METHOD FOR EMPTYING THE POCKETS OF A TRANSPORT DEVICE IN THE FORM OF A SUSPENSION CONVEYOR, AND DEVICE FOR CARRYING OUT SAID METHOD

Abstract

A method for emptying the pockets of a transport device in the form of a suspension conveyor, the transport device including one or more trolleys which are movably mounted on a trolley track and on each of which a pocket hanging downwards for receiving goods is arranged, the pocket formed by at least one flexible material web that is planar when open and that is fastened at both ends to the trolley, forming a loop hanging downwards. The material web is releasably fastened by at least one end to the trolley. The method includes: advancing a closed pocket, opening the pocket by releasing the fastening of the at least one end of the material web to the trolley, emptying the goods from the opened pocket, closing the pocket by fastening the at least one end of the material web to the trolley, and transporting away the emptied and closed pocket.

Claims

1. A method for emptying the pockets (20) of a transport device (10) in the form of a suspension conveyor comprising: movably mounting one or more carriages (11) on a running rail (15) in the running rail direction; arranging a downwardly hanging pocket (20) on each of the one or more carriages (11) for receiving transported goods (28), wherein the pocket (20) is formed by at least one flexible material web (18) which is planar in the an open state and which is fastened at both ends to the carriage (11), forming a downwardly hanging carrying loop and/or transport loop; and releasably fastening the material web (18) to the carriage (11) on at least one end (16) of the material web (18), by the steps: (a) advancing a pocket (20) in a closed state, (b) opening the pocket (20) by releasing the fastening of the at least one end (16) of the material web (18) to the carriage (11), (c) emptying the transported goods (28) from an opened pocket (20), (d) closing the pocket (20) by fastening the at least one end (16) of the material web (18) to the carriage (11), and (e) moving away an emptied and closed pocket (20).

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the advancing of the pocket (20) takes place via the same running rail (15) as the moving-away of the emptied and closed pocket (20).

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the at least one end (16) of the material web (18) is releasably configured on the carriage (11) by hooking up the one end (16), in that the pocket (20) to be emptied is stopped at an emptying device (30) arranged on the running rail (15), in that in step (b) the at least one end (16) of the material web (18) is unhooked and in that in step (d) the at least one end (16) of the material web (18) is hooked up again.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein after unhooking the material web (18), an unhooked part of the material web (18) is fixed to a suction surface (25a) by of a vacuum and for emptying the pocket (20) the fixed material web is pivoted with the suction surface (25a) about a pivot axis (25c) sufficiently far into a downwardly oriented oblique position that the transported goods (28) located in the pocket slip down out of the pocket.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein a grip element (29) is arranged on at least one end (16) of the material web (18) and in that for unhooking and/or hooking up the material web (18) an unhooking and hooking-up mechanism (25d) arranged on the suction surface (25a) grips and lifts and/or lowers the at least one end (16) of the material web (18) on the grip element (29).

6. The method according to claim 4, wherein the transported goods (28) slipping out of the pocket (20) are conveyed via a slide (26) to a transport device (27, 27a) and transported away by means of the transport device (27, 27a).

7. A device for carrying out the method according to claim 1, in the form of an emptying device (30) comprising a first device (25d) for automatically opening and closing the pocket (20), as well as a second device (25) for folding out the opened pocket (20).

8. The device according to claim 7, wherein the first device comprises an unhooking and hooking-up mechanism (25d), which comprises an engagement element (25e) which is movable in the vertical direction and which is able to be brought into engagement with a grip element (29) attached to the pocket (20).

9. The device according to claim 8, wherein the second device (25) comprises a suction surface (25a) for the unhooked material web (18) supplied with a vacuum via a vacuum connection (25b), which suction surface (25a) is arranged so as to be pivotable about a pivot axis (25c) in a frame (24) below the running rail (15).

10. The device according to claim 9, wherein a slide (26) which at the upper end adjoins the downwardly pivoted suction surface (25a) is provided.

11. The device according to claim 10, wherein the slide (26) with its lower end adjoins a transport device (27) for transporting away the emptied transported goods (28).

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

[0025] The invention is intended to be described in more detail hereinafter with reference to exemplary embodiments, in combination with the drawings, in which:

[0026] FIG. 1 shows in a side view an example of a transport device suitable for the present invention with a running rail, carriage and a material web, which is able to be hooked up to form a pocket, in the unhooked state;

[0027] FIG. 2 shows in a side view the device of FIG. 1 with a hooked-up material web forming a pocket and transported goods transported therein;

[0028] FIG. 3 shows in a side view a further example of a transport device suitable for the present invention with a running rail, carriage and a material web, which is able to be hooked up to form a pocket, in the hooked-up state;

[0029] FIG. 4 shows the device of FIG. 3 viewed in the direction of travel; and

[0030] FIG. 5A shows a step of an exemplary embodiment according to the invention when emptying pockets on a running rail, of the type shown in FIGS. 3 and 4;

[0031] FIG. 5B shows another step of an exemplary embodiment according to the invention when emptying pockets on a running rail, of the type shown in FIGS. 3 and 4;

[0032] FIG. 5C shows another step of an exemplary embodiment according to the invention when emptying pockets on a running rail, of the type shown in FIGS. 3 and 4;

[0033] FIG. 5D shows another step of an exemplary embodiment according to the invention when emptying pockets on a running rail, of the type shown in FIGS. 3 and 4;

[0034] FIG. 5E shows another step of an exemplary embodiment according to the invention when emptying pockets on a running rail, of the type shown in FIGS. 3 and 4;

[0035] FIG. 5F shows another step of an exemplary embodiment according to the invention when emptying pockets on a running rail, of the type shown in FIGS. 3 and 4;

[0036] FIG. 5G shows another step of an exemplary embodiment according to the invention when emptying pockets on a running rail, of the type shown in FIGS. 3 and 4; and

[0037] FIG. 5H shows another step of an exemplary embodiment according to the invention when emptying pockets on a running rail, of the type shown in FIGS. 3 and 4.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0038] The transport device 10′ of FIGS. 1 and 2 comprises a running rail 15 extending in a direction of conveyance (arrow in FIG. 1) and extending horizontally in the example of FIG. 1, said running rail in the example shown being produced from a metal strip bent repeatedly in a symmetrical manner relative to a vertical central plane and comprising two opposing support rails and a guide rail configured in the bottom in the center having a rectangular profile. A carriage 11, which is suspended on the running rail 15, is movably guided in the direction of the rail. The carriage 11 has a U-shaped carriage body 12 (see FIG. 4) which on both arms in each case bears a pair of supporting rollers 21a and 21b and in the lower region bears guiding rollers 21c by which it engages in the running rail 15 laterally and from below.

[0039] Between the lateral roller pairs 21a and 21b, in each case a drive element 22a and 22b protruding outwardly to the side is attached to the carriage body 12, said drive element being able to bring the carriage, if required, into engagement with a drive device, a braking device, a switching device or the like. Protruding vertically downwardly from the lower base of the U-shaped carriage body 12 is a pair of fastening elements 14 and/or 14a, b (FIG. 4) spaced apart transversely to the rail direction and a pair of support elements 13 arranged to the rear thereof in the direction of travel.

[0040] The two rod-shaped fastening elements 14 and/or 14a, b are fixedly connected at the lower end to a first transverse rod 17 extending horizontally and transversely and symmetrically to the rail direction. The supporting elements 13 with the associated hook 13a receive a second transverse rod 16 which is arranged parallel to the first transverse rod 17 and which, as it were, may be “hooked into” the hook 13a and removed again or unhooked.

[0041] Each of the two transverse rods 16 and 17 is placed in an associated stitched loop of the pocket 20 configured at the end of a rectangular material web 18 which has a predetermined width and length. In the unhooked state (FIG. 1) the material web 18 is only suspended on the carriage 11 via the transverse rod 17 and vertically downwardly with the free transverse rod 16 and thus has the shape of a planar web. In the hooked-up state (FIG. 2) in which the transverse rod 16 is suspended in the hook-shaped supporting elements 13, the material web 18 forms a carrying loop or transport loop and/or pocket 20 which is open to the side, transported goods 19 to be conveyed, for example a packet, small package or the like, being able to be inserted therein.

[0042] The exemplary embodiment of FIGS. 3 and 4 which shows a transport device 10 differs from the exemplary embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2 (transport device 10′) in that the hook-shaped supporting elements 13 attached to the carriage body 12 are entirely dispensed with and instead hooks 23 and/or 23a, b are attached to the outer ends of the transverse rod 17 for receiving the transverse rod 16.

[0043] Proceeding from this exemplary embodiment of a transport device, the present invention is intended to be described in more detail hereinafter by the exemplary embodiment of an emptying device. FIGS. 5A-H in this case show different chronological images of an animation which reproduces an emptying process using this emptying device schematically and in a highly simplified manner.

[0044] The emptying device 30 is attached in a frame 24 below the (continuous) running rail 15 (FIG. 5A). The emptying device 30 comprises a folding-out device 25 which in turn comprises a suction surface 25a (which is, for example, plate-shaped) which is pivotably mounted about a pivot axis in the frame 24 and which is supplied with the required vacuum via a vacuum connection 25b on the rear face. The suction surface 25a in the resting state is oriented vertically so that a pocket 20 advanced with its carriage 11 on the running rail 15 moves toward the suction surface 25a and is stopped (FIG. 5A). A grip element 29 arranged on the side of the pocket 20 which is able to be unhooked may in this position be gripped and lifted by the vertically movable engagement element 25e of an unhooking and hooking-up mechanism 25d arranged on the rear face of the suction surface 25a, in order to unhook the releasable side of the pocket.

[0045] If this side is unhooked, the part of the material web 18 suspended therewith is fixed by a vacuum on the suction surface 25a and the suction surface 25a with the fixed material web is pivoted outwardly and downwardly (FIG. 5B), whereby the pocket 20 is opened a small distance.

[0046] By pivoting the suction surface 25a well beyond 90° (FIG. 5C) the suction surface facing obliquely downwardly in an end position comes to bear against the upper end of an obliquely downwardly guided slide 26, so that a packet 28 or the like located in the pocket 20 slips out of the pocket 20 due to gravity and downwardly via the slide 26 (FIG. 5D).

[0047] The lower end of the slide 26 adjoins a horizontal transport device 27 which, for example, transports the packet 28 further by means of a driven transport belt 27a (FIG. 5E).

[0048] At the same time, the suction surface 25a of the folding-out device 25 with the suctioned part of the material web 18 again pivots back into the initial position (FIG. 5F) in which the unhooked end of the pocket 20 is able to be hooked up again by means of the unhooking and hooking-up mechanism. The vacuum is then removed by a pressure equalization.

[0049] Once this has occurred, the suction surface of the folding-out device 25 is pivoted again (FIG. 5G) but only sufficiently far that the pocket 20 which is closed again is able to be securely transported away from the folding-out device 25 on the running rail 15 (FIG. 5G).

[0050] Lastly, the folding-out device 25 may be folded back again into its initial position (FIG. 5H) and thus is ready for a new emptying process.