Transport system for the transport of components

• US 20040037687A1
• Filed: 07/02/2003
• Published: 02/26/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 07/03/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Tms Transport- Und Montagesysteme GmbH
• Original Assignee: TMS Produktionssysteme GmbH (Huachangda Intelligent Equipment Group Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Weiss, Lothar
• Application Number:
  US10/610,545
• Publication Number:
  US 20040037687A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 414/680
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 65/18 Transportation, conveyor or haulage systems specially adapted for motor vehicle or trailer assembly lines conveyors and haulage in general B65G
• CPC Class Codes: B66F 7/02 with platforms suspended from ropes, cables, or chains or screws and movable along pillars
• CPC Class Codes: B66F 7/0616 Suspended platforms, i.e. the load platform hangs from the base
• CPC Class Codes: B66F 7/0691 Asymmetric linkages, i.e. Y-configuration

Abstract

Transport system for transporting components on transport vehicles between stations that includes a movement unit, holding device, and lifting/lowering device for holding device. Lifting/lowering device includes a plurality of constructional elements, which are connected by at least one joint, and at least two constructional elements form a Y-shape. Transport system also includes at least one lifting drive. A point of action of lifting drive is arranged on holding device or in vicinity of an attachment point of holding device to lifting/lowering device, which is located on a constructional element connected to holding device. Point of action is spaced from constructional element with attachment point by a distance between 0 and 50% of length of longest constructional element connected to holding device. The instant abstract is neither intended to define the invention disclosed in this specification nor intended to limit the scope of the invention in any way.

Claims

1. A transport system for the transport of components on transport vehicles between a plurality of stations along a transport path, comprising:

at least one movement unit;

at least one holding device for holding the components;

at least one lifting and lowering device for lifting and/or lowering the holding device, the at least one lifting and lowering device comprising a plurality of constructional elements, which are connected to one another by at least one joint, and at least two of the plurality of constructional elements are arranged to form, at least in one lifting position, a Y-shape;

at least one lifting drive;

a point of action of the lifting drive is arranged on one of the holding device or in a vicinity of an attachment point of the holding device to the lifting and/or lowering device, which is located on a constructional element connected to the holding device,

wherein the point of action is spaced from the constructional element including the attachment point by a distance between 0 and 50% of a length of a longest constructional element connected to the holding device.

2. The transport device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the point of action is spaced from the constructional element including the attachment point by a distance between 0 and 25% of the length of the longest constructional element connected to the holding device.

3. The transport device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the components comprise vehicle bodies and the plurality of stations comprises production stations.

4. The transport device in accordance with claim 1, wherein a plurality of components is transported by a plurality of transport vehicles.

5. The transport device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the constructional elements comprise substantially rigid constructional elements.

6. The transport device in accordance with claim 5, wherein the rigid constructional elements comprise elongated constructional elements.

7. The transport device in accordance with claim 1, the plurality of constructional elements comprise a first and a second constructional element, wherein one end of the first constructional element is arranged to be pivotably mounted on the movement unit, and an other end of the first constructional element is pivotably coupled between two ends of the second constructional element.

8. The transport device in accordance with claim 1, further comprising a guide device, wherein at least one constructional element is pivotably coupled to and arranged for movement in the guide device.

9. The transport device in accordance with claim 8, wherein the plurality of constructional elements comprise at least a first and a second constructional element, and one end of the first constructional element is formed as a guide element to be pivotably coupled to and arranged for movement in the guide device and an other end of the guide element is connected to at least one of the holding device and the second constructional element.

10. The transport device in accordance with claim 9, wherein one of the first and second constructional elements is longer than the other.

11. The transport device in accordance with claim 10, wherein the longer constructional element is substantially twice as long as the shorter constructional element.

12. The transport device in accordance with claim 11, wherein the shorter constructional element is attached to substantially a middle of the longer constructional element in an articulated manner.

13. The transport device in accordance with claim 12, wherein the guide element is the longer constructional element.

14. The transport device in accordance with claim 9, wherein, as a result of kinematics of the lifting and lowering device, the guide device moves the other end of the guide element, which is connected to the holding device, substantially vertically.

15. The transport device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the lifting and lowering device comprises at least one multi-link jointed frame, in which the plurality of constructional elements are connected to one another in an articulated manner, and a guide element.

16. The transport device in accordance with claim 15, wherein at least one the multi-link jointed frames is formed as a parallelogram that comprises four constructional elements connected to one another in an articulated manner, whereby two constructional elements are arranged substantially parallel in all positions.

17. The transport device in accordance with claim 15, wherein each of the multi-link jointed frames is formed as a parallelogram.

18. The transport device in accordance with claim 15, wherein at least two of the multi-link jointed frames are connected by a connecting element that is simultaneously a constructional element of a first jointed frame and a constructional element of a second jointed frame.

19. The transport device in accordance with claim 18, wherein a constructional unit is rigidly connected to the movement unit or is formed by the movement unit, such that ends of two further constructional elements are arranged to be pivotably mounted on the constructional unit, while opposite ends of the two further constructional elements are pivotably to the connecting element, whereby * the connecting element, the constructional unit and the two further constructional elements are arranged to form the first jointed frame.

20. The transport device in accordance with claim 19, wherein another constructional element is one of rigidly connected to the holding device or formed by the holding device, such that ends of two still further constructional elements are pivotably mounted on the another constructional element, while opposite ends of the two still further constructional elements are pivotably coupled to the connecting element, whereby the connecting element, the another constructional element, the two still further constructional elements are arranged to form a second jointed frame.

21. The transport device in accordance with claim 15, wherein one end of the guide element is arranged such that it can be moved and guided in and pivotable relative to a guide device, and an opposite end of the guide element is connected one of to a constructional element of the at least one multi-link jointed frame or to the holding device.

22. The transport device in accordance with claim 21, wherein the guide element, at least to some extent, forms a constructional element of a multi-link jointed frame.

23. The transport device in accordance with claim 21, wherein the guide element is longer than a longest constructional element of the at least one multi-link jointed frames.

24. The transport device in accordance with claim 23, wherein the guide element is twice as long as a longest constructional element of the at least one multi-link jointed frame.

25. The transport device in accordance with claim 23, wherein one end of the connecting element is pivotably mounted on said guide element.

26. The transport device in accordance with claim 23, wherein said one end of the connecting element is pivotably mounted between the two ends of said guide element.

27. The transport device in accordance with claim 26, wherein the one end of the connecting element is pivotably mounted in the middle of the guide element.

28. The transport device in accordance with claim 23, wherein at least one of the constructional elements, the connecting element and the guide element is formed, at least to some extent, as rods.

29. The transport device in accordance with claim 28, wherein the rods are composed of at least one of tubes, shaped tubes and profile sections.

30. The transport device in accordance with claim 1, the plurality of construction elements comprise at least a first constructional element structured and arranged as a guide device of a second constructional element, which is structured and arranged as a guide element to be moved and guided in the guide device and to be pivotably mounted in the guide device.

31. The transport device in accordance with claim 30, wherein the lifting and lowering device comprises at least one multi-link jointed frame composed of a number of the plurality of constructional elements connected to one another in an articulated manner, and a guide element.

32. The transport device in accordance with claim 31, wherein the guide element is formed as part of the jointed frame.

33. The transport device in accordance with claim 31, wherein the guide element is connected to the jointed frame in an articulated manner.

34. The transport device in accordance with claim 31, further comprising a second guide device and a guide element having a predeterminable second point being guided for movement in, and pivotably coupled to, the second guide device.

35. The transport device in accordance with claim 31, wherein at least one of the guide element and the jointed frame is connected to the holding device.

36. The transport device in accordance with claim 31, wherein the guide device is a first guide device oriented one of substantially horizontally or obliquely to vertical, the transport device further comprises a second guide device oriented substantially vertically or obliquely to horizontal.

37. The transport device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the lifting and lowering device comprises at least a first part formed as an X-shaped scissors mechanism, and a second part formed as a Y-shaped unit composed of at least two constructional elements, and

wherein the first and second parts adjoin each other.

38. The transport device in accordance with claim 37, further comprising a guide device,

wherein at least one constructional element of the lifting and lowering device is mounted for movement and guidance in the guide device.

39. The transport device in accordance with claim 38, wherein a constructional element of the X-shaped scissors mechanism is guided in the guide device.

40. The transport device in accordance with claim 37, wherein a number of the plurality of constructional elements is formed as parallelogram-like jointed frames.

41. The transport device in accordance with claim 40, wherein one of the jointed frames is connected to the holding device.

42. The transport device in accordance with claim 41, wherein one of the jointed frames composes part of the X-shaped scissors mechanism.

43. The transport device in accordance with claim 34, wherein the first and second guide devices are arranged on the movement unit.

44. The transport device in accordance with claim 34, wherein the first and second guide devices are formed, at least to some extent, as a linear guide.

45. The transport device in accordance with claim 1, further comprising devices for moving the transport vehicle coupled to the movement unit.

46. The transport device in accordance with claim 45, wherein the devices for moving the transport vehicle comprise wheels, rollers, drives, and control units.

47. The transport device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the lifting drive comprises one of a cable drive, chain drive, threaded rod drive, rack drive, hydraulic cylinder and pneumatic cylinder.

48. The transport device in accordance with claim 1, wherein at least one lifting and lowering device positioned on opposite sides of the transport vehicle in a transport direction.

49. The transport device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the transport vehicle comprises a vehicle for a suspended conveyor, and the movement unit is moved by at least one of rollers and wheels on a guide system arranged above a floor.

50. The transport device in accordance with claim 49, wherein the suspended conveyor comprises an electric suspended conveyor.

51. The transport device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the transport vehicle comprises a floor vehicle, and the movement unit is one of self-propelled or driven externally on the floor.

52. The transport device in accordance with claim 51, wherein the floor vehicle comprises a thrust platform.

53. The transport device in accordance with claim 1, wherein one of the holding device or the component are transferred or accepted by the lifting and lowering device in a transfer position in at least one station,

wherein, at least one of in the transfer position and on one of the holding device or component, at least one centering device is located for determining a position of the holding device or the component in the at least one station.

54. The transport device in accordance with claim 53, wherein the holding device or the component is lifted or lowered substantially vertically for the transfer or acceptance, and the centering device is correspondingly aligned vertically.

55. The transport device in accordance with claim 53, wherein the holding device or the component is lifted or lowered substantially obliquely or in a curved shape for the transfer or acceptance, and the centering device is correspondingly aligned obliquely.