STOP MODULE

Abstract

A stop module for stopping an object, which is moved on a transport section with a defined transport direction, comprises a stop element, which can be moved into a transport plane to stop an object, and can be moved out of the transport plane to release the object. The stop module further comprises a fluidic damping device, which is configured to move the stop element in a damped manner from an initial position of the damping device into an end position of the damping device in a working movement during the stopping of the object, wherein the damping device comprises a first piston-cylinder arrangement having a damping piston movable within a damping cylinder. The stop module further comprises a fluidically operated actuator, which is configured to move the stop element optionally into the transport plane in an extension movement or out of the transport plane in a retraction movement, wherein the actuator comprises a second piston-cylinder arrangement having an actuating piston movable within an actuating cylinder. Still further, the stop module comprises a resetting device, which has a pressure line opening into the damping cylinder in order, with the aid of a pressurized fluid passed through said pressure line, to move the damping device back from the end position into the initial position. A duct-like passage opening, which forms a first subsection of the pressure line, is provided in the interior of the actuating piston.

Claims

1. A stop module for stopping an object, which is moved on a transport section with a defined transport direction, comprising: a stop element, which is configured to be moved into a transport plane to stop an object, and configured to be moved out of the transport plane to release the object; a fluidic damping device, which is configured to move the stop element in a damped manner from an initial position of the damping device into an end position of the damping device in a working movement during the stopping of the object, wherein the damping device comprises a first piston-cylinder arrangement having a damping piston which is movable within a damping cylinder; a fluidically operated actuator, which is configured to move the stop element into the transport plane in an extension movement and out of the transport plane in a retraction movement, wherein the actuator comprises a second piston-cylinder arrangement having an actuating piston which is movable within an actuating cylinder; and a resetting device, which comprises a pressure line opening into the damping cylinder and is configured to move the damping device back from the end position into the initial position in a resetting movement by means of a pressurized fluid that is passed through said pressure line; wherein a duct-like passage opening, which forms a first subsection of the pressure line, is provided in an interior of the actuating piston.

2. The stop module as claimed in claim 1, wherein the stop module comprises a main housing, in which the second piston-cylinder arrangement is arranged, and a guide housing, in which the first piston-cylinder arrangement, which is connected to the stop member, is arranged, wherein the guide housing is mounted movably in the main housing, and wherein the actuating piston acts on the guide housing so as to move the guide housing relative to the main housing to perform the extension movement and the retraction movement of the stop member, respectively.

3. The stop module as claimed in claim 2, wherein the guide housing is pivotably connected to the main housing via a pivot.

4. The stop module as claimed in claim 3, wherein the guide housing is furthermore connected to the main housing via a spring element, which counteracts the actuating piston.

5. The stop module as claimed in claim 2, wherein a second subsection of the pressure line runs within the guide housing, wherein the first subsection of the pressure line opens into the second subsection of the pressure line in a contact region in which the actuating piston contacts the guide housing.

6. The stop module as claimed in claim 5, wherein the actuating piston is convexly or concavely curved in the contact region, and the guide housing has a convex or concave shape complementary thereto in the contact region, and wherein the actuating piston and the guide housing are connected to one another in an articulated manner in the contact region.

7. The stop module as claimed in claim 6, wherein the actuating piston is at least partially spherical in the contact region.

8. The stop module as claimed in claim 5, wherein a seal element for sealing a transport point between the first and the second subsection of the pressure line is arranged in the contact region, said seal element being secured on the actuating piston.

9. The stop module as claimed in claim 5, wherein a first end of the duct-like passage opening opens into the actuating cylinder, and a second end of the duct-like passage opening opens into the second subsection of the pressure line in the contact region, and wherein the actuating cylinder has an inlet opening, which is connected fluidically to the first end of the duct-like passage opening via the actuating cylinder.

10. The stop module as claimed in claim 5, wherein a first end of the second subsection of the pressure line opens into the first subsection of the pressure line in the contact region, and wherein a second end of the second subsection of the pressure line opens into the damping cylinder.

11. The stop module as claimed in claim 10, wherein a first restriction device, which restricts the air flow within the pressure line, is arranged between the first and the second end of the second subsection of the pressure line.

12. The stop module as claimed in claim 11, wherein the first restriction device comprises an adjusting element for adjusting the damping force of the damping device.

13. The stop module as claimed in claim 1, wherein a travel of the actuating piston during the retraction movement of the stop member is shorter than a travel of the damping piston from the end position back into the initial position.

14. The stop module as claimed in claim 11, further comprising a second restriction device, which is arranged at a fluid inlet connected to the actuating cylinder, wherein a flow resistance of the first restriction device is greater than a flow resistance of the second restriction device.

15. The stop module as claimed in claim 1, wherein the actuating piston is an injection molded plastic part, and the guide housing and the main housing are each manufactured from an extruded profile.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0040] FIG. 1 shows a simplified illustration of a production system having a transport section on which a plurality of stop modules can be employed;

[0041] FIG. 2 shows a perspective illustration of one illustrative embodiment of the herein presented stop module;

[0042] FIG. 3 shows a sectional view of the illustrative embodiment of the stop module shown in FIG. 2 in a first position;

[0043] FIG. 4 shows a sectional view of the illustrative embodiment of the stop module shown in FIG. 2 in a second position; and

[0044] FIG. 5 shows a sectional view of the illustrative embodiment of the stop module shown in FIG. 2 in a third position.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0045] In FIG. 1, a system in which a plurality of stop modules is employed is denoted overall by the reference number 10.

[0046] The system 10 contains a transport section 12 and a number of processing stations 14, at which objects, generally in the form of workpieces 16, are processed in succession. By way of example, it can be a system for packing and labeling foodstuffs. However, the use of the stop module according to the disclosure is not restricted to this example. On the contrary, the stop module according to the disclosure can be used in any type of system which contains a transport section for conveying single items if the single items are to be selectively stopped at defined positions on the transport section.

[0047] In the case illustrated, the transport section 12 has two parallel tracks 18, on which a conveyor belt, a chain, a roller belt or the like revolves in the direction of the arrow 19. The arrow 19 illustrated in FIG. 1 indicates the transport direction of the transport section 12. As an alternative, the transport section 12 could have transverse rollers, for example.

[0048] Here, workpiece carriers 20 are placed on the transport section 12 transversely to the two tracks 18. Each workpiece carrier 20 carries a workpiece 16 and conveys the latter on the tracks 18 in the transport direction 19.

[0049] Here, four crossmembers 22, on each of which a stop module 24 is secured, are arranged between the two tracks 18. Each stop module 24 has a main housing 26 and a stop member 28, which can be moved relative to the main housing 26. An illustrative embodiment of the stop module 24 according to the disclosure is illustrated in perspective in FIG. 2.

[0050] As explained in greater detail below with reference to the other figures, the stop member 28 can be moved into the transport section 12 during an extension movement and moved out of said transport section in a retraction movement. If the stop member 28 is in its lower working position (see FIG. 5, for example), the stop module 24 frees the transport section 12, allowing the workpiece carrier 20 to slide over the stop module 24 on the two tracks 18. If, on the other hand, the stop member 28 is in its upper working position (see FIGS. 3 and 4 for example), in which it projects into the transport section 12, it hinders the conveyance of the workpiece carrier 20 on the transport section 12, with the result that the workpiece carrier 20 is held fast or braked at a defined position. In this case, the conveyor belt, the chain, the roller belt or the like can continue on below the stopped workpiece carrier 20, i.e. the workpiece carrier 20 is held against the movement of the transport section 12. As soon as the stop member 28 is lowered again, i.e. is retracted from the transport section, the corresponding workpiece carrier 20 is conveyed onward.

[0051] With the aid of the four stop modules 24a-24d illustrated in the case of FIG. 1, it is thus possible to stop the workpieces 16 which are being conveyed in succession on the transport section 12 in a precise position at processing stations 14a-14c. In FIG. 1, the workpiece carrier 20 has run past the stop module 24a with the workpiece 16a, for example, and is now held fast by the second stop module 24b at the defined position for processing station 14a. After the release of the workpiece carrier 20 with workpiece 16a, the stop member 28 of the first stop module 24a has been moved back up into the transport section 12 in order to stop the next workpiece carrier 20 with workpiece 16b. Thus, the stop modules 24a-24d arranged in series with one another ensure the positioning of the workpieces when they are each controlled individually in succession by a system controller (not illustrated here) in such a way that a workpiece carrier 20 with a workpiece 16 passes in steps through the processing stations 14a-14c.

[0052] FIGS. 3-5 show sectional views of the illustrative embodiment, illustrated in FIG. 2, of the herein presented stop module 24 in various operating positions which occur during the use of the stop module 24.

[0053] FIG. 3 shows the operating position which the stop module 24 usually occupies before a workpiece carrier 20 strikes against the stop member 28. In this case, the stop member 28 projects into a transport plane situated above the main housing 26, which is depicted in dashed lines and is provided with the reference number 30.

[0054] FIG. 4 shows the operating position of the stop module 24 after a workpiece carrier 20 has struck the stop member 28 and has been braked by the latter. During this braking process, the stop member has moved in the transport direction 19 relative to the main housing 26 (cf. FIGS. 3 and 4). During the operation of the stop module 24, the operating position illustrated in FIG. 4 thus generally directly follows the operating position illustrated in FIG. 3. As before, the stop member 28 projects into the transport plane 30, with the result that, as before, the braked workpiece carrier is held fast and thus cannot move further on the transport section 12.

[0055] FIG. 5 shows the operating position of the stop module 24 in which a workpiece carrier 20 situated on the transport section 12 is released and can move further in the transport direction 19. In comparison with the operating position illustrated in FIG. 4, the stop member 28 has been moved downward for this purpose out of the transport plane 30 in a retraction movement.

[0056] The functions and components required to ensure the operation of the stop module 24 are explained in greater detail below with reference to FIGS. 3-5.

[0057] The stop module 24 has a damping device 32 for damping the stop member 28. Furthermore, the stop module 24 has an actuator 34, which is configured to move the stop member 28 out of the transport plane 30 in a retraction movement or to move it into the transport plane 30 in an opposite extension movement.

[0058] In the illustrative embodiment illustrated, the damping device 32 is designed as a piston-cylinder arrangement. It has a damping cylinder 36 and a damping piston 38 movable therein. The sealing between the damping cylinder 36 and the damping piston 38 is preferably accomplished by means of a seal element 40 arranged on the damping piston 38. The damping piston 38 of the damping device 32 is connected to the stop member 28 by a connecting element 41. This connection is a rigid connection. Accordingly, a movement of the stop member 28 in the transport direction 19 which occurs during a braking process of a workpiece carrier 20 also brings about a movement of the damping piston 38 in the same direction 19 within the damping cylinder 36. The position of the damping device 32 before this movement (see FIG. 3) is referred to in the present case as the initial position of the damping device 32. The position of the damping device 32 after this damping movement, i.e. the position in which the damping piston 38 has been retracted completely into the damping cylinder 36 (see FIG. 4), is referred to in the present case as the end position of the damping device 32.

[0059] The actuator 34 comprises a second piston-cylinder arrangement with an actuating piston 44 that can be moved within an actuating cylinder 42. The actuator 34 brings about the retraction movement, with the aid of which the stop member 28 is moved out of the transport plane 30 in order to release a workpiece carrier 20 situated on the transport section 12. Conversely, the actuator 34 also brings about, at least indirectly, the extension movement, in which the stop member 28 is pivoted back into the transport plane 30 in order to stop the next workpiece carrier 20 approaching on the transport section 12. When the actuator 34 is deactivated, the extension movement is set in motion. A spring element 50, which is arranged between the main housing 26 and the guide housing 46, acts counter to the actuating piston 44 during this pivoting movement and thus brings about the extension movement. In the stop module 24 according to the illustrative embodiment under consideration, both movements (retraction and extension movement) are accomplished by pivoting the stop member 28. During this process, the stop member 28 is pivoted about a pivot 48, together with a guide housing 46 mounted so as to be rotatable relative to the main housing 26.

[0060] Both components, i.e. both the damping device 32 and the actuator 34, are fluidically operated in the stop module 24. This fluidic operation is preferably accomplished by means of compressed air. In principle, however, hydraulic operation of both components would also be possible.

[0061] The damping device 32 is reset by means of the very same pressure line 52 by means of which the movement of the actuating piston 44 of the actuator 34 is also controlled.

[0062] Resetting of the damping device 32 is taken to mean the process in which the damping device 32 is brought back from the end position shown in FIG. 4 into its initial position shown in FIG. 5 and the damping piston 38, together with the connecting element 41 and the stop member 28, is extended again relative to the damping cylinder 35.

[0063] The pressure line 52 has a plurality of subsections. One subsection 54, which is referred to in the present case as the first subsection, runs through the interior of the actuating piston 44. This first subsection 54 of the pressure line 52 is designed as a duct-like passage opening 56 which traverses the actuating piston 44. In the illustrative embodiment of the stop module 24 shown in the present case, this passage opening 56 is of symmetrical design with respect to the longitudinal axis of the actuating piston 44. However, this does not necessarily have to be the case. Eccentric arrangement of the passage opening 56 within the actuating piston 44 could also be considered in principle. Subdivision of the passage opening 56 into two partial bores of different diameters, as illustrated in FIGS. 3-5, is likewise not absolutely essential.

[0064] Another subsection 58 of the pressure line 52, which is referred to here as the second subsection, runs in the interior of the guide housing 46. This second subsection 58 of the pressure line 52 connects the first subsection 54 arranged in the interior of the actuating piston 44 to the interior of the damping cylinder 36.

[0065] More specifically, the retraction or lowering movement of the stop member 28 is brought about as follows: a pressurized fluid (preferably compressed air) is introduced into the stop module 24 via a fluid inlet 60 provided in the main housing 26. From there, it passes via an inlet opening 62 opening into the actuating cylinder 42 into the interior of the actuating cylinder 42. This causes a movement of the actuating piston 44 relative to the actuating cylinder 42. In the illustrative embodiment under consideration, the actuating piston 44 moves substantially but not exactly parallel to the transport direction 19 (to the left in FIGS. 3-5). The movement of the actuating piston 44 causes the already mentioned pivoting movement of the guide housing 46 about the pivot 48, as a result of which the stop member 28 is pivoted downward out of the transport plane 30, in the present case clockwise (see FIG. 5).

[0066] During this pivoting movement, the fluid introduced into the actuating cylinder 42 through the fluid inlet 60 and the inlet opening 62 passes through the first subsection 54 of the pressure line 52, provided in the interior of the actuating piston 44, into the second subsection 58 of the pressure line 52, which passes through the guide housing and ultimately opens into the damping cylinder 36. Thus, during the extension movement of the stop member 28, the resetting of the damping device 32 therefore also takes place at the same time.

[0067] A first end 64 of the passage opening 56 provided in the actuating piston 44 opens into the interior of the actuating cylinder 42. The second end 66 of the passage opening 56 opens directly into a first end 68 of the second subsection 58 of the pressure line 52. The opposite end of the second subsection 58 of the pressure line 52, which is denoted as the second end 70 in the present case, opens directly into the damping cylinder 36. The sealing between the first subsection 54 and the second subsection 58 of the pressure line 52 is accomplished by means of a seal element 72, which is preferably arranged on the actuating piston 44 around the second end 66 of the passage opening 56. This can be an O-ring, for example, which is fixed in a corresponding recess on the actuating piston 44.

[0068] As can furthermore be seen from FIGS. 3-5, the actuating piston 44 and the guide housing 46 are formed in the manner of spheres or spherical shells in a contact region 74, in which they make contact with each other. The actuating piston 44 and the guide housing 46 therefore interact in the manner of an at least single-axis joint in the contact region 74. They are therefore connected to one another in an articulated fashion by means of their respective contact surfaces. In the illustrative embodiment under consideration, the contact surface provided on the guide housing 46 is a concave surface which is shell-shaped and the contact surface provided on the actuating piston 44 is a convex surface, which preferably has the shape of a hemisphere. However, it should be noted that, in principle, it would also be possible to provide the concave guiding surface on the actuating piston 44 and to arrange the correspondingly convexly shaped contact surface on the guide housing 46. The present disclosure is likewise not restricted to the spherical shape or the shape of a spherical shell. In principle, a cylindrical contact surface or a contact surface in the form of a cylindrical shell would also be possible in the contact region 74 between the actuating piston 44 and the guide housing 46.

[0069] As can be seen from a comparison of FIGS. 4 and 5, the actuating piston 44 likewise carries out a slight pivoting movement during the pivoting movement of the guide housing 46 and does not travel only in translation along its longitudinal axis. The second end 66 of the passage opening 56 is therefore preferably arranged in a manner vertically offset somewhat relative to the first end 68 of the second subsection 58. In this way, it is possible to ensure that the pressure line 52 is not closed during the pivoting movement of the actuating piston 44. In principle, it would also be possible to make the diameter of the first subsection 54 larger at the second end 66 or to make the diameter of the second subsection 58 larger at the first end 68 thereof. However, this would make sealing more difficult in the contact region 74 between the actuating piston 44 and the guide housing 46.

[0070] In order to allow the abovementioned pivoting movement of the actuating piston 44 and nevertheless to ensure adequate leaktightness, the actuating piston 44 has three radially encircling webs 76, 78, 80 on the outer circumference thereof, wherein the outer two webs 76, 80 have a larger diameter than the web 78 arranged therebetween (see FIG. 5). The actuating piston 44 is thus guided by means of the central web 78 and tilts over said web, wherein the outer webs 76, 80 limit the tilt angle. Arranged between the webs 76, 78, 80 is a sealing assembly 82, preferably consisting of two seal elements.

[0071] The stop module 24 furthermore has two restriction devices, a first restriction device 82 and a second restriction device 84. The first restriction device 82 is preferably esigned as an adjusting screw in order to be able to modify the flow resistance caused by restriction device 82. The first restriction device 82 is arranged between the two ends 68, 70 of the second subsection 58 of the pressure line 52. The main function of this restriction device 82 is to enable the damping force of the damping device 32 to be varied. The second restriction device 84 is arranged between the fluid inlet 60 arranged on the outside of the main housing 26 and the inlet opening 62 of the actuating cylinder 42. This second restriction device 84 is preferably esigned as a narrowing of the cross section in the fluid inlet duct. It is furthermore preferred if a flow resistance of the first restriction device 82 is higher than a flow resistance of the second restriction device 84. This ensures that the retraction movement of the stop member 28 is brought about more quickly than the resetting of the damping device 32. This prevents a stopped workpiece carrier 20 accidentally being pushed back counter to the transport direction 19 during the retraction movement, during which the damping device 32 is simultaneously reset. For the same purpose, it is preferred if a travel of the actuating piston 44 for bringing about the retraction movement of the stop member 28 is shorter than a travel of the damping piston 38 from the end position back into the initial position of the damping device 32.

[0072] Finally, attention is drawn once again to the ability for relatively low-cost production of the stop module 24. It consists of relatively few components. The guide housing 46 and the main housing 26 can be manufactured from an extruded profile. Owing to the coupling between the guide housing 46 and the main housing 26 via the actuating piston 44 and the second subsection 58, integrated therein, of the pressure line 52, various finishing operations on the guide housing 46 and the main housing 26, which would otherwise generally be necessary, can be eliminated. The actuating piston 44 can also be produced in a relatively simple manner. It is preferably designed as an injection molded plastic part. This also contributes positively to reducing the weight of the stop module 24.

[0073] Even if the starting point in the drawings is in each case an arrangement of the stop module 24 below the transport plane 30, the stop module 24 can also be positioned to the side of or above the transport plane without exceeding the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. In the case of arrangement to the side, the stop module 24 must merely be arranged in a manner turned through 90. In the case of arrangement above the transport plane 30, the stop module 24 would have to be arranged in a manner turned through 180 and would then project from above into the transport plane 30 in order to stop a workpiece or workpiece carrier.