embodiment of the transport device according to the invention, travel or move on the outside of the wall 60 and thus outside the clean room.

(14) The drive elements 50 have a motor 52 which drives the rollers or wheels 54. Due to the coupling of the drive elements 50 by means of the magnetic devices 56 to the magnetic devices 12 of the transport elements 10, the movements of the drive elements 50 are transmitted to the transport elements 10.

(15) The drive elements 50 also have a controller (not shown) and batteries, rechargeable batteries or similar energy storage devices. By means of these programmable and/or remotely controllable controllers, the drive elements 50, which are actually movable independently of one another, are moved in a coordinated manner in order to bring about desired movements of the transport elements 10 and thus of the transport rake 20a and the counter rake 20b.

(16) The magnetic devices 12 and 56 can in this case be designed in particular in the form of Hallbach arrays, as is described, for example, in the application DE 10 2018 211 839.6.

(17) In FIG. 3a, the drive elements 50 are positioned such that the tines 22a and 22b of the transport rake 20a and of the counter rake 20b, respectively, are far apart from one another and such that the support rods 24a and 24b are relatively close to the transport elements 10. As can be seen, in the state in FIG. 3a, the transport device as a whole could be shifted to the left or right by moving the drive elements 50 simultaneously, without a tine 22a or 22b colliding with the object 50. The object or item to be transported 70 is, for example, a container, the outer circle representing the base surface, while the inner circle represents the opening that is further up and approximately at the height of the tines 22a, 22b or slightly above.

(18) In order to clamp the item to be transported 70, the two left-hand drive elements 50 now substantially remain in their position, while the two right-hand drive elements 50 are moved a little to the right in relation to FIGS. 3a and 3b.

(19) Since the distance between the two transport elements 10 of each of the transport rake 20a and the counter rake 20b thus changes, the angular position of the articulated rods 18 which connect the transport element 10 to the connecting piece 16 changes.

(20) As a result, the support rods 24a and 24b of the transport rake 20a and the counter rake 20b, respectively, which rods extend in parallel with the transport direction, move away from the transport elements 10, whereby the tines 22a and 22b slide laterally past the item to be transported 70. In this case, the tines 22a, 22b do not necessarily have to be previously arranged so as to be offset from the item to be transported 70, as shown in FIG. 3a, but by appropriately coordinating the movement of the left-hand and right-hand transport elements 10, the tines 22a, 22b can also be moved directly vertically downward in relation to FIGS. 3a and 3b.

(21) In order to clamp the item to be transported 70, the left-hand transport elements 10 and right-hand transport elements 10 of the transport rake 20a and the counter rake 20b are moved toward one another in each case. Since the distance between the two transport elements 10 of each of the transport rake 20a and the counter rake 20b now remains constant, the support rods 24a and 24b that extend in parallel with the transport direction remain at the same distance from the transport elements 10. Only the tines 22a, 22b are thus displaced, specifically the distance between said tines becomes smaller in accordance with the reduction in distance between the transport elements 10 of the transport rake 20a and of the counter rake 20b from one another. As shown in FIG. 3c, the item to be transported 70 is thus clamped.

(22) If the receiving regions 28a, 28b are designed in terms of the shape, for example as recesses having a corresponding tapered portion and so as to match the shape of the item to be transported 70, when the item to be transported 70 is clamped the item to be transported 70 is simultaneously slightly lifted. The item to be transported 70 can thus be moved without grinding on the surface on which it previously stood.

(23) In particular, following the situation in FIG. 3c, it would be possible, by moving the left-hand and right-hand transport elements 10 of the transport rake 20a and the counter rake 20b relative to one another in each case, in approximately the reverse of the movement from FIG. 3a to FIG. 3b, to move the support rods 24a and 24b closer to the transport elements 10 again when the item to be transported 70 is further clamped.

(24) The now clamped item to be transported 70 could then be transported past a further item to be transported, which is as remote from the transport elements as the item to be transported 70 in FIG. 3a. This makes it possible to implement flexible timing and a flexible supply of an item to be transported 70 to different processing stations in the transport direction.

(25) This is possible, for example, if there is a bead on the item to be transported 70 just below the opening, and the maximally projecting region of the receiving regions 28a, 28b engages just below the bead. Then, due to the clamping action, the item to be transported 70 is shifted slightly upward along the region of the receiving regions 28a, 28b which tapers upward.

(26) As shown in FIGS. 3a to 3c, the transport system according to the invention allows the operation of the transport rake 20a and the counter rake 20b and the clamping of the item to be transported 70 by suitable parallel and relative movements of the drive elements 50 on the outside of a clean room, which drive elements can in principle each be controlled separately.

(27) Any complicated drive device or drive mechanism or even only a complicated mechanism inside the clean room are also avoided, since the only mechanism inside the clean room are the rollers 14 and their axles or the like as well as the articulated rods 18 and their hinged connection to the transport elements 10 or to the connecting pieces 60. Possible connecting elements between the transport rake 20a and the counter rake 20b, for example rollers and a running surface. Each of these elements is relatively low-maintenance and durable.

(28) In contrast, the relatively maintenance-intensive motors of the drive elements 50 are easily accessible; in particular, a defective drive element 50 can also be removed directly by overcoming the magnetic attraction forces between the magnetic devices 12 and 56 and replaced by a similar drive element 50.

(29) This means that maintenance, replacement and repair can be carried out even during operation while a large batch of objects is being filled in a clean room. This is because the transport rake and the counter rake only have to be stopped for as long as it takes to replace a drive element 50 and for the electronic integration into the coordinated controller for the new drive element 50. This period of time can be less than a minute. An automatic device for replacing corresponding drive elements can possibly also be provided on the outside of the clean room.

(30) However, a transport device according to the invention does not necessarily have to be operated using the drive elements 50 shown. In principle, any type of drive element or drive system is conceivable that allows corresponding independent actuation of the transport elements 10 in order to generate the various movement sequences; in particular all drive methods and drive elements disclosed in the application DE 10 2018 211 839.6 are conceivable for this.

(31) An example of another drive system is shown in FIG. 4, in which the drive system is or comprises a linear drive, the transport elements 10 running on a rail 58 which contains a corresponding magnetic drive 59.