Treatment plant and method for treating workpieces

Abstract

In order to provide a workpiece treatment plant that has a simple design and can be used flexibly, the treatment plant comprises multiple treatment zones, each of which includes one or more treatment stations for carrying out one or more treatment steps each, and one or more temporary storage units for temporarily storing the workpieces between two treatment steps.

Claims

1. Treatment plant for treating workpieces, in particular for coating vehicle bodies, the treatment plant comprising: treatment zones, each of which has one or more treatment stations for carrying out one or more treatment steps; and one or more temporary storage units for temporarily storing the workpieces between two of the one or more treatment steps, wherein one or more storage access points, in particular storage admission access points and/or retrieval access points, of the temporary storage unit form or include or adjoin one or more transfer stations, and wherein, at the one or more transfer stations, the workpieces can be transferred from a conveyor system according to a first type of conveyor system to a conveyor system of a second type of conveyor system different therefrom.

2. Treatment plant according to claim 1, wherein the one or more temporary storage units are arranged between two treatment zones.

3. Treatment plant according to claim 1, wherein the treatment plant includes treatment levels arranged at different elevations, in particular one above the other, on which the treatment stations of the treatment zones are arranged, wherein the one or more temporary storage units connect of the treatment levels to one another such that workpieces on one of the treatment levels can be stored in the one or more temporary storage units and on another of the treatment levels can be retrieved from the one or more temporary storage units.

4. Treatment plant according to claim 1, wherein the one or more temporary storage units in each case have storage admission access points and/or retrieval access points.

5. Treatment plant according to claim 4, wherein two or more of the storage admission access points are arranged on different treatment levels of the treatment plant and/or wherein two or more of the retrieval access points are arranged on different treatment levels of the treatment plant.

6. Treatment plant according to claim 1, wherein the treatment plant includes treatment levels arranged at different elevations, in particular one above the other, on which the treatment stations of the treatment zones are arranged, wherein in each case one or more storage admission access points of the one or more temporary storage units and/or one or more retrieval access points of the one or more temporary storage units are arranged on one or more of the treatment levels.

7. Treatment plant according to claim 1, wherein the one or more temporary storage units in each case include a storage conveyor system for conveying the workpieces within the respective temporary storage unit.

8. Treatment plant according to claim 7, wherein at the one or more transfer stations the workpieces can be transferred from a zone conveyor system of the treatment plant to the storage conveyor system and/or from the storage conveyor system to the zone conveyor system.

9. Treatment plant according to claim 8, wherein the workpieces can be received by means of workpiece holders on the storage conveyor system, and wherein, depending upon a type of adjacent zone conveyor system, the workpiece holders can be transferred selectively from the storage conveyor system to a zone conveyor system or remain within the respective temporary storage unit.

10. Treatment plant according to claim 7, wherein the storage conveyor system serves, alternatively or in addition to a workpiece conveyance, for the conveyance, in particular return conveyance of workpiece holders, in particular skids, which are not carrying workpieces.

11. Treatment plant according to claim 1, wherein one or more of the temporary storage units is used for temporarily storing workpieces in different treatment progress states.

12. Treatment plant according to claim 11, wherein one or more of the temporary storage units have in each case storage admission access points, at which workpieces in different treatment progress states can be stored in the temporary storage unit.

13. Treatment plant according to claim 1, wherein the treatment plant includes temporary storage units, wherein workpieces with the same treatment progress state can selectively be stored in one of several of these temporary storage units.

14. Method for treating workpieces, in particular for coating vehicle bodies, the method comprising: treating the workpieces in treatment stations; and temporarily storing the workpieces in one or more temporary storage units between two treatment steps, wherein one or more storage access points, in particular storage admission access points and/or retrieval access points, of the temporary storage unit form or include or adjoin one or more transfer stations, and wherein at the one or more transfer station the workpieces can be transferred from a conveyor system according to a first type of conveyor system to a conveyor system of a second type of conveyor system different therefrom.

15. Method according to claim 14, wherein the workpieces, in particular with different treatment progress states, are stored in the same temporary storage unit.

16. Method according to claim 14, wherein the workpieces are stored on different treatment levels, on which the treatment stations are arranged, in the one or more temporary storage units and retrieved from the same.

17. Method according to claim 14, wherein the workpieces are stored in the one or more temporary storage units in a manner preserving their orientation, conveyed within the one or more temporary storage units in a manner preserving their orientation, and/or retrieved from the one or more temporary storage units in a manner preserving their orientation.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1 shows a first treatment level of a treatment plant for treating workpieces;

(2) FIG. 2 shows a first additional level of the treatment plant;

(3) FIG. 3 shows a second treatment level of the treatment plant, and

(4) FIG. 4 shows a second additional level of the treatment plant.

(5) The same or functionally equivalent elements are provided with the same reference signs in all figures.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(6) An embodiment, shown in FIGS. 1 through 4, of a treatment plant designated as a whole by 100 is used for the treatment of workpiecesin particular, the painting of vehicle bodies.

(7) The treatment plant 100 is thus in particular a paint shop.

(8) The treatment plant 100 comprises several levels 102 which serve for accommodating the components of the treatment plant 100in particular, for accommodating treatment zones 104which in each case comprise one or more treatment stations 106.

(9) In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 through 4, two levels 102 are designed as treatment levels 108.

(10) Most or all of the treatment stations 106 are arranged on these treatment levels 108.

(11) In addition, two levels 102 of the treatment plant 100, which are designed as additional levels 110, are provided.

(12) The workpieces to be treated are conveyed by means of a conveyor system 112 of the treatment plant 100 through the levels 102 and between the levels.

(13) For this purpose, the conveyor system 112 comprises various conveyor system sections.

(14) Each conveyor system section serves here for a particular conveying purpose and/or is designed as a special type of conveyor system.

(15) For example, a zone conveyor system 114 is assigned to each treatment zone 104.

(16) In the first treatment level 108, shown in FIG. 1, the workpieces are conveyed, for example, by means of an AGV conveyor system 116, in which the workpieces are transported by means of freely-driven, and in particular autonomously driven, transfer vehicles.

(17) In this case, the AGV conveyor system 116 can be provided in a single treatment zone 104 or even across treatment zones.

(18) In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, it is provided that the AGV conveyor system 116 serve to convey the workpieces in several treatment zones 104.

(19) As can also be seen from FIG. 1, the treatment plant 100 comprises a temporary storage unit 118, which is designed in particular as a high-bay storage facility 120.

(20) The temporary storage unit 118 comprises a storage conveyor system 122, by means of which workpieces can be conveyed from and to storage locations within the temporary storage unit 118.

(21) In addition, the storage conveyor system 122 serves for receiving workpieces at storage admission access points 124 of the temporary storage unit 118 and/or for the delivery of workpieces at retrieval access points 126 of the temporary storage unit 118.

(22) In particular, transfer stations 128 of the treatment plant 100 are provided in the transfer areafor example, at the storage admission access points 124 and/or the retrieval access points 126.

(23) The transfer stations 128 in particular enable a transfer of the workpieces from a conveyor system of a first type of conveyor system to a conveyor system of the same type of conveyor system or of a further type of conveyor system.

(24) As can also be seen from FIG. 1, the temporary storage unit 118 comprises, for example, several sections or zones which are or can be connected to one another by means of connection points 130.

(25) The temporary storage unit 118 thus makes possible in particular an exchange or a transfer of workpieces within various zones or sections of the temporary storage unit 118.

(26) As a result, the workpieces in storage can be transported in a particularly flexible manner to different retrieval access points 126.

(27) The temporary storage unit 118 is preferably used for transferring the workpieces to other levels 102 of the treatment plant 100.

(28) By means of the storage conveyor system 122, workpieces treated for example in the second treatment level 108 (see FIG. 3), which are fed into this second treatment level 108 of the temporary storage unit 118, can be conveyed to the first treatment level 108 (see FIG. 1) in order to continue the treatment of the workpieces in the first treatment level 108.

(29) As can be seen in particular from FIG. 3, the treatment zones 104 are arranged around the temporary storage unit 118.

(30) In particular, the temporary storage unit 118 is preferably arranged between two treatment zones 104, at least in relation to a horizontal direction and relative to at least one of the levels 102.

(31) As a result, the temporary storage unit 118 can be integrated particularly easily into the treatment plant 100 and is easily and flexibly accessible at several locations in order to be able to store the workpieces in the temporary storage unit 118 as required and retrieve them from the same.

(32) As can be seen in particular in FIGS. 1 and 3, which represent the two treatment levels 108, several storage admission access points 124 and/or retrieval access points 126 are provided on each treatment level 108. The number of these storage admission access points 124, 126, together with the design of the storage conveyor system 122, is decisive for the storage capacity, retrieval capacity, speed of storage, and/or speed of retrieval of the temporary storage unit 118.

(33) Depending upon the configuration and arrangement of the treatment zones 104, the number of storage access points 124, 126 present on a level 102 may not be sufficient.

(34) For this reason, one or more additional levels 110 can preferably be used, to provide further storage access points 124, 126 for access to the temporary storage unit 118.

(35) As can be seen in particular from the two additional levels 110 in FIGS. 2 and 4, for this purpose, the treatment plant 100 comprises one or more vertical conveying devices 132, which connect two or more levels 102 to one another.

(36) It is thus provided that the vertical conveying device 132 on the first additional level 110 (see FIG. 2) connect this additional level 110 to the first treatment level 108 (see FIG. 1).

(37) By means of this vertical conveying device 132, in particular several, e.g., six, retrieval access points 126 on the first additional level 110 are connected to one or more, e.g., two, transfer stations 128 on the first treatment level 108.

(38) The number of workpieces that can be retrieved from the temporary storage unit 118 within a predetermined time interval and which can be supplied to the first treatment level 108 can thus be significantly increasedfor example, doubled.

(39) The vertical conveying device 132 does not have to be arranged directly adjacent to the temporary storage unit 118.

(40) Rather, it can be provided that the vertical conveying device 132 be arranged at a distance from the temporary storage unit 118 and connected to the same by means of an intermediate conveyor system 134.

(41) The intermediate conveyor system 134 is, for example, a roller conveyor 136, which, by means of several transverse conveyors and/or turntables, connects the vertical conveying device 132 to the retrieval access points 126 on the first additional level 110.

(42) It can be provided that the workpieces to be fed to the first treatment level 108 all be fed to the same treatment zone 104.

(43) In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 through 4, however, it is provided that the workpieces discharged from the retrieval access points 126 on the first treatment level 108, on the one hand, and the workpieces from the first additional level 110 which are fed via the vertical conveying device 132 to the first treatment level 108, on the other, be fed to different treatment zones 104.

(44) As can be seen in particular from FIGS. 3 and 4, a further vertical conveying device 132 can be provided which, for example, serves to transfer the workpieces from a treatment zone 104 on the second treatment level 108 to an intermediate conveyor system 134 on the second additional level 110.

(45) By means of this intermediate conveyor system 134 on the second additional level 110, the workpieces can then be conveyed by the vertical conveying device 132 to the storage admission access points 124 of the temporary storage unit 128 that are arranged on this second additional level 110, and finally can be stored in the temporary storage unit 118.

(46) By means of the two vertical conveying devices 132 mentioned above, the workpieces can thus be transported in particular from one of the levels 102 to an adjacent level 102.

(47) In addition, further vertical conveying devices 132, not discussed here, can be provided in order to transport the workpieces in particular from one of the treatment levels 108 to another of the treatment levels 108.

(48) The above-described design of the conveyor system 112 together with the temporary storage unit 118 enables in particular a concentration of treatment stations 106, formed as treatment boxes 138, on the first treatment level 108, as well as the concentration of treatment lines 140 on the second treatment level 108. As a result of optimized storage and retrieval of the workpieces in the temporary storage unit 118, simple transport between the levels 102, simple sorting of the workpieces for feeding to the individual treatment stations 106, and, in addition, a flexible adaptation to different treatment variants are possible.

(49) Further flexibility is attained by the arrangement of the temporary storage unit 118 within the treatment plant 100 and also by the use of one or more additional levels 110 for storing workpieces in the temporary storage unit 118 or retrieving workpieces from the temporary storage unit 118.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS

(50) 100 Treatment plant 102 Level 104 Treatment zone 106 Treatment station 108 Treatment level 110 Additional level 112 Conveyor system 114 Zone conveyor system 116 AGV conveyor system 118 Temporary storage unit 120 High-bay storage facility 122 Storage conveyor system 124 Storage admission access point 126 Retrieval access point 128 Transfer station 130 Connection point 132 Vertical conveying device 134 Intermediate conveyor system 136 Roller conveyor 138 Treatment box 140 Treatment line