OVERHEAD CONVEYING DEVICE HAVING A VERTICALLY ARRANGED CONVEYING DEVICE

Abstract

The invention relates to an overhead conveying device (01) to be integrated in an assembly plant in order to transport vehicle components (02) by means of a conveying device (03) disposed on the overhead conveying device (01), said overhead conveying device having a supporting framework (06), said supporting framework (06) having a length of more than 5 m and a width of more than 2 m, and said conveying device (03) being mounted at the supporting framework (06), and said supporting framework (06) and said conveying device (03) limiting a conveying corridor (05), in which it is possible for the vehicle components (02) to be transported from an input point to an output point, and said supporting framework (06) being mounted, with the help of bearing means, on the floor (11) or on the ceiling of the assembly plant, and said bearing means giving rise to the formation, between the underside of the supporting framework (06) and the upper side of the floor (11), of a free space (12), which is suitable for component assembly and/or for component transport purposes and in which it is possible to walk and/or drive, said conveying device (03) extending vertically upwards at the supporting framework (06) starting from the fastening plane (04) and laterally limiting the conveying corridor (05) on one side, said vehicle components (02) being transported in the conveying corridor (05) in a manner projecting laterally from the conveying device (03), and said conveying device (03) being fixed at the supporting framework (06) on the upper side of the fastening plane (04) with the help of fastening means, and said supporting framework (06) being formed by a truss that comprises interconnected supporting beam elements (13, 14, 15) that are longitudinally oriented and interconnected supporting beam elements (13, 14, 15) that are transversely oriented and interconnected supporting beam elements (13, 14, 15) that diagonally run in between.

Claims

1. An overhead conveying device to be integrated in an assembly plant in order to transport vehicle components by means of a conveying device disposed on the overhead conveying device, said overhead conveying device having a supporting framework, said supporting framework having a length of more than 5 m and a width of more than 2 m, and said conveying device being mounted at the supporting framework and said supporting framework and said conveying device limiting a conveying corridor, in which it is possible for the vehicle components to be transported from an input point to an output point, and said supporting framework being mounted, with the help of bearing means, on the floor or on the ceiling of the assembly plant, and said bearing means giving rise to the formation, between the underside of the supporting framework and the upper side of the floor, of a free space, which is suitable for component assembly and/or for component transport purposes and in which it is possible to walk and/or drive, wherein the conveying device extends vertically upwards at the supporting framework starting from the fastening plane and laterally limits the conveying corridor on one side, said vehicle components being transported in the conveying corridor in a manner projecting laterally from the conveying device, and said conveying device being fixed at the supporting framework on the upper side of the fastening plane with the help of fastening means, and said supporting framework being formed by a truss that comprises interconnected supporting beam elements that are longitudinally oriented and interconnected supporting beam elements that are transversely oriented and interconnected supporting beam elements that diagonally run in between.

2. The overhead conveying device according to claim 1, wherein the supporting beam elements of the truss, which forms the supporting framework, are connected to one another in a welded structure.

3. The overhead conveying device according to claim 1, wherein the supporting beam elements of the truss, which forms the supporting framework, have a closed tubular cross-section.

4. The overhead conveying device according to claim 1, wherein the conveying device is welded to the upper side of the truss, which forms the supporting framework.

5. The overhead conveying device according to claim 1, wherein the conveying device is screwed to the upper side of the truss, which forms the supporting framework.

6. The overhead conveying device according to claim 1, wherein the supporting framework is mounted, with the help of bearing means, on the floor of the assembly plant, at least one bearing means being embodied in the manner of a column gantry, said column gantry comprising at least two support columns whose lower ends are affixed on the floor of the assembly plant, and at least one transverse bridge being affixed between two support columns in each instance, and said supporting framework being disposed on the upper side of the transverse bridge.

7. The overhead conveying device according to claim 6, wherein the support columns and/or the transverse bridge of the column gantry are manufactured from tubular material having a closed tubular cross-section.

8. The overhead conveying device according to claim 6, wherein in addition to at least one column gantry, at least one freestanding support pillar and/or at least one wall bracket and/or at least one freely suspended traction element is provided on the overhead conveying device as another bearing means for mounting the supporting framework.

9. The overhead conveying device according to claim 1, wherein the supporting framework is mounted, with the help of bearing means, on the ceiling of the assembly plant, a fastening plane being provided between, on the one hand, the bearing means, which are fastened on the ceiling structure of the assembly plant, and, on the other hand, the supporting framework, said fastening plane being connected in a load-transmitting fashion to the bearing means, on the one hand, and the supporting framework, on the other hand, and said fastening plane being formed from criss-crossing flexurally stiff steel girders, said steel girders being connected to one another in a load-transmitting fashion at the points of intersection, and said criss-crossing steel girders forming a grid of four-sided intermediate zones.

10. The overhead conveying device according to claim 9, wherein the fastening plane comprises two layers, the first layer comprising several steel girders running in a parallel fashion relative to one another in the longitudinal direction, and the second layer comprising several steel girders running in a parallel fashion relative to one another in the transverse direction.

11. The overhead conveying device according to claim 1, wherein the supporting framework is designed so as to be self-supporting and is configured to be transported in preassembled form.

12. The overhead conveying device according to claim 1, wherein a maintenance walkway is affixed at least along a longitudinal side of the conveying device.

Description

[0020] One embodiment of the invention is illustrated as an example in the drawing and will be explained in the following.

[0021] In the figures:

[0022] FIG. 1 shows an overhead conveying device in accordance with the invention in a schematized lateral view;

[0023] FIG. 2 shows the supporting framework that is comprised in the overhead conveying device and that is embodied as a truss in accordance with FIG. 1 in a perspective view from above.

[0024] FIG. 1 shows an overhead conveying device 01 in accordance with the invention in a lateral view. In other words, this means that the overhead conveying device 01 that is illustrated in FIG. 1 can extend in front of and behind the image plane in the conveying direction. A conveying device 03 serves for conveying vehicle components 02, for instance bodyshells, said conveying device 03 extending vertically upwards starting from a fastening plane 04. In this manner, the vehicle components 02 can laterally be hooked in at the conveying device 03 so that the vehicle components 02 laterally project into the conveying corridor 05. As a result, the conveying corridor 05 is freely accessible from the second side and from above so that the vehicle components 02 can be introduced and withdrawn very easily and very fast into and out of the conveying line that is formed by the conveying device 03.

[0025] The conveying device 03 is welded to the fastening plane 04 that is formed by a supporting framework 06 from the top in order to be able to dissipate the detent torques that are caused by the weight of the vehicle components 02 into the supporting structure that is located underneath in a manner in which largely no vibrations are transmitted. The supporting framework 06 is embodied in the manner of a truss and will subsequently be explained in more detail on the basis of the illustration in FIG. 2.

[0026] The supporting framework 06 is placed, from the top, onto multiple column gantries 07 that are disposed one behind the other, said supporting framework 06 being screwed to the transverse bridge 08 of the individual column gantries 07. Each column gantry 07 consists of a transverse bridge 08 and of two support columns 09 that support the transverse bridge 08 from below. The support columns 09 and the transverse bridge 08 that is fastened on the same are again screwed to one another at corresponding flanged connections 10. The lower end of the support columns 09 is fastened on the floor 11 with the help of suitable screw anchors. As a result, below the transverse bridges 08, a free space 12 is formed, which can be passed freely and is configured to receive, if necessary, corresponding assembly devices, such as assembly robots.

[0027] FIG. 2 shows the supporting framework 06 on whose upper side the conveying device 03 is fastened. The supporting framework 06 is embodied in the manner of a truss and comprises supporting beam elements 13 that are longitudinally oriented, supporting beam elements 14 that are transversely oriented and supporting beam elements 15 that diagonally run in between. All supporting beam elements 13, 14 and 15 of the supporting framework 06 are welded to one another and in this way form a highly rigid welded structure. Moreover, all supporting beam elements 13, 14 and 15 of the supporting framework 06 are manufactured from tubes having a closed tubular cross-section in order to thereby increase the rigidity of the supporting framework 06 again.