GB2220902A

GB2220902A - Conveyor distribution systems

Info

Publication number: GB2220902A
Application number: GB8807878A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Edward Colin Duce
Original assignee: Stockrail Ltd
Current assignee: Stockrail Ltd
Priority date: 1988-04-05
Filing date: 1988-04-05
Publication date: 1990-01-24
Anticipated expiration: 2008-04-05
Also published as: GB2220902B; GB8807878D0

Abstract

In a conveying and distribution system comprising a support rail for suspension devices, e.g. hangers, the hangers are moved along the rail by drive means in the form of a conveyor with pusher dogs. The rail has displaceable sections to create breaks in the rail whereby the hangers may selectively be dropped from the rail upon actuation of the displaceable sections. The rail may comprise a metal bar with plastics covering to provide the support surface. <IMAGE>

Description

Improvements Relating to Conveyor Distribution Systems This invention relates to conveyor distribution systems of the type used for the conveying and distribution of articles, such as garments or garment parts, which are suspended by suspension devices, and the conveying distribution system engages such dispensing devices and propels same in a predetermined path, for example in a factory or warehouse.

There are of course many known distribution systems for the transportation and distribution of suspended articles and such systems use a variety of propulsion arrangements such as cables, chains, scroll conveyors and the like, and when it is desired to remove a suspension device from one conveying mechanism and place it on another for example when a suspension device or the article carried thereby has to be picked from a conveying system and distributed to a selected location, it is usual to provide picking or switch devices. One form of picking device which is known comprises a hook with an openable and closable claw arrangement, the hook being a travelling component which moves into engagement with the suspension device and hookingly engages same, lifting the suspension device from the first conveying system.Subsequently, when it is desired to release the hooked suspension device, the hook is triggered to open and the syspension device is released being caught or a guide arm or the like leading into said other location.

Such a conveying and distribution arrangement is as can be appreciated expensive and complicated.

A switch device on the other hand includes an arm which is swingable between operative and -inoperative positions depending upon whether or not the suspension device is to be picked from the main conveyor system.

When the arm is swung to the operative position, it engages and displaces the suspension device from the main conveying mechanism and directs it onto an auxiliary conveying mechanism whereby the suspension device is directed to the particular location. The switch mechanism also is complicated but less expensive than the hook system described above.

The present invention is concerned with providing a conveying and distribution system for suspension devices and articles held thereby, and in accordance with the invention, a stationary support rail is provided for supporting the suspension devices, there is a power conveying means for engaging the suspension devices when supported by the bar, and for propelling the suspension devices there along, whereby the power drive means and support bar form a main conveying assembly, and wherein the support bar at at least one and preferably each of a plurality of locations can be broken to create a space therein so that suspension devices selectively can fall there through and can be caught on an auxiliary distribution means whereby suspension devices can be removed from the main conveying system onto the auxiliary distribution means.

The power conveying means preferably is such as to maintain the suspension devices regularly spaced upon the support rail, to this end the powered conveying means may comprise an overhead chain reach with downwardly depending dogs which engage and push the suspension devices for keeping the suspension devices regularly spaced upon the support rail.

The chain reach may be part of an endless chain and may be located directly above the support rail, which may be of U-shaped or inverted T-shaped, or L-shaped cross section so that the dogs can locate adjacent the limbs or limb thereof whilst the suspension device when in the form of a garment hanger has its hook resting on the top edges or edge of the said limbs or limb.

The support rail preferably is in lengths, each length being a plastic support rail section, the plastic support rail section limbs defining the running surfaces on which the hangers are supported, the said lengths being spaced to provide breaks in the rail, which are bridged by displaceable components, which may be pivotable selectively to positions allowing the suspension devices to fall there through whereby selectively the suspension devices can be caused to selectively drop through the breaks when the displaceable components are pivoted. The displaceable components are preferably of the same cross section as the rail.

The invention provides an extremely simple and inexpensive conveying and distribution system. The suspension devices are conveyed on the support rail by the endless chain conveyor dogs, when such power conveying means are used, whilst the pivotable components are in position bridging the breaks and forming extensions of the running surface, and when it is desired to remove any suspension device from the main conveying assembly, it is simply a matter of pivoting, by the appropriate control signal, the particular component to create the gap in the support rail and through which the appropriate suspension device will fall to be caught by an auxiliary distribution system.

Embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings, wherein: Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a sorting system in a warehouse; Fig. 2 is a side view of a portion of a conveyor assembly according to the invention; Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation taken on line 111-111 in Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a perspective elevation of a portion of the assembly shown in Fig. 2 with the channel bar removed; Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 3 showing an alternative embodiment of the invention; and Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the embodiment of Fig.

5 illustrating the opening of the rail.

Referring to Fig. 1, this figure is intended to indicate a sorting system in a garment factory, and in particular is to indicate the requirements of a sorting system. In Fig. 1, reference 10 indicates a main conveyor assembly which conveys hangers 12 in the direction indicated by arrow 14. It is a requirement of a sorting arrangement that individual hangers 12 and appropriate garments carried thereby can be removed at any of a number of locations or stations for example as, indicated by arrows 16, 18, 20 and 22, for example to make up orders for delivery. Such orders are indicated in Fig. 1 by the numerals 24, 26, 28 and 30.

Thus, if the hangers 12 carry individual garments orders 24, 26, 28 and 30 will be made up of individual garments to suit requirements of particular shops and factories. It is required that the hangers 12 can be removed from the rail 10 automatically so that automatic and effective collation of the orders can take place in a factory situation. It is also the case that a conveyor such as conveyor 10 will be used simply for moving goods from place to place within a factory or from inside a factory to outside the factory for example to a discharge station or directly into a transportation vehicle. Indeed, the locations 16 to 22 may be simply for directing delivered garments into storage.

It can be seen that there are many utilisations for conveyor systems such as system 10, and the present invention is concerned with a con veying system represented by numeral 10 in Fig. 1.

Referring to Figs. 2 and 3, the main elements of the system are shown, and it will be seen from Figs. 2 and 3, that the conveying system comprises a U-sectioned channel bar 32. Attached to the bar 32 are support sections (not shown) for the suspension of the bar at the required height.

Referring to Fig. 2, the conveying system for use with the bar 32 comprises an endless chain 10 provided with projecting dog pushers 12. The chain is trained round a pair of rollers or pulleys 14 and 16 as shown so that the lower reach 18 thereof co-operates with the bar 32 in that the dogs 12 project into the channel space of the bar as shown clearly in Fig. 3. The chain is adapted to be driven as indicated by arrow 20, and the dogs therefore move along the inside of the channel as can be appreciated. In-use hangers 24 are supported by the channel edges 48 as shown in Fig. 3, and a movement of the dogs along the channel effects pushing of the hangers along the channel in spaced even relationship.

At the input end the channel 32 is provided with a feed scroll 34 which serves to space the hangers evenly ready to be received between the respective spaces of the dogs 12.

The channel bar 32 is constructed so that hangers can be removed therefrom at selected locations, for example at locations indicated by arrows 16, 18, 20 and 22 in Fig. 1 and this is achieved by the means indicated in Fig. 4.

Referring now to Fig. 4, at selected positions along the bar 32 there is provided a displacement component 32A which is of the configuration shown and which in fact forms a continuation of the bar 32 between spaced ends thereof. The component 32A is pivotally mounted to the bar 32 at location 36, and its position is controlled by means of a small pneumatic ram 38 which is connected by its connecting rod 40 to a member 42 fast with the underside of the component 32A, by means of a coupling pin 44.The component 32A which is also channel sectioned, but has enlarged ends 32B so as to overlap the adjacent end of the portion of the bar 32 can be moved between the closed position as shown in Fig. 4 in which the component 32A forms a continuation of the bar 32 maintaining support for the hangers, and an open position in which the component 32A is displaced to the downwardly inclined position as shown at 46 in dotted lines in Fig. 4, by means of contraction of the ram 38. When the component 32A is in this position, there will be a break in the bar 32 at this location, and the first hanger which arrives at this break will fall through and be caught for example on an auxiliary guide 64 and can be conveyed by the guide 64 to any particular location.When the appropriate hanger or hangers has or have dropped through the appropriate gap, the component 32A is returned to the closed position.

There will preferably be several of said components 32A spaced along the bar 32 in order to provide several discharge points.

In the embodiment of the invention shown in Fig. 1, a T-shaped rail 70 in inverted position is used, and the drive dog 72 has two driving limbs 74 and 76 which lie to opposite sides of the central limb 78 of the rail 70. The limb 78 may be covered by a plastic wear surface 80 on which the hanger 82 rests. As will be understood from the explanation of the previous embodiment, the movement of the dog 72 propels the hanger and the garment supported thereby along the rail limb 78.

As shown in Fig. 6, the rail 70 has break components 82 which are sections of the rail which can be pivoted to the downward position as shown at 84 in Fig. 6 by being pivoted about axis 86. Suitable pivoting means such as are provided in the Fig. 4 embodiment may be provided in the Figs. 5 and 6 arrangement for moving the component 82 at each break position between the closed position shown in full lines in Fig. 6 and the open position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 6, but otherwise the arrangement of Figs. 5 and 6 operates in identical manner to that described in relation to Figs. 1 to 4.

In an alternative arrangement, the rail 70 is L-shaped in cross section, and indeed it may be a simple flat bar and cooperating drive dogs 74 and 76 would cooperate therewith in order to drive the hangers 82 along the bar.

When it is desired to remove one of the hangers from the conveyor assembly at a particular location, the appropriate piston and cylinder device is operated to pull the relevant component to the open position, whereby the hanger at that location can simply drop through the gap in the bar and can be caught by a feed device such as a guide rod 64 shown in Fig. 4 down which the hanger can slide to a selected location.

It will be appreciated that in a complete installation, appropriate control systems can be provided for moving the relevant component in a desired pre-set sequence to give a desired feed of selected hangers from the conveyor system. Such control means may embody detection devices and unique code identification means on the hangers, such as bar code identifiers whereby accurate selection from a large number of hangers to direct the hangers tb any of a large number of locations can be achieved automatically.

As hangers can be removed from the conveyor assembly, they can also be returned thereto and the conveyor assembly is therefore suitable for use in production installations as well as transport and sorting applications, because in production installations it is frequently the case that hangers must be removed from the conveyor system by an appropriate guide means to a work station and after work has been completed on the garments or garment parts supported by the hangers, the hangers must be returned to the conveyor transport system by the same or other guide means.

Claims

CLAINS

1. A conveying and distribution system for suspension devices and articles held thereby comprising a stationary support rail for supporting the suspension devices, a power conveying means for engaging the suspension devices when supported by the rail, and for propelling the suspension devices therealong, whereby the power drive means 'and support rail form a main conveying assembly, and wherein the support rail at at least one and preferably each of a plurality of locations can be broken to create a space therein so that suspension devices selectively can fall therethrough and can be caught on an auxiliary distribution means whereby suspension devices can be removed from the main conveying system onto the auxiliary distribution means.

2. A system according to Claim 1, wherein the power conveying means is such as to maintain the suspension devices regularly spaced upon the support rail, to this end the powered conveying means may comprise an overhead chain reach with downwardly depending dogs which engage and push the suspension devices for keeping the suspension devices regularly spaced upon the support rail.

3. A system according to Claim 2, wherein the chain reach is part of an endless chain and may be located directly above the support rail1 which may be of U-shaped or inverted Tshaped, or L-shaped cross section so that the dogs can locate adjacent the limbs or limb thereof whilst the suspension device when in the form of a garment hanger has its hook resting on the top edges or edge of the said limbs or limb.

4. A system according to any preceding claim, wherein the support rail is in lengths, each length being a plastic support rail section, the plastic support rail section defining limbs defining the running surfaces on which the hangers are supported, the said lengths being spaced to provide breaks in the rail, which are bridged by displaceable components, which may be pivotable selectively to positions allowing the suspension devices to fall therethrough whereby selectively the suspension devices can be caused to selectively drop through the breaks when the displaceable components are pivoted.

5. A system according to Claim 4, wherein the displaceable components are of the same cross-section as the rail.

6. A system according to Claim 1, wherein the rail is of metal and provides a plastic covering surface on which the suspension devices run.

7. A conveying and distribution system substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.