Operating Device For A Tube Lifter And Tube Lifter

Abstract

The invention relates to an operating device for a tube lifter having a lifting tube that has a tube interior and can be shortened by applying a vacuum to the tube interior, and having a suction grip device arranged on one end of the tube lifter, which suction grip device can be supplied with a vacuum through the tube interior, the operating device having a suction port for fluid communication with the suction grip device, a lifting tube port for fluid communication with the tube interior of the lifting tube, and valve means for controlling the fluid communications, the valve means including a control valve which is adjustable between a closed position and an open position, in the open position a flow path from the surroundings to the lifting tube port being open, and in the closed position said flow path being substantially closed, and a control mechanism comprising a manually actuable operating element being provided for adjusting the control valve.

Claims

1. Operating device for a tube lifter which comprises a lifting tube that has a tube interior and can be shortened by applying a vacuum to the tube interior, and comprising a suction grip device arranged on one end of the tube lifter, which suction grip device can be supplied with a vacuum through the tube interior, the operating device having a suction port for fluid communication with the suction grip device, a lifting tube port for fluid communication with the tube interior of the lifting tube, and valve means for controlling the fluid communications, the valve means comprising a control valve which is adjustable between a closed position and an open position, in the open position a flow path from the surroundings to the lifting tube port being open, and in the closed position said flow path being substantially closed; and a control mechanism comprising a manually actuable operating element being provided for adjusting the control valve, characterized in that the manually actuable operating element is configured as a manually grippable and rotatable rod and designed such that it can slide through an operator's hand when the suction grip device is being raised or lowered during operation.

2. Operating device according to claim 1, characterized in that the rotatable rod extends substantially vertically during operation.

3. Operating device according to claim 1, characterized in that the rotatable rod is length-adjustable.

4. Operating device according to claim 1, characterized in that the rotatable rod is rotatably mounted in association with at least one of two mutually spaced mounting plates.

5. Operating device according to claim 1, characterized in that a second manually grippable rod is provided and arranged parallel to the rotatable rod.

6. Operating device according to claim 1, characterized in that the operating device is arranged between a lower end of the lifting tube and an upper end of the suction grip device, and in that the rod extends substantially in parallel with the extension of the lifting tube.

7. Operating device according to claim 1, characterized in that the operating device comprises a centrally arranged suction tube that extends substantially vertically during operation, and in that the rotatable rod extends in parallel with the suction tube.

8. Operating device according to claim 1, characterized in that the valve means comprises a ventilation valve which can be brought into a hold position and into a ventilation position, in the ventilation position a flow path between one of the surroundings and the suction port and the surroundings and the lifting tube port being open, and in the hold position said flow path being substantially closed.

9. Operating device according to claim 1, characterized in that when the operating device is actuated by manually rotating the rod from a neutral position towards an end position, firstly the control valve is shifted from the closed position towards the open position.

10. Operating device according to claim 1, characterized in that the rod arrives at an intermediate position, which is preferably designed as a pressure point, as a result of manual rotation of the rod starting from the neutral position towards the end position, and in that it is possible to overcome said intermediate position by further rotating the rod.

11. Operating device according to claim 10, characterized in that when the rod is rotated beyond the intermediate position, the ventilation valve is shifted from the hold position towards the ventilation position.

12. Operating device according to claim 1, characterized in that the valve device comprises a blocking member which is adjustable between a blocking position and an opening position, in the blocking position a flow path between the lifting tube port and the suction port being substantially closed off, and in the opening position said path being open.

13. Operating device according to claim 12, characterized in that the blocking member can also be actuated by rotating the rod.

14. Operating device according to claim 12, characterized in that the blocking member and the ventilation valve are preferably mechanically intercoupled such that, by bringing the ventilation valve into the ventilation position, the blocking member is shifted towards the blocking position thereof such that the flow path between the lifting tube port and the suction port is closed off.

15. Operating device according to claim 1, characterized in that the rotatable rod is self-locking, such that it substantially remains in a temporary rotational position, and therefore does not automatically move back into a neutral position when released.

16. Operating device according to claim 1, characterized in that the rotatable rod is pretensioned towards a neutral position, such that it automatically moves back towards the neutral position when released.

17. Operating device according to claim 1, characterized in that the operating device comprises a first housing body on the lifting tube side which is at the top during operation and forms the lifting tube port, and in that the control valve is arranged in or on said upper housing body.

18. Operating device according to claim 1, characterized in that the operating device comprises a second housing body on the suction grip device side which is at the bottom during operation and forms the suction port for connecting to the suction grip device.

19. Operating device according to claim 17, characterized in that a suction tube extends substantially vertically during operation and between the first upper housing body and the second lower housing body, and the rotatable rod extends in parallel with said tube.

20. Operating device according to claim 19, characterized in that a second manually grippable rod is provided parallel to the rotatable rod, such that, from the perspective of an operator gripping one of the two rods in each hand, the suction tube extends between the two rods.

21. Operating device according to claim 1, characterized in that the control valve comprises a first valve plate which is translationally movable or can be pivoted in the plane thereof and can be adjusted by rotating the manually rotatable rod.

22. Operating device according to claim 1, characterized in that the ventilation valve comprises a second valve plate which is translationally movable or can be pivoted in the plane thereof and can be adjusted by rotating the manually rotatable rod.

23. Operating device according to claim 1, characterized in that the blocking member comprises a third valve plate which is translationally movable or can be pivoted in the plane thereof and can be adjusted by rotating the manually rotatable rod.

24. Operating device according to claim 1, characterized in that transmission components comprise one of a mechanical belt drive, a gear drive, a pivotable projection, or electromechanical transmission components and is arranged between the manually rotatable rod and the control valve and/or the ventilation valve and/or the blocking member.

25. Operating device according to claim 22, characterized in that the second and third valve plates have a common pivot axis about which they can be pivoted by means of the manually rotatable rod, the common pivot axis preferably extending in parallel with the manually rotatable rod.

26. Operating device according to claim 1, characterized in that the second and third valve plates are mutually spaced orthogonally relative to the respective plate planes thereof.

27. Operating device according to claim 22, characterized in that the ventilation valve is accommodated inside a housing body that is open to the atmosphere but sealed against the flow route within the suction grip device and the operating device.

28. Tube lifter comprising an operating device for the tube lifter which comprises a lifting tube that has a tube interior and can be shortened by applying a vacuum to the tube interior, and comprising a suction grip device arranged on one end of the tube lifter, which suction grip device can be supplied with a vacuum through the tube interior, the operating device having a suction port for fluid communication with the suction grip device, a lifting tube port for fluid communication with the tube interior of the lifting tube, and valve means for controlling the fluid communications, the valve means comprising a control valve which is adjustable between a closed position and an open position, in the open position a flow path from the surroundings to the lifting tube port being open, and in the closed position said flow path being substantially closed; and a control mechanism comprising a manually actuable operating element being provided for adjusting the control valve, characterized in that the manually actuable operating element is configured as a manually grippable and rotatable rod and designed such that it can slide through an operator's hand when the suction grip device is being raised or lowered during operation.

Description

[0034] Further features, details and advantages of the invention can be found in the enclosed claims, in the drawings and in following description of preferred embodiments of the invention.

[0035] In the drawings:

[0036] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of an operating device for a tube lifter according to the invention, comprising a manually rotatable rod as an operating element;

[0037] FIG. 2 is a side view of the operating device according to FIG. 1;

[0038] FIG. 3 is a longitudinal section through the device according to FIG. 1;

[0039] FIG. 4a to c are each schematic views of different operating positions of the operating device; and

[0040] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the rotatable rod comprising valve components.

[0041] The drawings show an operating device for a tube lifter, which device is designed according to the invention and denoted overall by reference sign 2, and also comprises a lifting tube 4 that has a tube interior 6 to which a vacuum can be applied, and a suction grip device 8 for suctioning, lifting, transporting and then setting down an object. The operating device 2 comprises a lifting tube port 10 for the lifting tube 4 and a suction port 12 for the suction grip device 8. The operating device 2 further comprises valve means 14, 16, 18, which will be described in more detail, and a manually actuable operating element 20.

[0042] According to the invention, this operating element 20 is designed as a manually grippable and rotatable rod 22 that can slide through the operator's hand during operation when the suction grip device is being raised or lowered.

[0043] The operating device 2 comprises a mounting plate 24, which is at the top during operation, and a lower mounting plate 26, between which plates the operating element 20 is arranged in the form of the rotatable rod 22. The rod 22 is therefore mounted so as to be rotatable relative to the mounting plates 24, 26. The longer the rotatable rod 22, the larger the vertical distance between the mounting plates 24, 26. It can be seen from the drawings that a second rod 28 is arranged in parallel with the rotatable rod 22 between the mounting plates 24, 26. This second rod 28 is preferably non-rotatable. It is only used to support, engage and guide the operating device 2. A suction tube 30 also extends centrally and substantially vertically between the two mounting plates 24, 26, which tube provides a flow route for vacuum communication between the lifting tube 4 and the suction grip device 8 in a manner that will be explained below.

[0044] In this embodiment shown by way of example, a first housing body 32 is also provided on the upper mounting plate 24, and a second housing body 34 is provided on the lower mounting plate 26. The housing bodies 32, 34 delimit a flow route and receive or retain the valve means 14 to 18, which are yet to be described individually.

[0045] In the case shown by way of example, the rotatable rod 22, which is shown in FIG. 5 detached from other housing components, extends through the upper mounting plate 24 into an attached housing 36 of the valve means 14. These valve means 14 form a control valve 38 of the operating device. The control valve 38 comprises a pivotable first valve plate 40 that is attached to the rotatable rod 20 orthogonally to the longitudinal extension of said rod for conjoint rotation therewith, which can be best seen in FIG. 5. By way of example, the first valve plate 40 comprises two openings 42 that can be brought into a position aligned with an inflow opening 44 in the attached housing 36. The openings 42 are designed such that the flow cross-section can be adjusted, preferably steplessly, from zero to a maximum value. As a result, the vacuum prevailing in the tube interior 6 can be steplessly adjusted by rotating the rod 22 between a closed position of the control valve 38 and an open position. In the embodiment shown here by way of example, the rod 22 has to be rotated from a neutral position of 0 by 90 for this purpose.

[0046] FIG. 4a shows the control valve 38 in the closed position, such that the flow route indicated by arrow 46 results from the applied vacuum and an object to be lifted can be suctioned. If, in the state shown in FIG. 4a, an object is suctioned under the suction grip device 8, the lifting tube 4 contracts and the operating device 2 is raised upward together with the suctioned object. Then, if the control valve 38 is gradually opened by rotating the rod 22, as shown in FIG. 4b, air flows (arrow 48) from the surroundings through the control valve 38 into the interior of the upper housing body 10 and into the lifting tube 4. The vacuum prevailing therein is gradually decreased depending on the valve position, with the result that the lifting tube 4 extends again and the operating device 2 and an object suctioned thereto can be lowered. When a specified opening cross section of the control valve 38 is reached, the tube lifter, together with the suctioned object, assumes a corresponding balanced position, i.e. a corresponding lifting height. If the rotatable rod 22 is designed to be self-locking, i.e. is not pretensioned towards an end position, the operator can release the rotatable rod without the operating device 2 or the tube lifter overall moving out of an assumed balanced position.

[0047] If the operator eventually rotates the rod further, in this example 90, until the suctioned object is completely set down, this position (90) is communicated to the operator, preferably via a pressure point mechanism. If the operator then wishes to release the suctioned object intentionally, the rod 22 should be rotated further beyond said pressure point. As a result, the first valve plate 40 fully opens the inflow opening 44 of the control valve (see FIG. 4c) and the other valve means 16, 18 are operated, which is described in the following:

[0048] The valve means 16 comprise or form a ventilation valve 60 comprising a second valve plate 61 that can be brought into a hold position and into a ventilation position. In the hold position shown in FIGS. 4a and 4b, a flow path 62 between the surroundings and the suction port 12 for the suction grip device 8 is closed, such that the flow route can take the course shown by arrow 46 in FIGS. 4a and 4b. If the ventilation valve 60 is brought into the ventilation position thereof (FIG. 4c), the flow path 62 is therefore free and the suction port 12 is ventilated from the inside (arrow 64), such that the vacuum therein breaks and a suctioned object can be released. For this reason, the ventilation valve 60 is accommodated inside a housing body that is open to the atmosphere but sealed against the suction port 10 and is inserted into a larger lower housing body 34.

[0049] Moreover, a blocking member 70 that comprises a third valve plate 72 and can be adjusted between a blocking position and an opening position is provided in the lower housing body 34. When in the opening position, the member opens the flow route between the lower housing body 34 and the suction tube 30. When the member is in the blocking position (FIG. 4c), said flow route is substantially closed off. The purpose of this is that when the suction grip device 8 is ventilated, the interior of the lifting tube 4 can be sealed against said device in a substantially flow-tight manner, such that the vacuum in the lifting tube 4 does not suddenly break and result in a large mass flow rate that has to be received by the vacuum-generating means.

[0050] According to the advantageous embodiment shown here, the ventilation valve 60 and the blocking member 70, as already mentioned, are actuated by the rotatable rod 22 when the rod is rotated from the neutral position thereof by 90, in particular by 100. For this reason, mechanical transmission components 76, which are designed in a very simple manner by way of example, are provided between the rotatable rod 22 and the ventilation valve 60 or the blocking member 70. A projection that protrudes radially outward is provided on the rotatable rod 22 in the form of a bolt 78 that pivots together with the rod 22 when said rod is rotated. If the rod 22, shown here starting from a neutral position by way of example, is pivoted by more than 90, the bolt 78 strikes a catch element 80 of the second valve plate 61 of the ventilation valve 60. Said second valve plate is mounted so as to be pivotable about an axis 82 that is parallel to the rod 22. By pivoting the second valve plate 61, the ventilation cross section, as indicated in FIG. 4c, is opened and the interior of the lower housing body 34 is ventilated. The second valve plate 61 is mounted by means of a shaft 84, to which shaft the third valve plate 72 of the blocking member 70 is hinged for conjoint rotation. This achieves a forced coupling between the second valve plate 61 of the ventilation valve 60 and the third valve plate 72 of the blocking member 70, such that both are actuated at the same time. The valve plates 61, 72 and the catch element 80 are preferably pretensioned such that, when the rod 22 is rotated back, the ventilation valve 60 assumes the closed hold position thereof, and the blocking member 70 assumes the opening position thereof.