RECEIVING DEVICE FOR TRANSPORTING OBJECTS AND COMBINATION OF SUCH A RECEIVING DEVICE WITH AN AUXILIARY DEVICE

Abstract

The invention relates to a receiving device for transporting objects, wherein the receiving device comprises a base unit with a floor portion and two wall portions. According to the invention, the receiving device further comprises a tilting unit which is hinged to the base unit by means of a tilting hinge so as to be tiltable about a tilting axis between a horizontal tilting position and a vertical tilting position, wherein the tilting unit comprises a support portion which, in the horizontal position, extends substantially parallel to the floor portion of the base unit, and two retaining portions which, regardless of the respective tilting position, extend substantially orthogonally to the wall portions of the base unit. The invention further relates to a combination of such a receiving device with an auxiliary device, which is preferably configured as a removal device.

Claims

1-10. (canceled)

11. A receiving device for transporting at least one object not belonging to the receiving device, the receiving device comprising: a base unit with a floor portion, an underside of the floor portion configured for attachment to a mover of a conveying device, wherein the mover and the conveying devices are not part of the receiving device; at least two wall portions which project from at least two side edges of the floor portion, wherein the at least two wall portions are opposite one another with respect to a side of the floor portion facing away from the underside of the floor portion; and a tilting unit which is hinged to the base unit by means of a tilting hinge so as to be tiltable about a tilting axis between a horizontal tilting position and a vertical tilting position, the tilting axis extending substantially orthogonally to the at least two wall portions of the base unit, wherein the tilting unit comprises i) a support portion which, in the horizontal tilting position, extends substantially parallel to the floor portion of the base unit, and ii) at least two retaining portions which, regardless of a respective tilting position, extend substantially orthogonally to the at least two wall portions of the base unit.

12. The receiving device according to claim 11, wherein an engagement element is provided at a free end of a first one of the at least two retaining portions which is arranged at a distance from the tilting axis.

13. The receiving device according to claim 11, wherein the tilting unit has at least one aperture, wherein the at least one aperture i) passes from a free end of a first one of the at least two retaining portions which is arranged at a distance from the tilting axis and ii) extends into the support portion.

14. The receiving device according to claim 13, wherein the at least one aperture extends into the support portion to an end of the support portion that is adjacent to the tilting axis.

15. The receiving device according to claim 11, wherein a return spring is assigned to the tilting hinge.

16. The receiving device according to claim 15, wherein the return spring is a torsion spring.

17. The receiving device according to claim 11, wherein a pneumatic unit or an electric motor-driven power unit is assigned to the tilting hinge.

18. The receiving device according to claim 11, wherein the floor portion of the base unit has at least one support rib at a point corresponding to at least one aperture of the tilting unit, wherein the at least one support rib substantially fills the at least one aperture when the tilting unit is in the horizontal tilting position.

19. The receiving device according to claim 11, further comprising an auxiliary device.

20. The receiving device according to claim 19, wherein: wherein an engagement element is provided at a free end of a first one of the at least two retaining portions which is arranged at a distance from the tilting axis, wherein the auxiliary device comprises a counter-engagement element configured to engage with the engagement element.

21. The receiving device according to claim 19, wherein the auxiliary device comprises a first abutting unit, wherein the first abutting unit is hinged to the auxiliary device so as to pivot about a first pivot axis, wherein the first abutting unit is configured to abut against at least one object received in the receiving device.

22. The receiving device according to claim 21, wherein the auxiliary device further comprises a second abutting unit, wherein the second abutting unit is hinged to the auxiliary device so as to pivot about a second pivot axis, wherein the second abutting unit is configured to move through at least one aperture of the tilting unit.

23. The receiving device according to claim 22, wherein the first abutting unit and the second abutting unit are configured to grip the at least one object received in the receiving device.

Description

[0014] The invention is explained in more detail below based on exemplary embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings. These show the following:

[0015] FIG. 1 A perspective view of a receiving device according to the invention interacting with an auxiliary device configured as a removal device; and

[0016] FIGS. 2 to 5 Schematic representations illustrating the process of unloading the receiving device according to the invention using the removal device.

[0017] In FIG. 1, a receiving device according to the invention is generally designated with the reference number 100 and an auxiliary device according to the invention is generally designated with the reference number 200.

[0018] The receiving device 100 comprises a base unit 110 and a tilting unit 120 which is hinged to the base unit 110 by means of a tilting hinge 102 so as to be tiltable about a tilting axis K between a horizontal tilting position (see FIGS. 2 and 3) and a vertical tilting position (see FIG. 5). In FIG. 1, the tilting unit 120 is shown in an intermediate tilting position (see also FIG. 4).

[0019] The base unit 110 comprises a floor portion 112, which is substantially rectangular in the exemplary embodiment shown. An underside 112a of the floor portion is prepared for connection to a mover M (see FIG. 2) of a conveying device F designed for example using magnetic levitation technology, whereby the receiving device 100 can be moved along a working surface A of the conveying device F in order to transport objects O (see FIG. 1) from a predefined pick-up position to a predefined delivery position.

[0020] The base unit 110 further comprises two wall portions 114, 116 which project upwards from two longitudinal edges 112b, 112c of the floor portion of the base unit 110.

[0021] The tilting unit 120 comprises a support portion 122, which, as will be explained in more detail below, is formed by three support struts 122a in the exemplary embodiment shown, as well as two retaining portions 124, 126, which project upwards from the two short sides 122b, 122c of the support portion 122. While the retaining portion 124, which is arranged on the side of the support portion 122 facing the tilting hinge 102, forms a continuous surface, the opposite retaining portion 126 is formed by three retaining struts 126a, which are formed in one piece with the support struts 122a but extend substantially orthogonally thereto.

[0022] In its horizontal tilting position, the tilting unit 120 together with the base unit 110 forms an upwardly open tray into which objects O can be placed.

[0023] At this point, it should also be noted that the floor portion 112 of the base unit 110 has two support strips 112d which, when the tilting unit 120 is in the horizontal tilting position, engage in the apertures 122d between the support struts 122a and thus, together with the support struts 122a, form a substantially continuous support surface for the objects O.

[0024] In order to unload the objects O vertically, it must be possible to transfer the tilting unit 120 from its horizontal tilting position as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 to its vertical tilting position as shown in FIG. 5. For this purpose an engagement element 128, more precisely one engagement element each, is arranged on the tilting unit 120, more precisely on the free ends of the retaining struts 126a, which is designed and intended to engage with a counter-engagement element 202 of a base plate 204 of the auxiliary device 200.

[0025] Before explaining further, it should be noted that, although not shown in the figures, the auxiliary device 200 can be moved by means of a displacing apparatus, for example a robot arm.

[0026] With the receiving device 100 in a predefined unloading position on the working surface A according to FIG. 2, the auxiliary device 200 can be moved towards the receiving device 100 in such a way that the counter-engagement element 202 of the auxiliary device 200 engages with the engagement element 128 of the receiving device 100 (situation according to FIG. 3).

[0027] The auxiliary device 200 is then moved through a circular arc C about the tilting axis A of the tilting unit 120, whereby the tilting unit 120 is lifted out of the base unit 110 of the receiving device 100 and tilted about the tilting axis A. Since both the engagement element 128 and the counter-engagement element 202 abut against each other with circular cylindrical surfaces, they slide smoothly against each other.

[0028] As shown in the figures, the auxiliary device 200 has a first abutting unit 210 which is hinged to the base plate 204 of the auxiliary device so as to pivot about a substantially horizontal pivot axis S1. To prevent the objects O from falling out of the receiving device 100 when the tilting unit 120 is tilted, the first abutting unit 210 can be pivoted in such a way that it abuts against the uppermost object O (see FIGS. 1 and 4) and thereby secures it in the receiving device 100.

[0029] Furthermore, the auxiliary device 200 has a second abutting unit 220 which is hinged to the base plate 204 of the auxiliary device so as to pivot about a substantially horizontal pivot axis S2. This second abutting unit has two abutting tines 222 (see FIG. 1), which are designed and intended to enter between the support struts 122d and retaining struts 126a and move between them.

[0030] Once the tilting unit 120 has reached the vertical position shown in FIG. 5, the second abutting unit 220 can also be pivoted in such a way that it rests against the lowest object O (see FIG. 4).

[0031] If the two abutting units 210, 220 exert a sufficiently strong lateral pressure on the objects O, they can grip the objects O, remove them from the receiving device 100 and transfer them to a further device (not shown), for example a packaging device.

[0032] To return the tilting unit 120 to the horizontal tilting position in a simple manner, the tilting hinge 102 can, for example, be equipped with a return spring (not shown), which initiates the return to the horizontal tilting position as soon as the engagement element 128 has been disengaged from the counter-engagement element 202.