MOVING DEVICE HAVING AN OPERATING CONFIGURATION AND A MAINTENANCE CONFIGURATION

Abstract

The invention relates to a device for moving objects (11), in particular food products, comprising a plurality of individually movable transport movers (12) for transporting the objects, a track system for the transport movers, in which the transport movers can be moved along at least one specified track (10), and a control apparatus for controlling the motions of the transport movers in the track system, wherein the track comprises a stator (14) and an associated guide (16) for the transport movers, and wherein the track can be converted from an operating configuration into a maintenance configuration at least in some segments, in which maintenance configuration at least one component of the track can be moved out of the working position thereof corresponding to a transport operation in relation to the stator.

Claims

1.-19. (canceled)

20. An apparatus for moving objects, the apparatus comprising a plurality of individually movable transport movers for the transport of the objects; a path system for the transport movers in which the transport movers are movable along at least one predefined path; and a control device for controlling the movements of the transport movers in the path system, wherein the path comprises a stator and an associated guide for the transport movers, and wherein the path can be transitioned at least sectionally from an operating configuration into a service configuration in which at least one component of the path is moved relative to the stator out of its working position corresponding to a transport operation.

21. The apparatus in accordance with claim 20, wherein the component is the guide or at least a part of the guide.

22. The apparatus in accordance with claim 20, wherein the component is connected both in its working position corresponding to the operating configuration of the path and in a servicing position corresponding to the service configuration of the path and the component is adjustable between the working position and the servicing position.

23. The apparatus in accordance with claim 22, wherein the component is adjustable between the working position and the servicing position by an adjustment movement that comprises at least a pure pivoting movement or a linear movement and/or that comprises a combined release and adjustment movement.

24. The apparatus in accordance with claim 20, wherein a positioning aid is provided.

25. The apparatus in accordance with claim 24, wherein the positioning aid comprises shape-matching means and the position aid is adapted to pre-define a desired position of the component.

26. The apparatus in accordance with claim 25, wherein the positioning aid is secured in the working position by means of the shape-matching means.

27. The apparatus in accordance with claim 20, wherein the component is fixed to the path in the working position without any additional mechanical connection means.

28. The apparatus in accordance with claim 27, wherein the component is fixed to a mount associated with the path in the working position.

29. The apparatus in accordance with claim 20, wherein a fixing of the component effective in the working position is releasable without tools.

30. The apparatus in accordance with claim 20, wherein the component is fixed in the working position by one of magnetic forces, a latching connection, a plug-in connection, a clamping connection, a snap-in connection, and an articulated connection.

31. The apparatus in accordance with claim 30, wherein the fixing of the component is at least also effected by a weight of the component.

32. The apparatus in accordance with claim 20, wherein a further control device or said control device is configured for a condition monitoring of at least one path section, with the further control device or said control device being able to distinguish between the operating configuration and the service configuration as well as to initiate predefined measures in dependence on the respective detected condition.

33. The apparatus in accordance with claim 21, wherein the path is subdivided in at least one part region into a plurality of path sections releasably connected to one another, with the guides of directly consecutive path sections each being connected to one another by at least one bridge, and with the at least one bridge being releasable without tools.

34. The apparatus in accordance with claim 33, wherein a common mechanism is provided for the release of the at least one bridge and the moving of the component out of the working position.

35. The apparatus in accordance with claim 20, wherein the path is subdivided in at least one part region into a plurality of path sections that are releasably connected to one another and that each have at least one stator and one guide, with the guides of at least some path sections being able to be moved out of the working position together.

36. The apparatus in accordance with claim 20, wherein the path is subdivided in at least one part region into a plurality of path sections that are releasably connected to one another and that each have at least one stator and one guide, with the guides of at least some path sections being able to be moved out of the working position independently of one another.

37. An apparatus for moving objects, the apparatus comprising a plurality of individually movable transport movers for the transport of the objects; a path system for the transport movers in which the transport movers are movable along at least one predefined path; and a control device for controlling the movements of the transport movers in the path system, wherein the path comprises a stator and an associated guide for the transport movers, and wherein at least the guide of the path comprises a plurality of guide sections, with at least one guide section being configured to provide at least one consumable for the transport movers during transport operation.

38. The apparatus in accordance with claim 37, wherein the guide section includes a consumable store and/or is connected or connectable to a consumable supply.

39. The apparatus in accordance with claim 37, wherein the guide section is provided at least regionally with dispensing openings and/or is configured as porous for dispensing the consumable.

Description

[0055] The invention will be described in the following by way of example with reference to the drawings. There are shown:

[0056] FIG. 1 a sectional view of an embodiment of a movement apparatus in accordance with the invention;

[0057] FIGS. 2a and 2b sectional views of an embodiment of a movement apparatus in accordance with the invention; in the operating configuration in FIG. 2a and in the service configuration in FIG. 2b;

[0058] FIGS. 3a and 3b sectional views of an embodiment of a movement apparatus in accordance with the invention; in the operating configuration in FIG. 3a and in the service configuration in FIG. 3b;

[0059] FIGS. 4a and 4b sectional views of an embodiment of a movement apparatus in accordance with the invention; in the operating configuration in FIG. 4a and in the service configuration in FIG. 4b;

[0060] FIGS. 5a and 5b sectional views of an embodiment of a movement apparatus in accordance with the invention; in the operating configuration in FIG. 5a and in the service configuration in FIG. 5b;

[0061] FIGS. 6a and 6b sectional views of an embodiment of a movement apparatus in accordance with the invention; in the operating configuration in FIG. 6a and in the service configuration in FIG. 6b;

[0062] FIGS. 7a and 7b sectional views of an embodiment of a movement apparatus in accordance with the invention; in the operating configuration in FIG. 7a and in the service configuration in FIG. 7b;

[0063] FIGS. 8a and 8b sectional views of an embodiment of a movement apparatus in accordance with the invention; in the operating configuration in FIG. 8a and in the service configuration in FIG. 8b;

[0064] FIGS. 9a, 9b and 9c different views of an embodiment of a movement apparatus in accordance with the invention, with FIG. 9a showing a plan view of a plurality of path sections; FIG. 9b showing a side view of a plurality of path sections; and FIG. 9c showing a cross-section of the path;

[0065] FIG. 10 further embodiments of a movement apparatus in accordance with the invention; and

[0066] FIGS. 11 and 12 a further embodiment in each case of a movement apparatus in accordance with the invention.

[0067] It must first be noted that the embodiments shown are of a purely exemplary nature. The features of an embodiment can also be combined as desired with features of one or more other embodiments.

[0068] A cross-section of path 10 is shown in FIG. 1 which forms, together with one or more transport movers 12, an apparatus for moving objects 11, for example food portions. The path comprises a stator 14 and two guides 16 associated with the stator 14. The objects 11 lie on the transport mover 12 during transport.

[0069] The path 10 is in an operating configuration in FIG. 1 in which the transport movers 12 can move in a guided manner along the path 10.

[0070] A respective cross-section of a path 10 is shown in FIGS. 2a and 2b, with the guides 16 in FIG. 2a each being in their working position, whereas in FIG. 2b, the guides 16 have each been moved out of the working position in that they have simply been removed from the stator 14.

[0071] A respective cross-section of a path 10 is shown in FIGS. 3a and 3b, with the guides 16 each being connected to the stator 14 by an articulated connection 18. The guides 16 are in their working positions in FIG. 3a, whereas in FIG. 3b the guides 16 have each been moved out of the working positions by a pivoting movement. The guides 16 can therefore remain at the path 10 in this service configuration.

[0072] While in accordance with FIGS. 3a and 3b the articulated connections 18 are arranged in an upper region of the stator 14, in accordance with FIGS. 4a and 4b an articulated connection of the guides 16 to the stator 14 takes place in a lower region, and indeed in the region of a transition between the stator 14 and a rack 30 not shown in any more detail. The path 10 is consequently e.g. even more accessible for cleaning in the service configuration in accordance with FIG. 4b.

[0073] In FIGS. 5a and 5b, the guides 16 are each connected to the stator 14 by means of a clamping device 20. Clamping elements 21 of the clamping device 20 form mounts 23—of pocket form in this example—for the guides 16 in which the guides 16 are each securely fixed in the working position in accordance with FIG. 5a. In FIG. 5b, the clamping device 20 is in a release position in which the guides 16 can be simply removed from the mounts 23.

[0074] In the embodiment of FIGS. 6a and 6b, the fixing of the guides 16 to the stator 14 takes place by magnetic force. The guides 16 or the stator 14 can be provided with permanent magnets for this purpose. The guides 16 and the stator 14 are furthermore provided with positioning or alignment aids, not shown, that fix a defined relative position between the guide 16 and the stator 14 respectively such that an exact guide of the transport movers, not shown here, is ensured. The guides 16 can consequently be removed fast and simply here, namely without tools, (FIG. 6b) and can again be brought back into their working position at the stator 14 (FIG. 6a).

[0075] In FIGS. 7a and 7b, the guides 16 each comprise a guide element 18 and a carrier 22 that is fixedly connected to the stator 14 and that carries the guide element 18. The guide element 18 can be moved out of its working position in accordance with FIG. 7a by removal from the carrier 22 remaining at the stator 14. This embodiment shows that the respective components, here the guides 16, do not each have to be removed as a whole, i.e. that it is sufficient only to remove a respective part of the guides 16 to switch the path into the service configuration.

[0076] In FIGS. 8a and 8b, the guide 16 only comprises one single carrier 22 that is fixedly connected to the stator 14 at one of the longitudinal sides and that carries a multi-part guide element 24. This variant has the advantage that a component, here the carrier 22, only remains at one side in the service configuration of the path.

[0077] In accordance with FIGS. 9a and 9b, a plurality of consecutive path sections 26, that each comprise a stator 14 and a guide 16, are connected to form a path 10. Each guide 16 comprises carriers 22 and a rail-like guide element 24. FIG. 9c shows a corresponding cross-sectional view.

[0078] To ensure an alignment of the guide rails 24 at the transitions between the path sections 26, consecutive guide rails 24 are connected to one another by bridge elements 28 that align the guide rails 24 relative to one another. These bridges 28 inter alia prevent the transport movers from being impeded by non-aligned guide rails 24 on the transition from one path section 26 into the next path section 26.

[0079] A plurality of consecutive guide rails 24 can remain connected to one another by the bridge elements 28 when the guide rails 24 are removed from the path 10 to transition them into a service configuration. At those points at which the connection between consecutive guide rails 24 is to be released, a respective mechanism can be provided that enables a simultaneous release of the respective bridge 28 and a release of the connections between the guide rails 24 and the stator 14.

[0080] Four possible embodiments how transition regions between directly consecutive path sections can be designed in a path system of an apparatus in accordance with the invention are shown in FIG. 10.

[0081] Each path section 26 comprises a stator 14 and a guide 16. With a design of the guides 16 or of transitions between directly consecutive sections of the guides 16 possibly provided in the region of the transition 32 or also at another point, provision is respectively made in these embodiments that the directly consecutive stators 14 overlap, and indeed such that the stators 14 engage into one another in an at least substantially shape-matched manner in the manner of a complementary toothed arrangement. The extent of the transition is generally as desired. FIG. 10 shows four different possibilities purely by way of example.

[0082] In accordance with a possible embodiment, the four representations of FIG. 10 show a plan view of the transition region 32, i.e. the two stators 14 overlap one another at the side.

[0083] In an alternative embodiment, the directly consecutive stators 14 can also overlap in the vertical direction. Such embodiments are shown in FIG. 10 when the individual representations are considered as a side view.

[0084] FIG. 10 thus discloses two alternative embodiments of the invention—lateral overlap and vertical overlap—each with four possible variants.

[0085] In general, geometrically more complex overlaps or toothed arrangements are also conceivable that have both a lateral component and a vertical component.

[0086] A lateral overlap, that is an observation of the representations in FIG. 10 as a plan view in each case, is preferred.

[0087] FIGS. 11 and 12 each show possible transitions 34 between directly consecutive guide sections 16 of the path sections 26. The design of these transition regions 34 is generally independent of the design of the transition regions 32 between directly consecutive stators.

[0088] In the embodiment of FIG. 11 that shows a side view of a plurality of directly consecutive path sections 26, the guide transitions 34 of the side of the guide 16 shown are offset in the transport direction with respect to the transitions 32 between the stators 14. This is achieved in that the guide 16 extends beyond the stator transition 32, but ends before the next transition 32 and forms, together with a guide section extending in the opposite direction beyond the last-named transition 32, a guide transition 34 that is disposed within the longitudinal extent of a stator section 14.

[0089] FIG. 12 shows an embodiment in which consecutive guide sections overlap laterally in the transition region 34. The guides 16 can be fixed to a carrier, for example, in the overlap region.

[0090] Analogously to the embodiment of FIG. 11, the transitions regions 24 between the guides 16 can also be offset in the transport direction with respect to the transition regions 32 between the stators 14 in the embodiment in accordance with FIG. 12.

[0091] In FIG. 12, an overlap without teeth is shown, i.e. the mutually overlapping regions of the guides 16 are—unlike with the stator overlaps in accordance with FIG. 10—not configured in the sense of a complementary shape matching. Such an overlap with teeth having a complementary shape matching for an uninterrupted continuation of the cross-section of the guides is—as with the stator transitions of FIG. 10—alternatively, however, also possible for the guide transitions 34 in accordance with FIG. 12.

REFERENCE NUMERAL LIST

[0092] 10 path [0093] 11 object [0094] 12 transport mover [0095] 14 stator [0096] 16 guide [0097] 18 articulated connection [0098] 20 clamping device [0099] 21 clamping element [0100] 22 carrier [0101] 23 mount [0102] 24 guide element [0103] 24a part of the guide element [0104] 24b part of the guide element [0105] 26 path section [0106] 28 bridge [0107] 30 rack [0108] 32 transition region of the stators [0109] 34 transition region of the guides