CONVEYING DEVICE

Abstract

The invention relates to a conveying device comprising a base, in particular a rack or a housing, supported on the ground; at least two longitudinal members which are carried by the base, which extend in a longitudinal direction and which are spaced apart from one another in a transverse direction; and a plurality of receivers which are arranged behind one another in the longitudinal direction, which are carried by the longitudinal members and at which conveyor belt sections are supported which are individually attachable and removable and which together form a conveying path extending in the longitudinal direction.

Claims

1. A conveying device comprising a base supported on the ground; at least two longitudinal members which are carried by the base, which extend in a longitudinal direction and which are spaced apart from one another in a transverse direction; and a plurality of receivers which are arranged behind one another in the longitudinal direction, which are carried by the longitudinal members and at which conveyor belt sections are supported which are individually attachable and removable and which together form a conveying path extending in the longitudinal direction.

2. A conveying device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the receivers each comprise at least two transverse members which are spaced apart in the longitudinal direction and which bridge the spacing between the longitudinal members in the transverse direction.

3. A conveying device in accordance with claim 1, wherein transverse members of the receivers are each releasably fixed to the longitudinal members.

4. A conveying device in accordance with claim 1, wherein transverse members of the receivers are each configured in the region of the longitudinal members as releasable clamps for a fixing to the longitudinal members.

5. A conveying device in accordance with claim 1, wherein transverse members of the receivers each comprise an upper part and a lower part associated with the upper part, said upper part and lower part forming a respective clamp in the region of the longitudinal members for a fixing to a respective longitudinal member.

6. A conveying device in accordance with claim 1, wherein transverse members of the receivers are adjustable along the longitudinal members.

7. A conveying device in accordance with claim 1, wherein transverse members of the receivers are transversely adjustable relative to the longitudinal members in a plane extending perpendicular to the longitudinal direction.

8. A conveying device in accordance with claim 1, wherein support surfaces of the longitudinal members which each cooperate with transverse members of the receivers are inclined toward the horizontal.

9. A conveying device in accordance with claim 1, wherein clamps which are each formed by transverse members of the receivers comprise a respective bracing device.

10. A conveying device in accordance with claim 1, wherein clamps which are each formed by transverse members of the receivers are each formed by an upper part and by a lower part of the respective transverse member associated with the upper part, said upper part and lower part being able to be braced toward one another by means of a bracing device in order to clamp the respective longitudinal member.

11. A conveying device in accordance with claim 9, wherein the bracing device comprises at least one tensioning screw.

12. A conveying device in accordance with claim 9, wherein the at least one tensioning screw which is active between an upper part and a lower part of the respective transverse member associated with the upper part.

13. A conveying device in accordance with claim 1, wherein clamps which are each formed by an upper part and by a lower part of transverse members of the receiver associated with the upper part each comprise a clamping point at which the longitudinal member can be clamped between the upper part and the lower part and a support point which is spaced apart from the clamping point in the transverse direction and at which the upper part and the lower part can be supported at one another; and wherein a bracing device by which the upper part and the lower part can be braced toward another is active between the clamping point and the support point.

14. A conveying device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the receivers for the conveyor belt sections are asymmetrical and each comprise a carrier side for force transfer into the longitudinal members and an access side via which the respective conveyor belt section is laterally attachable and removable.

15. A conveying device in accordance with claim 1, wherein transverse members of the receivers or upper parts of the transverse members each comprise a support section extending in the transverse direction for support at the longitudinal members and a carrier section extending upwardly from the support section.

16. A conveying device in accordance with claim 1, wherein transverse members of the receivers or upper parts of the transverse members are each L-shaped viewed in the longitudinal direction.

17. A conveying device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the conveyor belt sections are each borne by a spacer element which extends between transverse members of the receiver in the longitudinal direction and which is connected to the transverse members.

18. A conveying device in accordance with claim 17, wherein the spacer element is connected to carrier sections of the transverse members or to carrier sections of upper parts of the transverse members which each extend upwardly from a support section of the respective transverse member or upper part.

19. A conveying device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the receivers each comprise at least one holder which is held at one side and which freely projects toward the other side and via which a respective conveyor belt section is couplable to the receiver.

20. A conveying device in accordance with claim 1, wherein transverse members of the receivers or upper parts and lower parts of the transverse members respectively associated with the upper parts are each manufactured from a flat material and are fixed standing upright to the longitudinal members with their flat sides facing in the longitudinal direction.

21. A conveying device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the longitudinal members each comprise a section element or a rail element having a cross-sectional shape which is at least substantially constant in the longitudinal direction.

22. A conveying device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the longitudinal members have a cross-sectional profile which comprises a member which is at least substantially straight and to which the transverse members can be fixed or fixedly clamped.

23. A conveying device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the longitudinal members are fastened to a plurality of supports of the base which are spaced apart in the longitudinal direction and which extend at least approximately up to the level of transverse members of the receivers or of lower parts of the transverse members and which are arranged offset from the transverse members in the longitudinal direction.

24. A conveying device in accordance with claim 1, wherein all of the receivers are movable together between an operating position and a servicing and/or cleaning position by an adjustment of the longitudinal members relative to the base.

25. A conveying device in accordance with claim 24, wherein the adjustment of the longitudinal members comprises a pivoting about at least one of a longitudinal axis, a transverse axis and a vertical axis.

26. A conveying device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the conveyor belt sections are formed as a respective conveyor belt unit which is attachable to the receiver and removable from the receiver as a whole, and/or wherein the conveyor belt sections each have an integrated belt drive.

27. A conveying device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the conveying path extends in exactly one conveying plane.

28. A conveying unit comprising at least two longitudinal members which extend in the longitudinal direction and which are spaced apart from one another in the transverse direction; and a plurality of receivers which are arranged behind one another in the longitudinal direction, which are carried by the longitudinal members and at which conveyor belt sections are supported which are individually attachable and removable and which together form a conveying path extending in the longitudinal direction.

Description

[0061] The invention will be described in the following by way of example with reference to the Figures. There are shown:

[0062] FIG. 1 a perspective view of a conveying device in accordance with the invention viewed from a longitudinal side;

[0063] FIG. 2 the conveying device of FIG. 1 in a perspective view viewed from the other longitudinal side;

[0064] FIG. 3 a receiver with the conveyor belt unit of the conveying device of FIG. 2 in an enlarged representation;

[0065] FIGS. 4 and 5 two possible embodiments of a receiver with a conveyor belt unit in a view in the conveying direction; and

[0066] FIGS. 6 to 8 schematically in each case, different possibilities for pivoting the total conveying path relative to the base of a conveying device in accordance with the invention.

[0067] The conveying device in accordance with the invention shown perspectively as a whole in each case in FIGS. 1 and 2 comprises a base 11 supported on the ground in the form of a housing at whose upper side two longitudinal members 13 are arranged in the form of a bracket section, said longitudinal members being arranged in parallel at a spacing from one another and extending in a conveying direction F also called the longitudinal direction in the following.

[0068] The sections 13 are not carried directly by the box-shaped housing of the rack 11, but rather by supports 41, three supports in this embodiment, arranged at a spacing from one another in the longitudinal direction (cf. also FIGS. 3, 4 and 5). A respective fastening section 43 of the supports 41 extends up to the level of the longitudinal members 13 which are screwed from the outside onto these fastening sections 43 such that the fastening sections 43 are covered from the outside by the bracket sections 13.

[0069] The conveying path of the conveying device is formed by a plurality of conveyor belt units 15 which are arranged behind one another in the longitudinal direction and which are shown without the running around conveyor belts in all the Figures for a better illustration of the design.

[0070] A receiver 12 is associated with each unit 15. The receivers 12 each comprise two transverse members 17 in L shape which are of the same construction and between which a parallelepiped-shaped spacer element 35 is fastened at a side. Each receiver 12 hereby has a stable, fork-like structure which is downwardly open.

[0071] In FIGS. 1 and 2, a transverse member 17 is in each case not shown at the second receiver viewed in the conveying direction in order to better illustrate the arrangement of the conveyor belt unit 15 at the receiver 12.

[0072] It can be seen from FIGS. 1 and 2 that the individual conveyor sections 12, 15, that is the units each comprising a receiver 12 having two transverse members 17 and a spacer element 35 as well as a conveyor belt unit 15, can differ from one another both with respect to their functionality and to their length in the conveying direction.

[0073] Comparatively long conveying units are provided with correspondingly long spacer elements 35, with these comparatively long spacer elements 35 each having two holding mandrels 37 which are each fixedly connected to the respective spacer element 35 at their one end and freely project toward the other side.

[0074] The relatively shorter conveying units are provided with correspondingly shorter spacer elements 35 which each bear only one holding mandrel 37.

[0075] The conveyor belt units 15 are each plugged onto the holding mandrels 37 from the access side or operating side and are secured at the free ends of the holding mandrels 37 by suitable securing means such as screws or pins.

[0076] Ifas with the relatively long conveying unitsa plurality of holding mandrels 37 are provided, the orientation of the conveyor belt unit 15 relative to the spacer element 35 and consequently to the respective transverse members 17 is hereby fixed. The orientation of the conveyor belt units 15 and consequently of supporting surfaces 55, present at the upper side, for the conveyor belts, not shown here, relative to the rack 11 is consequently determined by the position of the transverse members 17 relative to the longitudinal members 13.

[0077] If the respective conveying unit comprises only one single holding mandrel 37, this holding mandrel 37 simultaneously serves as a pivot bearing for the respective conveyor belt unit 15 in order to be able to set the inclination of the conveying surface as respectively desired. A respective set inclination of the conveying surface can be fixed in that the conveyor belt unit 15 is fixed by suitable means to the holding mandrel 37 onto which it is plugged.

[0078] The conveyor belt units 15 are each provided with a separate integrated drive for the conveyor belts. In the comparatively long conveyor belt units 15, the belt drives can each be provided in the form of an electric motor which is configured as a tubular motor and which is integrated into one of the deflections for the conveyor belt formed by rolls or rollers.

[0079] This is not possible when the deflections for optimizing the belt transitions or for coupling the conveying device to conveying devices connected upstream or downstream have a comparatively small diameter such as, in the embodiment shown, is in particular, but not exclusively, the case for the comparatively short conveyor belt units comprising only one single holding mandrel 37. A receiver 12 which comprises only one single holding mandrel 37 and whose conveyor belt unit 15 nevertheless has a relatively long conveying path is provided at the conveying unit at the input side, that is at the right in FIG. 1.

[0080] In these conveying units, the drive motor 51 is either arranged centrally between the two transverse members 17 comparatively far below, namely directly above the two longitudinal members 13, oras with the conveying unit at the output side, that is at the left in FIG. 1is arranged outside the two transverse members 17, but in turn relatively far below directly above the two longitudinal members 13. Such an arrangement of the belt drive requires a different guide of the running around conveyor belt. For the conveyor belt here not only has to be guided via the end-side deflections which are disposed at the level of the conveying plane defined by the conveying surface of the conveyor belt, but additionally have to be guided via the drive motor 51 that is further down.

[0081] Having regard to the remaining conveying units, it can be seen from FIGS. 1 and 2 (and in particular also from FIG. 3) that the conveyor belt units 15 each have a deflection 53 at the input side which has a relatively large diameter such thatas mentioneda tubular motor serving as a belt drive can be accommodated therein. At the output side, the conveyor belt units 15 are each provided with a deflection 53 which has a relatively small diameter and which can consequently form an optimized belt transition, having a minimal gap, with the adjoining deflection of the following conveyor belt unit 15 having a larger diameter.

[0082] FIG. 3 shows a conveying unit with two transverse members 17 and with a conveyor belt unit 15 which is plugged onto the holding mandrels, not shown, and which has a belt deflection 53 at the input side which has a relatively large diameter and a belt deflection 53 at the output side which has a relatively small diameter. The belt deflection 53 at the output side can be moved relative to a frame of the unit 15 by means of a lever 57 such that the conveyor belt not shown here can either be relaxed or tensioned. It is consequently not necessary to remove the unit 15 from the receiver 12 to replace or clean the conveyor belt. It is rather sufficient to release the belt tension and to remove the belt from the unit 15 to the side.

[0083] The conveyor belt unit 15 shown in FIG. 3 is configured with multiple tracks and comprises a plurality of conveying tracks which are driven individually and independently of one another. For this purpose, the conveyor belt unit 15 comprises a plurality of drive belts which wrap around the deflection 53 at the input side at points spaced apart in the transverse direction and which lead to a plurality of drive motors, not shown, which are arranged beneath the support 55 and which each drive the respective deflection 53 at the input side and thus the respective conveyor belt via the drive belts 59. This embodiment shows that it is not necessary to integrate the belt drive into the deflection 53 such as was explained above as an alternative possibility for an integration of the belt drive. Generally, provision can consequently be made in a multitrack variant of a conveyor belt section 15 that the individual drive motors which are each associated with a track are arranged beneath the support formed by the conveyor belts, i.e. are not e.g. configured as tubular motors such as is mentioned in another passage as an alternative embodiment.

[0084] As will be described in more detail in connection with FIGS. 4 and 5 in the following, the transverse members 17 are each configured in multiple parts. Each transverse member 17 comprises an L-shaped upper part 19 and a lower part 21. In the region of the longitudinal members 13, an upper part 19 and the associated lower part 21 form a respective clamp by which the upper member 39 of the bracket section forming the respective longitudinal member 13 is clamped in order to fix the transverse members 17 to the longitudinal members 13 in this manner.

[0085] FIG. 3 additionally shows a support 41 for carrying the longitudinal members 13 which is arranged in the region between the two transverse members 17 in the longitudinal direction. The longitudinal members 13 are fixed by means of fastening screws 61 to the fastening sections 43 of the supports 41 disposed at the level of the lower parts 21 of the transverse members 17.

[0086] FIGS. 4 and 5 in particular show the cross-sectional profile of the longitudinal members 13. The profile is approximately V-shaped with an opening angle of approximately 105 between the two members. The outer, lower member is vertically oriented such that the inner, upper member 39 is slightly inclined with respect to the horizontal and slopes down laterally from the inside to the outside.

[0087] The two longitudinal members 13 consequently provide, via their upper members 39, two planar slanted surfaces which are inclined in opposite senses to one another and relative to the horizontal. These slanted surfaces serve as support surfaces 23 for cooperating support surfaces at the lower side of a support section 31 of the L-shaped upper part 19 of the transverse member 17 extending substantially horizontally.

[0088] The respective conveying unit comprising the conveyor belt unit 15 and the transverse members 17 rests on these support surfaces 23 of the longitudinal members 13, said transverse members each comprising a lower part 21 in addition to the already mentioned L-shaped upper part 19.

[0089] The holding mandrels which are not shown here and onto which the conveyor belt unit 15 is plugged are attached to a carrier section 33 projecting upwardly from the support section 31 of the upper part 19.

[0090] Each upper part 19 and the associated lower part 21 together form a respective clamping point 27 in the region of the upper member 39 of the respective longitudinal member 13. A support point 29 arranged inwardly at a spacing in the transverse direction is associated with each clamping point 27 and is contacted by an elevated portion 63, formed at the lower part 21, at the lower side of the support section 31 of the upper part 19. The elevated portions 63 are each rounded at their side facing the upper part 19 such that the upper part 19 and the lower part 21 in each case only contact one another in a substantially linear form at the two support points 29.

[0091] A tensioning screw 25 is active in the transverse direction between each pair comprising a clamping point 27 and an associated support point 29; it is guided through the lower part 21 and is screwed to the upper part 19 to brace the upper part 19 and the lower part 21 toward one another. The respective clamping section 45 of the lower part 21 and the associated clamping section 46 of the upper part 19 are moved toward one another via the common abutment formed by the support point 29 by this bracing process. The two clamping sections 45, 46 hereby together form a clamp by means of which the transverse member 17 is fixedly clamped to the member 39 of the respective longitudinal member 13.

[0092] The detailed representation in FIG. 4 shows an enlarged section of the clamping region at the right in FIG. 4 without the upper part 19. The fastening screws 61 are disposed behind the plane defined by the lower part 21 and by the upper part 19 in the longitudinal direction, namely in the plane defined by the support 41, and serve to screw the longitudinal member 13 to the fastening section 43 of the support 41. Reference is also made to the above statements on FIG. 3 in this respect.

[0093] The embodiments of FIGS. 4 and 5 differ from one another in that the fastening section 43 is not formed in one piece with the support 41 in the embodiment of FIG. 4, but these two components are rather connected to one another by a form-fitted connection active in the plane of the support 41. An alternative embodiment is shown by FIG. 5 in which the fastening sections 43 are formed in one piece with the support 41.

[0094] FIGS. 6, 7 and 8 each schematically show different possibilities of moving the total conveying path comprising longitudinal members 13 and receivers 12 with attached conveyor belt units 15 as a whole relative to the rack 11.

[0095] In accordance with FIG. 6, the conveying path is pivotable about an axis Q extending in the transverse direction by means of a lifting device 65. FIG. 7 shows a variant in which the conveying path is pivotable about a longitudinal axis L which extends in the conveying direction and which extends in the region of the lower end of the lower member of the bracket section which forms the longitudinal member 13 at the right in FIG. 7. It can be recognized in the schematic plan view of FIG. 8 that the conveying path, of which only the longitudinal members 13 are shown, can be pivoted about a vertical axis V in this embodiment.

[0096] The position of the conveying path pivoted out of the operating position is in each case indicated by dashed lines in both FIG. 7 and FIG. 8.

[0097] An advantage of the conveying device in accordance with the invention is that it can be arranged in direct proximity of a packaging machine. Provision can in this respect be made that a rack of the packaging machine can form a longitudinal member and/or the transverse members of the conveying device. The packaging machine and the conveying device in accordance with the invention can hereby form an integrated unit.

[0098] For example, the base of the conveying device can be fixed directly to the rack of a packaging machine. It is furthermore possible to dispense with a base 11, such as it is shown in the Figures explained above, and to attach the two longitudinal members 13 directly to the rack of the packaging machine. Alternatively, the conveying device can have its own rack and can either be disposed next to the packaging machine or can engage over the packaging machine in the manner of a bridge.

[0099] It is furthermore possible in accordance with the invention to provide the conveying unit which is at the very front in the conveying direction directly in front of the packaging machine in the form of a feeding belt, i.e. a conveying device in accordance with the invention can take over the function of a so-called feeder.

[0100] Generally, the base carrying the longitudinal members can completely or partly be a separate base of the conveying device, but it can alternatively also, for example, form the rack or the housing of another component of a processing line including a packaging machine.

[0101] The invention consequently also relates to a conveying device comprising at least two longitudinal members and a plurality of receivers for supporting the conveyor belt sections, said receivers being carried by the longitudinal members, and it thus also relates to a conveying unit without a base supported on the ground. Such a conveying unit canas explained abovebe attached to the base of another device.

REFERENCE NUMERAL LIST

[0102] 11 base [0103] 12 receiver [0104] 13 longitudinal member [0105] 15 conveyor belt section; conveyor belt unit [0106] 17 transverse member [0107] 19 upper part [0108] 21 lower part [0109] 23 support surface of the longitudinal member [0110] 25 bracing device, tensioning screw [0111] 27 clamping point [0112] 29 support point [0113] 31 support section [0114] 33 carrier section [0115] 35 spacer element [0116] 37 holder [0117] 39 member [0118] 41 support [0119] 43 fastening section [0120] 45 clamping section [0121] 46 clamping section [0122] 51 motor [0123] 53 deflection [0124] 55 supporting surface [0125] 57 handle [0126] 59 drive belt [0127] 61 fastening screw [0128] 63 elevated portion [0129] 65 lifting device [0130] F conveying direction [0131] L longitudinal axis [0132] Q transverse axis [0133] V vertical axis