DE102022204814A1 - Cam unit of a transfer system with a separate guide assembly - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a cam unit (10) for use in a transfer system with at least one endlessly rotating conveyor chain, the cam unit (10) forming a first and a second guide (11; 12) for a forward and a return strand of the conveyor chain, respectively. wherein the conveyor chain in the area of the first guide (11) can be brought into a driving connection with a conveyed item, the first and second guides (11; 12) running parallel to one another along a curved curve line (13), the second guide (12) a support profile (20) made of aluminum, which runs with a constant cross-sectional shape along the curve line (13), the cross-sectional shape being designed so that it surrounds the returning run of the conveyor chain (61) without interruption. According to the invention, the first guide (11) is formed entirely by a separate guide assembly (30) which is attached to the support profile (20).

Description

The invention relates to a curve unit according to the preamble of claim 1.

From the “Transfersystem TS 2plus” catalog from Bosch Rexroth AG (order number R999000395; edition 2017-08) a kit for transfer systems is known, with which, among other things, a transfer system can be built that uses a conveyor chain. A curve of this transfer system includes two parallel curve elements, each of which guides an endlessly rotating conveyor chain. The straight sections of this transfer system can, for example, according to EP 1 188 693 B1 be carried out, in particular comprising a straight section profile which is made in one piece from aluminum using the extrusion process. The curves use exactly this route profile as a support profile, but it is curved according to the desired curve line. During this bending process, it can happen that the first guide for the leading strand of the conveyor chain, which takes the material to be conveyed, is deformed. This can disrupt the flow of the conveyed goods on the transfer system.

In the known transfer system, two different types of conveyor chains are used, namely a flat plate chain and an accumulating roller chain. The EP 1 188 693 B1 shows a route profile for a flat plate chain. With regard to the problem mentioned, the accumulating roller chain is particularly critical because it is less well guided.

An advantage of the present invention is that the first guide of the conveyor chain can be manufactured precisely and cost-effectively. The main dimensions of the known transfer system can be retained, so that the curve element according to the invention can be used without any problems within the above-mentioned modular system for a transfer system.

According to claim 1 it is proposed that the first guide is formed entirely by a separate guide assembly which is attached to the support profile. The curve line is preferably curved in a circle. The curve line preferably runs in one plane. In addition to the support profile, the second guide can comprise at least one sliding profile made of plastic, which is held on the support profile, with the returning strand of the conveyor chain being supported on the at least one sliding profile. The support profile is preferably produced using the extrusion process, whereby it is bent into the desired curve shape after extrusion. The cam assembly is preferably produced in the desired cam shape without bending processing, most preferably by means of machining and/or injection molding.

The transfer system mentioned preferably comprises two conveyor chains running parallel at a distance, with two curve units running parallel at a distance being accordingly provided. It is understood that the two curve units have different curve radii, which differ by the parallel distance.

Advantageous developments and improvements of the invention are specified in the dependent claims.

It can be provided that the guide assembly comprises a first and a separate second guide body, each of which is curved according to the curve line, forming opposite guides for the conveyor chain in the radial direction with respect to the curve line. This simplifies the production of the guide assembly. In particular, the first and/or the second guide body can be produced using the plastic injection molding process. The first guide body preferably forms a radially outer guide for the conveyor chain, with the second guide body forming a radially inner guide for the conveyor chain. The first and/or the second guide body preferably each runs with a substantially constant cross-sectional shape along the curve line. The first and/or the second guide body can each have openings and/or threads for fasteners, in particular screws.

It can be provided that the first and/or the second guide body is formed in one piece over its entire length along the curve line. The curve unit can therefore be installed particularly easily. It is conceivable that the first and/or the second guide body are designed in several parts. This is particularly important if the curve line has a large radius or is particularly long.

It can be provided that the first and/or the second guide body each consists entirely of plastic. This means that the conveyor chain can run directly on the first or second guide body with little friction. Separate sliding profiles are not required.

It can be provided that the first guide body has a flat bottom surface which is arranged parallel to a plane in which the curve line runs, with the first guide body resting directly on the support profile with its bottom surface. This version is in vertical rich particularly space-saving, so that the curve element can easily be designed with the same main dimensions as the well-known route profile. Furthermore, the flat bottom surface or the associated flat head surface on the support profile is particularly easy to produce. The support profile preferably has a flat head surface which rests on the bottom surface of the first guide body.

It can be provided that the first guide body projects radially inwards with respect to the curve line and/or radially outwards with respect to the curve line over the support profile, whereby it is fastened there to an associated undercut groove, the undercut groove being attached to a radially inner or .A radially outer side wall of the support profile is arranged. The well-known route profile already has analogous undercut grooves on its side walls, which are used, for example, to attach a side guide for the conveyed goods. These undercut grooves also offer sufficient contact surface to also attach the guide assembly, in particular the first guide body, there. Preferably, the first guide body projects beyond the support body both radially on the inside and radially on the outside, being fastened to an undercut groove on both sides mentioned. The undercut groove is preferably formed directly by the cross-sectional shape of the support profile, and when viewed in cross-section it is most preferably T-shaped.

It can be provided that the flat bottom surface of the first guide body extends in the radial direction with respect to the curve line over the entire width of the first guide body, with at least one separate fastening part being provided which rests on said bottom surface and is fastened to the first guide body , wherein the at least one fastening part is fastened to said undercut groove. Alternatively, it is conceivable to design the fastening parts in one piece with the first guide body. The claimed embodiment has the advantage that the completely flat floor surface can also be used in the production of the guides for the conveyor chain, namely for clamping the corresponding blank on the milling machine for the chip-removing production of the guide. The guide for the conveyor chain can thus be manufactured particularly precisely. Preferably, a plurality of fastening parts are provided, which are most preferably arranged uniformly distributed along the curve line. These are preferably provided radially on the inside and radially on the outside of the first guide part. Preferably, several fastening parts that are identical to one another are provided, so that they can be produced cost-effectively in large numbers.

It can be provided that the second guide body rests directly on the first guide body and is attached to it, whereby it does not touch the support profile. The first and second guide bodies thus form a preassembled guide assembly, which can be attached as a whole to the support profile. The corresponding final assembly is preferably only carried out when the transfer system is set up. The guide assembly, on the other hand, can be pre-assembled in advance, so that the final assembly of the transfer system can be carried out particularly quickly. The second guide body is preferably screwed to the first guide body.

A route profile can be provided, which consists of aluminum, whereby it is formed in one piece, whereby it runs with a constant cross-sectional shape along a straight line, whereby it is attached to the end face of the support profile and the guide assembly in the direction of the curve line, whereby it is both first and second guides continue tangentially aligned. A corresponding route profile is, for example, from EP 1 188 693 B 1 known. An advantage of the invention is that this known route profile can continue to be used without any changes in dimensions. The route profile can also be equipped with the sliding profiles already mentioned.

It can be provided that at least one fastening body is fastened both to an assigned first guide body and to an assigned support profile as well as to an assigned route profile. The last-mentioned fastening body thus combines two functions. It connects the first guide body to the support profile, and also connects this assembly to the route profile. This results in a particularly cost-effective curve element that can be installed quickly and easily.

It is understood that the features mentioned above and those to be explained below can be used not only in the combination specified in each case, but also in other combinations or alone, without departing from the scope of the present invention.

• 1 eine perspektivische Ansicht eines Transfersystems mit zwei erfindungsgemäßen Kurveneinheiten; und
• 2 eine perspektivische Ansicht einer Kurveneinheit nach 1.

The invention is explained in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It shows:

• 1 a perspective view of a transfer system with two curve units according to the invention; and
• 2 a perspective view of a curve unit 1 .

1 shows a perspective view of a transfer system 60 with two according to the invention ßen curve units 10. In each curve unit 10, a conveyor chain 61 runs endlessly, which is set in motion by means of an associated drive assembly 62. The two conveyor chains 61 run parallel to each other, whereby they can take conveyed material 63 with them. The conveyed material 63 includes, for example, a plate-like workpiece carrier. The present curve runs along a circular curve line 13 which extends over 90°. Alternatively, a curve angle of 180° or any other curve angle is possible. A straight section adjoins tangentially at both opposite ends of the curve line 13. These two straight sections each include two parallel route profiles 15, each, for example, according to EP 1 188 693 B1 are carried out. The entire content of the EP 1 188 693 B1 is referred to and made part of the content of the present application. The straight section profiles 15 are each made of aluminum and are manufactured using the extrusion process. Sliding or guide profiles are attached to these, with the EP 1 188 693 B1 is referred.

The two curve units 10 are firmly connected to one another via several connecting struts 65, the connecting struts 65 each being aligned in a radial direction 14 with respect to the curve line 13.

Furthermore, reference should be made to the two opposite side guides 64 for the material to be conveyed 63, which are preferably located on the undercut groove (No. 24 in 2 ) are attached to the support profile, with this undercut groove being continued in alignment on the section profile 15.

2 shows a perspective view of a curve unit 10 1 . The track profile (No. 15 in 1 ) is removed so that the cross-sectional shapes of the support profile 20 and the guide assembly 30 are visible.

The support profile 20 extends with a constant cross-sectional shape along the curve line (No. 13 in 1 ). It is made of aluminum using the extrusion process. After extrusion, the support profile 20 was bent from a straight shape into a curved shape corresponding to the curve line.

The outer border of the cross-sectional shape is essentially rectangular. It has a radially inner and a radially outer side wall 21 with respect to the curve line; 22. These are each straight when viewed in cross section, each having an undercut groove 24 which is T-shaped when viewed in cross section. The head surface 23 facing the guide assembly is flat, with the corresponding plane being arranged parallel to the plane in which the curve line runs. Inside, the support profile has a closed cavity, which forms the second guide 12 for the returning strand of the conveyor chain. In particular, inwardly projecting extensions are provided there, which are used to accommodate the (not shown) from the EP 1 188 693 B 1 known sliding profiles made of plastic serve.

The guide assembly 30 rests directly on the head surface 23 of the support profile 20 with its flat bottom surface 33. It forms the first guide 11 for the leading strand of the conveyor chain. The first guide 11 is open at the top so that the conveyor chain can protrude from the guide assembly 30 in order to take the conveyed goods with it.

The guide assembly 30 includes a first and a second guide body 31; 32, each of which is formed in one piece along the entire length of the curve line, being made of plastic. They are each manufactured by cutting and/or as an injection molded part according to their curved final shape, so that no bending processing is required. The first and second guide bodies 31; 32 each have a substantially constant cross-sectional shape along the curve line.

The first guide body 31 forms the flat bottom surface 33, which extends in the radial direction (No. 13 in 1 ) extends over the entire width of the first guide body 31. The first guide body 31 further forms a radially outer guide for the conveyor chain. The second guide body 32 forms the complementary radially inner guide for the conveyor chain. It is firmly connected to the first guide body 31, being screwed to it in particular via screw bolts 34.

The first guide body 31 protrudes over the support profile 20 both radially inwards and radially outwards. There are several cuboid fastening parts 41 on its flat bottom surface 33; 42; 43 attached, each of which is attached to an associated inner and outer side wall 21; 22 of the support profile 20 rest. The fastening parts 41; 42; 43 are on the one hand screwed to the first guide body 31. Furthermore, they are penetrated in the horizontal direction by a screw bolt 45, which is screwed into an associated hammer nut 44, which in turn engages in the undercut groove 24 mentioned above. This type of attachment requires between the first and second guide 11; 12 very little space in the vertical direction. The corresponding dimensions are indicated by this EP 1 188 693 B 1 known route profile is fixed, as this should continue to be used unchanged. The fastening parts 41; 42; 43 are therefore arranged laterally next to the support profile 20. There is enough installation space there, and the undercut groove 24 that already exists there can also be used, on which the side guides (No. 64 in 1 ) are attached.

It should also be noted that the two fastening parts 42; 43, which are larger than the fastening part 41. These are arranged at the joint between the support profile 20 and the route profile 15, with both profiles 20; 15 are screwed. In both cases, the undercut groove 24 is used for this.

Furthermore, reference should be made to the recess 35 on the end face of the first guide body 31, which has little play on the route profile (No. 15 in 1 ) is adapted.

This facilitates the desired alignment between the guide assembly 30 and the route profile.

Reference symbols

10

Curve unit

11

first tour

12

second tour

13

curve line

14

radial direction

15

Route profile

20

Support profile

21

radial inner side wall

22

radial outer side wall

23

head area

24

undercut groove

30

Guide assembly

31

first leadership body

32

second leadership body

33

floor area

34

screw bolt

35

recess

41

Fastening part

42

Fastening part

43

Fastening part

44

Hammer nut

45

screw bolt

60

Transfer system

61

conveyor chain

62

Drive assembly

63

conveyed goods

64

Lateral guidance

65

connecting strut

QUOTES INCLUDED IN THE DESCRIPTION

This list of documents listed by the applicant was generated automatically and is included solely for the better information of the reader. The list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA assumes no liability for any errors or omissions.

Cited patent literature

• EP 1188693 B1 [0002, 0003, 0019]
• EP 1188693 [0015, 0024, 0028]

Claims (10)

Cam unit (10) for use in a transfer system (60) with at least one endlessly rotating conveyor chain (61), the cam unit (10) having a first and a second guide (11; 12) for a forward and a return strand of the conveyor chain (61), wherein the conveyor chain (61) in the area of the first guide (11) can be brought into a driving connection with a conveyed item (63), the first and second guides (11; 12) being parallel to one another along a curved curve line (13 ). surrounds, characterized in that the first guide (11) is completely formed by a separate guide assembly (30) which is attached to the support profile (20). Curve unit (10). Claim 1 , wherein the guide assembly (30) comprises a first and a separate second guide body (31; 32), which each curve in accordance with the curve line (13), being opposite guides for the in the radial direction (14) with respect to the curve line (13). Form conveyor chain (61). Curve unit (10). Claim 2 , wherein the first and / or the second guide body (31; 32) is each formed in one piece over its entire length along the curve line (13). Curve unit (10). Claim 2 or 3 , wherein the first and / or the second guide body (31; 32) each consists entirely of plastic. Curve unit (10) according to one of the Claims 2 until 4 , wherein the first guide body (31) has a flat bottom surface (33) which is arranged parallel to a plane in which the curve line (13) runs, the first guide body (31) having its bottom surface directly on the support profile (20) applied. Curve unit (10). Claim 5 , wherein the first guide body (31) projects radially inwards with respect to the curve line (13) and/or radially outwards with respect to the curve line (13) over the support profile (20), where it is fastened there to an associated undercut (24) groove is, wherein the undercut groove (24) is arranged on a radially inner or a radially outer side wall (21; 22) of the support profile (20). Curve unit (10). Claim 6 , wherein the flat bottom surface (33) of the first guide body (31) extends in the radial direction with respect to the curve line over the entire width of the first guide body (31), at least one separate fastening part (41; 42; 43) being provided, which is attached to rests on said bottom surface (33), being fastened to the first guide body (31), with the at least one fastening part (41; 42; 42) being fastened to said undercut groove (24). Curve unit (10) according to one of the Claims 5 until 7 , wherein the second guide body (32) rests directly on the first guide body (31) and is attached to it, whereby it does not touch the support profile (20). Curve unit (10) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein a route profile (15) is provided which is made of aluminum and is formed in one piece, extending with a constant cross-sectional shape along a straight line, being in the direction of the curve line (13 ) is attached to the front of the support profile (20) and the guide assembly (30), whereby it continues both the first and the second guide (11; 12) in tangential alignment. Curve unit (10). Claim 9 , related back to Claim 7 , wherein at least one fastening body (41, 42; 43) is fastened both to an associated first guide body (31) and to an associated support profile (20) as well as to an associated route profile (15).

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