APPARATUS FOR HANDLING ARTICLES IN A TRANSPORTING UNIT, IN PARTICULAR AN INTERCHANGEABLE CONTAINER, AND UNLOADING APPARATUS

• US 20120207572A1
• Filed: 10/20/2011
• Published: 08/16/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/20/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Korber Supply Chain Logistics GmbH
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: ENENKEL, PETER
• Granted Patent: US 10,836,591 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 414/502
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 25/22 for facilitating lifting or suspending of containers
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 77/225 Pressure relief-valves incorporated in a container wall, e.g. valves comprising at least one elastic element
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 67/08 using endless conveyors

Abstract

An apparatus for handling articles in a transporting unit, which may be an interchangeable container, having a mobile conveying unit that is moved into the transporting unit to unload the unit, collect and receive articles stacked in the unit under the control of an operator, and convey the articles out of the transporting unit in an unloading direction for further processing. The apparatus generally facilitates removal from the transporting unit with a small amount of effort during the unloading of non-uniformly or randomly stacked articles. The conveying unit has a floor conveyor which conveys in a loose random arrangement the articles that have been toppled or removed from the stack of articles.

Claims

1-28. -28. (canceled)

29. An apparatus for handling unloading of articles, comprising:

a transporting unit being an interchangeable container;

a mobile conveying unit located in said transporting unit for unloading articles from said unit, transporting articles stacked in the unit under control of an operator and conveying the articles out of the transporting unit in an unloading direction for further processing; and

said conveying unit having a floor conveyor for conveying the articles removed from the stack of articles.

30. The apparatus according to claim 29, wherein:

said transporting unit has a floor; and

said floor conveyor forms a conveying plane which is arranged, at least during an unloading operation, at most at the level of the feet of the operator relative to said floor.

31. The apparatus according to claim 29, wherein said floor conveyor forms a conveying plane that extends perpendicular relative to the unloading direction over at least a substantial part of a width (B) of said transporting unit.

32. The apparatus according to claim 29, including a tool unit for operation by the operator to guide articles removed from the stack of articles.

33. The apparatus according to claim 32, wherein said tool unit is secured to said conveying unit.

34. The apparatus according to claim 29, wherein said conveying unit has a work platform to support an operator.

35. The apparatus according to claim 34, wherein:

said conveying unit moves in a direction into said transporting unit during an unloading operation and has a front end relative to the direction of movement; and

said work platform is arranged at said front end.

36. The apparatus according to claim 34, wherein

said floor conveyor defines a conveying plane;

and

said work platform extends perpendicular to the unloading direction over at least a substantial part of a width of the conveying plane.

37. The apparatus according to claim 29, wherein said floor conveyor includes a set of conveying devices, and at least two of said conveying devices each have a different conveying direction.

38. The apparatus according to claim 29, including

a separating device for separating articles unloaded from said transporting unit, and said separating device is operably connected to said conveying unit.

39. The apparatus according to claim 29, wherein said conveying unit has a cushioning unit to cushion articles that fall onto said floor conveyor.

40. The apparatus according to claim 29, wherein said conveying unit has a chute to guide articles that drop from the stack of articles onto said floor conveyor.

41. The apparatus according to claim 29, including a conveying device that adjoins said conveying unit and has a telescopic configuration, to further convey articles that have been transported out of the transporting unit.

42. The apparatus according to claim 29, wherein

the conveying device has an operating apparatus to enable the operator to actuate movement of at least the floor conveyor.

43. An unloading apparatus for unloading a transporting unit for transporting articles, comprising:

a conveying unit for conveying articles in an unloading direction out of the transporting unit and having at least one conveying plane; and

at least one collecting device for collecting articles, said collecting device having at least one collecting region being arranged higher than the conveying plane.

44. The unloading apparatus according to claim 43, wherein said conveying unit is a mobile conveying unit capable of being moved into the transporting unit for an unloading operation.

45. The unloading apparatus according to claim 43, wherein said conveying unit includes a floor conveyor that forms the conveying plane and conveys in a loose arrangement articles that have been toppled from a stack of articles.

46. The unloading apparatus according to claim 43, wherein said conveying unit and said collecting device form a cohesive unit.

47. The unloading apparatus according to claim 43, wherein said collecting region is arranged above the conveying plane at least in a working position of said collecting device.

48. The unloading apparatus according to claim 43, wherein said collecting device includes at least one guiding region to guide collected articles onto the conveying plane.

49. The unloading apparatus according to claim 48, wherein said guiding region facilitates sliding of collected articles.

50. The unloading apparatus according to claim 43, wherein said collecting device moves in relation to said conveying unit.

51. The unloading apparatus according to claim 50, including a body structure, said conveying unit is mounted on said body structure, and said the collecting device is movably mounted on said body structure.

52. The unloading apparatus according to claim 50, wherein said collecting device is displaceable at least parallel to the unloading direction.

53. The unloading apparatus according to claim 52, including a guiding unit to guide said collecting device parallel to the unloading direction.

54. The unloading apparatus according to claim 50, wherein said collecting device is pivotable about at least one axis of rotation.

55. The unloading apparatus according to claim 54, wherein said collecting device is rotatably mounted to be pivoted by a passing conveyed article.

56. The unloading apparatus according to claim 50, wherein said collecting device includes at least one contact body to contact said collecting device with the conveying plane.