CONVEYORS HAVING A ROTATABLE TRANSFER SECTION

• US 20140102857A1
• Filed: 12/26/2013
• Published: 04/17/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/05/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Durr Systems GmbH
• Original Assignee: Durr Systems GmbH
• Inventors: Heinsohn, Klaus, Philipp, Lutz
• Granted Patent: US 9,284,127 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 198/577
• 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: B65G 37/00 Combinations of mechanical conveyors of the same kind, or of different kinds, of interest apart from their application in particular machines or use in particular manufacturing processes series of co-operating belt conveyor units B65G15/22; series of co-operating chain conveyor units B65G17/26; sequence control of combined conveyors B65G43/10
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 37/02 Flow-sheets for conveyor combinations in warehouses, magazines or workshops
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 47/80 Turntables carrying articles or materials to be transferred, e.g. combined with ploughs or scrapers
• CPC Class Codes: F26B 15/14 the objects or batches of materials being carried by trays or racks or receptacles, which may be connected to endless chains or belts trays, racks per se F26B25/18; with vertical movement F26B15/22
• CPC Class Codes: F26B 2210/12 Vehicle bodies, e.g. after being painted

Abstract

Apparatus and systems related to conveyors having a rotatable section are disclosed. Another example apparatus includes first and second conveyors transporting objects in order, and a rotatable transfer section to which the objects are provided from the first conveyor in a first direction. The objects are to be rotated about an axis of rotation and placed onto the second conveyor from the rotatable transfer section in a second direction different from the first direction.

Claims

1. A conveyor for transporting objects arranged in order comprising:

a conveyor segment on which objects may be moved by a fixed drive system,

wherein the conveyor segment comprises a transfer section, an acceleration section, and a braking section,

wherein the acceleration section is positioned upstream of the transfer section and the braking section positioned downstream of the transfer section,

wherein the objects in the acceleration section are to be accelerated by a supply unit from a first transport speed to a higher second transport speed,

wherein the accelerated objects are to be moved into the transfer section in a first direction of movement from the acceleration section, to be rotated in the transfer section about an axis of rotation, and to be moved to the braking section in a second direction of movement different from the first direction of movement, and

wherein the objects in the braking section are to be decelerated by a handover unit from a third transport speed to a lower fourth transport speed.

2. The conveyor as defined in claim 1, wherein the conveyor segment has a transport section upstream of the acceleration section, the objects are moved in the transport section at a substantially constant transport speed.

3. The conveyor as defined in claim 1, wherein the conveyor segment has a transport section downstream of the braking section, the objects to be moved in the transport section at a substantially constant transport speed.

4. The conveyor as defined in one of claim 1, wherein the objects are accelerated in the acceleration section with a varying rate of acceleration.

5. The conveyor as defined in one of claim 1, wherein the objects are decelerated in the braking section with a varying rate of deceleration.

6. The conveyor as defined in claim 1, wherein the first transport speed and the fourth transport speed are substantially the same.

7. The conveyor as defined in claim 1, wherein the objects are decelerated in the transfer section, rotated about the axis of rotation, and then accelerated.

8. The conveyor as defined in claim 1, wherein the conveyor segment has conveyor sections running parallel to one another and in which the objects are displaced with opposite directions of movement, or the conveyor segment has at least one section path in a W-shape, one section guided in a meandering path or at least one section guided in a rectangular path or in a U shape path.

9. The conveyor as defined in claim 1, wherein the transfer section has a rotary device that is rotatable about the axis of rotation and has a linear movement arrangement for pulling objects in the first direction of movement and releasing objects in the second direction of movement.

10. The conveyor as defined in claim 9, wherein the linear movement arrangement moves the objects onto the rotary device in a path of displacement spatially offset from the axis of rotation.

11. The conveyor as defined in claim 9, wherein the linear movement arrangement moves the objects onto the rotary device having two paths of displacement running parallel to one another and spatially offset from the axis of rotation.

12. The conveyor as defined in claim 9, wherein the linear movement arrangement has a drive positioned above or beneath the rotary device.

13. The conveyor as defined in claim 9, wherein the linear movement arrangement decelerates objects supplied in the first direction of movement and accelerates objects in the second direction of movement.

19. The apparatus as defined in claim 17, wherein the conveyor comprises one of the conveyors of claims 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 or 13.

14. An apparatus comprising:

a conveyor segment on which objects may be moved by a fixed drive system,

wherein the conveyor segment comprises a transfer section, an acceleration section, and a braking section,

wherein the acceleration section is positioned upstream of the transfer section and the braking section positioned downstream of the transfer section,

wherein the objects in the acceleration section are to be accelerated by a supply unit from a first transport speed to a higher second transport speed,

wherein the accelerated objects are to be moved into the transfer section in a first direction of movement from the acceleration section, to be rotated in the transfer section about an axis of rotation, and to be moved to the braking section in a second direction of movement different from the first direction of movement, and

wherein the objects in the braking section are decelerated by a handover unit from a third transport speed to a lower fourth transport speed.

15. The apparatus as defined in claim 14, wherein the transfer section has a rotary device that is rotatable about the axis of rotation and a linear movement arrangement for pulling objects in the first direction of movement and releasing objects in the second direction of movement, wherein one or more of the transfer section or the linear movement arrangement is located in a dryer tunnel having a hot-gas atmosphere region where the objects are dried.

16. The apparatus as defined in claim 15, wherein the linear movement arrangement moves the objects onto the rotary device having two paths of displacement running parallel to one another and spatially offset from the axis of rotation, and wherein the drive of the rotary device is positioned outside the hot-gas atmosphere region of the dryer tunnel.

17. An apparatus for treating the surface of workpieces comprising:

a conveyor for transporting objects arranged in order, having a conveyor segment on which the objects may be moved by a fixed drive system, wherein the conveyor segment has a transfer section, to which the objects are supplied in a first direction of movement, in which the objects are rotated about an axis of rotation, and from which the objects are removed in a second direction of movement different from the first direction of movement,

wherein the transfer section of the conveyor segment has a rotary device that is rotatable about the axis of rotation and has a linear movement arrangement for pulling objects in the first direction of movement and releasing objects in the second direction of movement, and

wherein the linear movement arrangement of the rotary device is arranged in a hot-gas atmosphere region of a dryer tunnel and has a drive positioned outside the hot-gas atmosphere region of the dryer tunnel, wherein the drive of the linear movement arrangement is coupled by a transmission that contains a transmission element protruding from outside the hot-gas atmosphere region into the hot-gas atmosphere region and consisting at least of a section extending from outside the hot-gas atmosphere region into the hot-gas atmosphere region, the transmission element comprising of a material with a thermal conductivity lower than

18. The apparatus as defined in claim 17, wherein the linear movement arrangement has a drive positioned above or beneath the rotary device.

20. The apparatus as defined in claim 17, wherein the transmission is surrounded at least partially by a thermally insulated housing.

21. An apparatus comprising:

first and second conveyors transporting objects in order; and

a rotatable transfer section to which the objects are provided from the first conveyor in a first direction, the objects to be rotated about an axis of rotation and placed onto the second conveyor from the rotatable transfer section in a second direction different from the first direction.

22. The apparatus as defined in claim 21, further comprising an acceleration section positioned upstream of the transfer section and a braking section positioned downstream of the transfer section, wherein the objects are accelerated in the acceleration section in the first direction prior to entering the transfer section and the objects are decelerated in the deceleration section in the second direction subsequent to leaving the transfer section.

23. The apparatus as defined in claim 21, wherein the rotatable transfer section is rotated by a rotary device positioned above or below the rotatable transfer section.