GB1594565A - Conveyor devices - Google Patents

Abstract

The track for supporting and transporting components consists of n modular elements (4) connected one behind the other by articulation connecting rods (5). Each element is made up in the form of a carriage (6) comprising, on the one hand, vertical columns (9) supporting support rollers (12) and guide rollers (18) respectively interacting with a table (2) and slides (21) and, on the other hand, two articulation pins (23) each providing an elastically deformable link with a connecting rod (5), which eliminates the mechanical stresses at the beginning or end of the track. Application to the movement of components or objects opposite the various stations of a transfer machine. <IMAGE>

Description

(54) IMPROVEMENTS IN OR RELATING TO CONVEYOR DEVICES (71) We, ATELIERS DURAND ET LE MOLAIRE, a French Company of, Quartier des 3 Buches, Malissard 26120 Chabeuil, France, do hereby declare the invention for which we pray: that a patent may be granted to us, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement:- The present invention relates to conveyor devices, and more particularly to conveyor devices for carrying workpieces past work stations at which different operations are performed.

According to the invention, there is provided a conveyor device comprising a line of carriages successively connected by articulation means coupled between adjacent carriages and including elastically deformable coupling means which permits limited axial displacement between adjacent carriages, each said carriages including means by which the carriage is supported-- for movement along a supporting surface, and guide means arranged to co-operate with a lateral guide surface the articulation means each comprising a rod extending between two substantially vertical pins of two adjacent carriages, said rod being guided by the pins for relative vertical movement between the carriages and the rods whereby each carriage can be raised vertically relative to an adjacent carriage.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a schematic plan view of a conveying system; Figure 2 is a partly broken away perspective view of a conveyor device of the system shown in Figure 1; and Figure 3 is a cross-section taken on line III--III of Figure 2.

The conveying system shown in Figure 1 comprises a workpiece conveyor device 1, mounted on a frame or table 2 and movable in the direction of arrow f, past a station P1, for example a loading station, followed by a first working station P2, a second working station P3 and an unloading station P4.

Station P1 to P4 can be carried by the table or frame 2 to overhang a rectilinear section 3 of the conveying device 1 which, as shown, is in the form of an endless conveyor. As is shown by chain lines it is possible also to provide a second, parallel, group of stations P', to P'4 along a second rectilinear section 3' of the conveyor device.

The conveyor device 1 is associated with driving and braking means (not shown).

Such means may comprise a motor, for example an electric or hydraulic motor, having a wheel or an arm which acts on one or more of the components of the device 1 to ensure the displacement of the latter in the direction of arrow f,.

The conveyor device 1 comprises an assembly of identical units designated overall by the reference numeral 4 and shown in greater detail in Figures 2 and 3.

The various units 4 are successively articulated to one another, rather in the same way as for a chain, via articulation means 5 whose axes are disposed perpendicular to the general plane of the conveyor device 1.

As can be seen from Figures 2 and 3 each unit comprises a carriage 6 connected to an identical carriage by a rod 5 forming the articulation means. Each carriage 6 comprises two vertically-spaced horizontal plates 7 and 8 interconnected by four columns 9 which are preferably located in the vinicity of the corners when plates 7 and 8 are of rectangular form. Each column 9 comprises a cylinder whose base 10 projects beyond the lower plane of plate 7 and carries a spindle 11 on which is mounted a bearing 12 which rolls on the upper surface of the plate 2. The spindle 11 is maintained in engagement against the lower face of plate 7 by means of a spring washer 13, made for example from an elastomeric material, which is threaded onto the upper part of cylinder 9 and is compressed between the upper face of the plate 8 and a retaining washer 14 fixed axially on the column 9 by an elastic strip or ring 15. The washer 13 serves to compensate for all the vertical machining tolerances between the bearing, its spindle and the base 10 in such a way that each column associated with bearing 12 forms an assembly having a precise vertical position. The column 9 has a flat upper face 16 in the centre of which opens a tapped hole 17 for fixing a workpiece.

The cylinder part of each column between plates 7 and 8 supports a bearing 18 which is axially fixed by means df one or more spacing rings 19 and a shim 20. Each bearing 18 has such a diameter that it projects beyond the corresponding side edge of the plate 7 so as to be able to cooperate with a respective one of two lateral guides 21 connected to table 2. Each guide 21 is preferably provided with an upper, inwardly directed, flange 22 extending above the outer race of the bearing 18 so as to form a vertical abutment along the path defined by the guide 21. The flange 22 may also be at least partly covered by an extension of the upper plate 8 which thus defines to some extent a labyrinth seal which at least partly protects bearing 18 against the introduction of foreign bodies which might damage the latter.

The connection between each carriage 6 and the rods 5 is provided by two identical hinge pins 23. Each pin 23 comprises a tubular cylindrical member mounted in bores of plates 7 and 8, on either side of which it is axially fixed by elastic strips 24; the internal bore of each pin 23 is straight.

On its cylindrical portion between plates 7 and 8, each pin 23 supports a sliding bush 25 which is connected by an elastic ring 26, for example made from an elastomeric material, to the end portion 27 of the corresponding rod 5'.

The conveyor device 1 is constructed by assembling, end to end, the required number of carriages 6, by connecting the free end portion of each rod 5 to the free pin 23 of each carriage. In this state the various carriages are carried on table 2 by the bearings 12 of columns 9 which ensure the vertical reinforcement and support of the plates 7 and 8 which are thereby fixed relative to one another and relative to the the table 2.gist is clear that in this position the static or dynamic inertias, i.e. the inertias which have to be controlled during movement in the direction of arrow f, during the stopping of the chain are absorbed by the presence of the elastic rings 26 which thus establish an elastic connection, providing a possibility of an independent relative displacement of limited extent of one carriage relative to the preceding or following carriage.without-this affecting all of the carriages.

The hinge pins 23 have a second function, namely of permitting the precise positioning of a carriage relative to a work station such as P, to P4. As can be gathered the precise positioning of carriage 6, necessary for performing a delicate machining operation or the like, is effected by means of an indexing device 29 which has two pins 30 mounted in guides 31 of the table 2 and connected by a common plate 32 rigid with the body 33 of a jack 34 whose rod 35 is fixed to a block or anvil 36 on table 2 level with the corresponding station. When the conveyor device has stopped, the jack 34 is actuated to effect an extension stroke, in the direction of arrow f2, of the pins 30 the heads 30a of which penetrate into the straight internal bores of the pins 23 in order to secure and to precisely locate the carriage 6 relative to the vertical axis X-X' of the station in question. Thus, the hinge pins 23 assume a supplementary indexing function by co-operating directly with the cylindrical pins 30. The engagement of pins 30 can be effected in a precise manner in view of the fact that each carriage 6 brought opposite to a work station bears vertically via the lateral guidance bearing 18 under the flange 22 of the guides 21.

The hinge pins 23 also fulfil a third function of permitting the relative vertical displacement of each carriage. The workpieces carried by the carriages each have a base 37 (shown in chain lines in Figure 3) which passes through central openings 38 and 39 of plates 7 and 8 to cooperate with the block or anvil 36 which supports the work-piece against vertical forces which occur during working station; thus the carriage 6 is not required to absorb these vertical forces and this permits a less bulky construction thereof. In the present case the anvil 36 has a chamfer 40 with which co-operates a chamfer 41 on the base 37, which is thus vertically raised during the advance in the direction of arrow f, when it encounters the anvil 36. Since the workpiece is fixed to the carriage 6, the carriage will also be raised this being permitted by the axial sliding of the bushes 25 on the pins 23. Thus, the bearings 12 are disengaged from table 2 without there being any displacement or interference with respect to the position of the other carriages, whose workpieces have not encountered a block or anvil 36.

Thus, the carriages are freed from mechanical or other stresses developed in the zone of the work stations and, as illustrated in the drawings, may have a significantly lighter construction than hitherto. This advantage makes it possible to reduce the inertia of the moving masses and provides a conveyor device whose operation requires a much less powerful geared motor-braking unit than is normally the case.

A supplementary advantage is that the surface dimensions of the carriage 6 can be greatly reduced, thus making it possible to obtain curved or fully circular circuits of small radius.

The conveyor device described can be used in numerous applications where different operations have to be performed on workpieces in the form of individual members or assemblies of members which are successively subject to each of these operations, such as is the case in chain machining processes, processes for the assembly of the components of various assemblies and in assembly or treatment processes.

The light-weight conveyor device described can be assembled with any desired number of workpiece carriages whilst providing the same supporting and.

indexing accuracy, even when the associated working stations effect operations involving relatively high mechanical stesses such as tension and compression forces.

WHAT WE CLAIM IS: 1. A conveyor device comprising a line of carriages successively connected by articulation means coupled between adjacent carriages and including elastically deformable coupling means which permits limited axial displacement between adjacent carriages, each said carriage including means by which the carriage is supported for movement along a supporting surface, and guide means arranged to co-operate with a lateral guide surface, the articulation means each comprising a rod extending between two substantially vertical pins of two adjacent carriages, said rod being guided by the pins for relative vertical movement between the carriages and the rbds whereby each carriage can be raised vertically relative to an adjacent carriage.

2. A device according to claim 1, wherein the said pins are fixedly mounted in the carriages and each said rod is mounted for pivotal and vertical sliding movement on each of its associated pins by means of an elastically deformable sliding ring, said ring forming said elastically deformable coupling means.

3. A device according to claim I or claim 2, wherein the pins project from an underside of each carriage, to co-operate with indexing means.

4. A device according to claim 3, wherein the pins are of cylindrical tubular form.

5. A device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein each carriage comprises a pair of vertically-spaced parallel plates interconnected by substantially vertical columns, and the said pins are each located in the pair of plates.

6. A device according to claim 5, wherein the support means and the guide means of each carriage comprise respectively, a plurality of support rollers and a plurality of guide rollers, the support rollers being beneath the lower plate, and the guide rollers being between the upper and lower plates, a respective one of said support rollers and guide rollers being carried by each of said columns.

7. A device according to claim 6, wherein each column is biased axially relative to the plates into a predetermined axial position.

8. A conveying system comprising a conveyor device according to any one of claims I to 7, means defining a planar support surface for the carriages, and opposed lateral guide surfaces co-operating with said guide means, and defining a conveyor path for the conveyor device.

9. A conveying system according to claim 3 and claim 8, comprising indexing means at work stations along said path, said indexing means co-operating with said pins.

10. A conveyor device substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

11. A conveying system substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims (11)

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. and provides a conveyor device whose operation requires a much less powerful geared motor-braking unit than is normally the case. A supplementary advantage is that the surface dimensions of the carriage 6 can be greatly reduced, thus making it possible to obtain curved or fully circular circuits of small radius. The conveyor device described can be used in numerous applications where different operations have to be performed on workpieces in the form of individual members or assemblies of members which are successively subject to each of these operations, such as is the case in chain machining processes, processes for the assembly of the components of various assemblies and in assembly or treatment processes. The light-weight conveyor device described can be assembled with any desired number of workpiece carriages whilst providing the same supporting and. indexing accuracy, even when the associated working stations effect operations involving relatively high mechanical stesses such as tension and compression forces. WHAT WE CLAIM IS:

1. A conveyor device comprising a line of carriages successively connected by articulation means coupled between adjacent carriages and including elastically deformable coupling means which permits limited axial displacement between adjacent carriages, each said carriage including means by which the carriage is supported for movement along a supporting surface, and guide means arranged to co-operate with a lateral guide surface, the articulation means each comprising a rod extending between two substantially vertical pins of two adjacent carriages, said rod being guided by the pins for relative vertical movement between the carriages and the rbds whereby each carriage can be raised vertically relative to an adjacent carriage.

2. A device according to claim 1, wherein the said pins are fixedly mounted in the carriages and each said rod is mounted for pivotal and vertical sliding movement on each of its associated pins by means of an elastically deformable sliding ring, said ring forming said elastically deformable coupling means.

3. A device according to claim I or claim 2, wherein the pins project from an underside of each carriage, to co-operate with indexing means.

4. A device according to claim 3, wherein the pins are of cylindrical tubular form.

5. A device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein each carriage comprises a pair of vertically-spaced parallel plates interconnected by substantially vertical columns, and the said pins are each located in the pair of plates.

6. A device according to claim 5, wherein the support means and the guide means of each carriage comprise respectively, a plurality of support rollers and a plurality of guide rollers, the support rollers being beneath the lower plate, and the guide rollers being between the upper and lower plates, a respective one of said support rollers and guide rollers being carried by each of said columns.

7. A device according to claim 6, wherein each column is biased axially relative to the plates into a predetermined axial position.

8. A conveying system comprising a conveyor device according to any one of claims I to 7, means defining a planar support surface for the carriages, and opposed lateral guide surfaces co-operating with said guide means, and defining a conveyor path for the conveyor device.

9. A conveying system according to claim 3 and claim 8, comprising indexing means at work stations along said path, said indexing means co-operating with said pins.

10. A conveyor device substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

11. A conveying system substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.