DE29907776U1 - Rail conveyor system for trolleys mounted on support rollers - Google Patents

Description

BLE-107gDE
30 April 1999

DESCRIPTION

Rail conveyor system for roller-mounted

Mining car
05

TECHNICAL AREA

The invention relates to a rail conveyor system for conveyor carriages mounted on support rollers. With the help of the conveyor carriages, any objects, such as machine parts, engines, transmissions or car bodies, can be transported from work station to work station during their production or a manufacturing process.

STATE OF THE ART

Such a rail conveyor system is known from DE 28 40 215 C2. The conveyor carriages to be transported on the rail conveyor system have support rollers for transferring both vertical and horizontal loads. This allows the conveyor carriage to travel along two rails without tipping or twisting. Each conveyor carriage is driven by a rack that is fixed in place along the travel path. A drive pinion engages the rack and can be driven by an electric motor drive carried on the conveyor carriage. The two travel rails are attached to the projecting arms of T-supports. The drive motors on the conveyor carriages are supplied with power via power rails attached to the T-supports.

A comparable rail conveyor system is also known from DE 35 20 83 8 C2. While in the above, previously known rail conveyor system the T-shaped supports serve on the one hand as a structural support for the two

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In the rail conveyor system according to DE 35 2 0 838 C2, the two rails serve as guide rails and, on the other hand, contain a protective cover that acts from above and from the side with their laterally projecting T-arms. In the rail conveyor system according to DE 35 2 0 838 C2, the two guide rails are attached to sleepers mounted on the floor independently of a rail cover profile. The rail cover profile is held by a separate support structure, which is also mounted on said sleepers. The rack required to propel the conveyor cars is attached to this additional central support structure. In order for the tooth play between the drive pinion and the rack in the horizontal direction transverse to the direction of travel to exactly match the dimensional distance between the rail and said support structure and to prevent any constraining forces from occurring, this construction must be dimensionally exact. The construction and, in particular, assembly work is therefore considerable.

The problem inherent in this does not exist in the rail conveyor system known from DE 28 40 215 C2, since the two running rails and the rail cover profile are one-piece components of a U-profile that is open at the bottom and supported by the support structure. Since the rack is also attached to the U-profile, dimensional inaccuracies between the conveyor carriages rolling on the running rails and the stationary rack due to assembly and caused by assembly are practically impossible. However, the horizontal support rollers on both running rails from the inside, which prevent the conveyor carriage from moving sideways, require considerable design effort, which is not present in the rail conveyor system known from DE 35 20 838 C2, since the horizontal load-transferring support rollers there engage on both sides of the same running rail.

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DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Based on this previously known state of the art, the invention is based on the object of specifying a rail conveyor system which can be used as comprehensively as possible in terms of application technology and which can be manufactured and operated in a technically and economically favorable manner.

This invention is defined by the features of the main claim. Further developments of the invention are the subject of subclaims.

By arranging the rack in the immediate vicinity of a running rail, i.e. by arranging the rack either on a running rail or in the immediate vicinity of the support structure holding this running rail, a compact drive unit can be created on a conveyor carriage. This drive unit, which can be designed as a structural drive block, can then contain the drive parts between the drive motor and the rack. If this drive block is arranged in the area of a vertical support of the conveyor carriage on a rail, the drive unit or the drive block can then also be designed to support the support roller that transmits vertical loads of the conveyor carriage at this point and at the same time to support support rollers that transmit horizontal loads. A conveyor carriage that is supported by four or more vertical support rollers on two rails then has, for example, a drive unit that can be placed in an outer "corner" of the conveyor carriage and is then designed there as a structural unit together with the support roller that transmits vertical loads and at the same time with the support rollers that transmit horizontal loads.

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The design of the other support roller frames can be made much simpler than this frame containing the drive block. The support rollers on the side opposite the drive side do not require any lateral guides and therefore do not require any support rollers intended to support horizontal loads. To prevent the conveyor carriage from accidentally moving around a vertical axis and slipping sideways off the rails with its vertical support rollers, the additional support roller on the drive side, which is also intended to support vertical loads and is not only structurally connected to the drive block but also contains a combination of support rollers that transmit vertical loads and support rollers that transmit horizontal loads.

Support rollers that transfer lateral, horizontal loads could be dispensed with if the support rollers that transfer vertical loads on the drive side of the conveyor carriage are designed to encompass the rail, for example.

The drawing shows various examples of how the rack and drive motor can be arranged. The rack can be screwed directly onto one of the rails, for example, or it can be part of the rail itself. The screwed or clamped rack can be made of different materials, such as steel or plastic. The rack can also be attached in the immediate vicinity of the rail on the structure supporting the rail. Even then, a compact drive block made up of an electric drive motor, transmission gear and drive pinion can be used, if necessary.

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if the support rollers that transfer vertical and horizontal loads to the rail are designed with a structural connection to the support rollers that are located "in one corner" of the conveyor carriage.

The rail conveyor system can be designed with two rails, as shown in the drawing as an example, or with just a single rail. In contrast to the arrangement of two rails, the design with just a single rail requires additional measures to transfer planned or unplanned tipping moments.

The drive motor of the conveyor car can be arranged in such a way that it is easily accessible from the outside, for example from the side. The maintenance effort on the drive motor can thus be kept as low as possible. On the other hand, it is also possible, for example in confined spaces, to move the drive motor and thus the drive block into the interior of the rail conveyor system.

The electric drive motor can be designed as a three-phase motor, a frequency-controlled motor or a servo motor. The drive motor is advantageously supplied with electrical energy via a fixed conductor rail and current collectors attached to the conveyor carriage. This is known per se in rail conveyor systems of the type mentioned above. The respective position of the conveyor carriage is determined by limit switches and comparable actuating elements arranged along the rail path. In addition, with this previously known control system, certain rail areas can be de-energized via an external control system. If the travel speed of a conveyor carriage deviates from preset speed values,

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If the conveyor belt is to be changed, appropriate interventions are required directly on the conveyor belt. A comparatively communicative reporting of the conveyor belt's travel status is possible by reporting a limit switch or another permanently installed control switch.

In contrast, a further development of the invention that is essential to the invention includes a modified control concept. This still contains busbars that are permanently connected to an electrical energy source and current collectors that are electrically connected to the drive motor on each conveyor car or to other electrical consumers attached to the conveyor car. According to a further development of the invention, the busbars are designed not only to supply electrical energy to the electrical consumers of each conveyor car, but also to transmit signals between at least one external control device and the electrical consumers of a conveyor car or between all existing electrical consumers in order to enable individual control of all electrical consumers. For this purpose, each electrical consumer has an individual electrical address that enables individual control of the respective electrical consumer from outside via the busbars. The electrical control takes place via electrical BUS signals.

According to an example shown in the drawing, an 8-pole power rail is present. Four rails are used for the motor current and the remaining rails for signal transmission. A different division can also be made and, for example, the BUS signals can also be modulated onto the traction current. A power supply with direct current of, for example, 48 volts is also conceivable.

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The combination of rack and pinion drive and absolute encoders that can be programmed as required from the outside allows each conveyor car to be controlled precisely and precisely at any position within the rail conveyor system. Each conveyor car within the rail conveyor system communicates with one or more external controls via the BUS system, which is known from the automotive industry. Since each car has its own address, the car in question can be addressed specifically from outside or from another car.

Technical changes to the driving conditions, such as stop positions, are no longer specified via external limit switches but can be specified via any externally defined driving coordinates. At predefined points along the rail track, for example, each conveyor car can be "zeroed" in terms of position using fork light barriers in order to maintain its accuracy. The BUS system provided allows each conveyor car to be programmed at any point and at any time using an external control system. This allows flexible responses to system situations, as the actual state of the rail conveyor system is always present in the external central control system.

The actual status does not only include knowledge of the respective position of each conveyor car, but also other working data, such as weights, temperatures and other conditions that may be present on a conveyor car and that change according to the respective work process. For example, in connection with filling a container, the filling process could be controlled via a scale on the conveyor car, which sends a corresponding feedback to the filling valve when the filling process is completed.

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The conveyor cars can also come into direct contact with each other at any point and at any time, for example to communicate status reports along the route or regarding the workpieces transported on the conveyor car, the work station currently being approached or the driving situation itself. The reliability of the entire system can be significantly increased through these interactive processes.

The conveyor cars can also be equipped with a monitoring device to detect a desired distance between neighboring conveyor cars or disruptive obstacles.

The possible direct communication between the conveyor cars can also be used to allow several conveyor cars to travel relatively close together, simultaneously and quickly one after the other. If, for example, a conveyor car in front breaks down, the conveyor car behind it detects this and can stop automatically. So-called cycle bar operation can therefore be carried out without any problems without intervention by the external control system. In this context, for example, a transmitter light barrier can be provided at the "front" of a conveyor car and a "receiver light barrier" at the "back" of each conveyor car. These light barriers can also be activated, for example, only in the area in which the cycle bar operation is to take place.

Rail conveyor systems of the above type must not only allow for cornering, but also for the existing conveyor carriages to change their direction of transport at right angles. The right angle change of direction can be made within a

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horizontal plane or involve overcoming a height offset using a lift system. A rack drive in rail conveyor systems and operation of the system with absolute encoders requires the tooth pitch of the rack to be as constant as possible over the entire length of the conveyor system. This requirement is difficult to meet with lift systems integrated into the rail conveyor system. In such lift systems, part of the rail conveyor system is mounted on a lower level, such as on a hall floor, while another part of the rail conveyor system is mounted on an upper level, which often rests on a steel structure. Due to different temperature expansions, the exact transition between the lift carriage integrated in the rail conveyor system and the permanently mounted part of the system is problematic.

According to a significant further development of the rail conveyor system according to the invention, an alignment device can therefore be provided in order to enable exact alignment of the abutting rail sections and the rack also abutted there in the connection area of butted conveyor rails. This alignment device can be made possible in the simplest design by precisely inserting a bolt into a sleeve. After the sleeve is attached to one of the abutting parts of the rail conveyor system and the bolt to the other part of the butted rail conveyor system, the two butted system parts are exactly aligned with each other when the bolt fits precisely in the sleeve. Such an alignment device is generally sufficient for areas that can be moved relative to each other in the plane.

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In the lift systems mentioned above, an alignment device can be provided for both vertical and horizontal alignment. According to an embodiment shown in the drawing, the vertically adjustable lift carriage, on which the rails are mounted with the rack and on which a conveyor carriage can be transported, can, for example, have a sleeve that can slide precisely over a centering bolt when the height of the lift carriage is adjusted.

In this configuration, the centering bolt is attached to the stationary part of the rail conveyor system. According to the invention, the lift carriage can be mounted floating in the horizontal direction. This ensures that the sleeve and thus the lift carriage can align themselves precisely with the centering bolt and thus with the butt connection area of the rail conveyor system. When the lift carriage is raised, it therefore hits the rail conveyor system installed in the upper level in its upper transport plane in the horizontal plane, i.e. in the X-Y direction, exactly. The same applies to the lower level of the rail conveyor system. While the sleeve in the upper system can be pushed from below over a downwardly projecting centering bolt, this sleeve in the lower level pushes itself from above onto a centering bolt aligned upwards.

In addition to this X-Y alignment, an exact height alignment can also be achieved. This is possible, for example, by means of a horizontally extendable cantilever bolt attached to the lift carriage, which is supported in the exact upper or lower alignment position on a console, which is located on the fixed part of the rail conveyor system. The lift carriage is thus attached to the

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fixed part of the rail conveyor system - either in the upper level or in the lower level. An example of such a construction is shown in the drawing·

Since any movements of the stationary part of the rail conveyor system are followed by the centering bolt and the console, and the lift carriage always fits together with the centering bolt thanks to its sleeve floating in the plane, and the cantilever bolts that can be extended on the lift carriage rest on the fixed consoles, the lift carriage and thus the rails and rack attached to it always have the exact X-Y and Z alignment to the adjacent part of the rail conveyor system.

Further features and advantages of the invention result from the features further specified in the claims and from the following exemplary embodiments. 20

SHORT DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

The invention is described and explained in more detail below with reference to the embodiments shown in the drawing. They show:

Fig. 1 is a cross-section through a first embodiment of a rail conveyor system with a seated conveyor carriage according to the invention, 30

Fig. 2 to 7 highly schematic cross sections of

various rail conveyor systems according to the invention,

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Fig. 8 is a schematic cross-section through a height-adjustable lift car within a rail conveyor system according to the invention,

Fig. 9 is a plan view of the lift car according to Fig.

and

Fig. 10 is a plan view of a horizontally adjustable transfer carriage of a rail conveyor system according to the invention.

WAYS TO CARRY OUT THE INVENTION

A rail conveyor system 12 is mounted on a floor 10, which can be a hall floor or the floor of a gallery in a factory building. The rail conveyor system 12 has two rails 14, 16, which are mounted at a parallel mutual distance on a support structure 18 attached to the floor 10. In the present case, the support structure 18 consists of a U-structure 20 that is open at the bottom and which can be precisely aligned in height relative to the floor 10 via feet 22.

On the outside of the right rail 16 there is a rack 24. In this case, this rack 24 is screwed to the rail 16. The rack itself is made of steel. However, it is also possible to make it from plastic. In addition, the rail 16 and rack 24 can also be made as one piece. Instead of screwing, the rack can also be clamped into a longitudinal groove in the rail, for example.

A conveyor carriage 2 6 with two vertical support rollers 28 rests on the two rails 14, 16 on the left rail 35

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14 and with two vertical support rollers 30 on the right rail 16, each in a vertical direction. In the present example, the conveyor carriage 26 has a left and right support roller 28, 30 at the "front" and also a left support roller 28 and right support roller 30 at the "rear".

The chassis of the conveyor carriage 26 is essentially made up of lateral longitudinal beams 32, 34 and a cover 36 connecting these two longitudinal beams 32, 34 at the top. The cover 36 has a removable middle section 38. Overall, the conveyor carriage 26 is of modular construction, so that conveyor carriages 26 of different sizes in both length and width can be manufactured using longitudinal beam sections of different sizes or middle sections 38 of different sizes.

The front and rear vertical support rollers 28 are held on the left longitudinal member 32 via a front and rear cross member structure 40, respectively.

The rear support roller 3 is attached to the right longitudinal beam 34 on a cross member structure 42, to which horizontal support rollers 44, 46 are also rotatably attached, which are supported horizontally on the inside and outside of the right rail 16. In the rear right corner area of the conveyor carriage 26 in this case, both the vertical support roller 3 0 and the two horizontal support rollers 44, 46 are present via the cross member structure 42 present there. In the front right corner area of the conveyor carriage 26, there is a comparable cross member structure with a vertical support roller 3 0 and horizontal support rollers 44, 46.

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In the present case, the conveyor carriage 26 is used to transport vehicle bodies. For this purpose, a lifting device 50 (not shown in detail in the drawing) is provided on its cover 36 in order to be able to set the vehicle bodies down onto station structures at work stations located along the rail conveyor system 12. During the processing operations on the respective vehicle body taking place in the work stations, the conveyor carriage 26 in question remains unloaded by the vehicle body.

For the electric motor drive of the conveyor carriage 26, a cable duct 54 is formed within the interior space 52 enclosed by it, in the interior of which the necessary electrical cables are laid.

The cable duct 54 is covered from above by a protective cover 56, which is essentially T-shaped. The upper cover plate 58 of the protective cover 56 is mounted on the support structure 18 via longitudinal beams 60, 62.

The cover plate 58, with lateral aprons 64, 66, encompasses the lateral outer area of the two vertical support rollers 28, 30 and at the same time the upper area of the interior 52 from the side. The cable duct 54 is located in this interior 52 between the two longitudinal members 60, 62.

In the present example, eight busbars 70 are laid on the right longitudinal beam 60 of the protective cover 56, which have their electrical connection to the electrical cables laid in the cable duct 54. The eight busbars 70, for example, are in electrical contact with eight sliding contacts 72. The sliding contacts 72 are connected to the electrical consumers that are on the conveyor carriage 26

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are present, in a manner not shown in detail. The sliding contacts 72 are connected via the car's internal control system in particular to the electric drive

Q5 motor 76. This drive motor 76 is flanged to the outside of the right longitudinal beam 34 in the embodiment according to Fig. 1. The drive motor 76 drives a drive pinion 78, which is in meshing engagement with the rack 24 on the right rail 16 via an intermediate gear 80. Drive motor 76,

Drive pinion 78 and intermediate gear 80 form a compact unit in the form of a drive block 82.

The vertical support roller 30 and the two horizontal support rollers 44, 46, which are adjacent to the drive motor 76 in the area of the rail 16, are also attached to the drive block 82. The drive motor 76 is therefore not necessarily positioned centrally between the two vertical support rollers 30 rolling on the right-hand rail 16 in the present case, but rather off-center, in the present case closer to the rear vertical support roller 30.

By forming a compact, connected drive block 82, the desired exact compliance with the tooth play with the rack 24 is achieved in a structurally very simple manner. Due to the external arrangement of the drive motor 76, the accessibility to the motor 76 is also made significantly easier in this configuration.

By different designs of the intermediate gear 80, different gear ratios to the drive motor 76 can be realized.

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The upper cover plate 58 is designed to be removable in the middle area, i.e. in the present case between the longitudinal members 60, 62, in order to facilitate access to the cable duct from above.

Of the eight busbars 70 in the present case, four busbars 70.1, 70.2, 70.3 and 70.4 are used to supply electrical energy to the drive motors 76 of all conveyor cars 26 and any other electrical consumers of these conveyor cars 26. The energy is transferred by means of four sliding contacts 72.1, 72.2, 72.3 and 72.4. The voltage in three busbars 70.1, 70.2, 70.3 in the present case is 400 volts, while the fourth busbar 70.4 is a neutral conductor.

Two further busbars 70.5 and 70.6 are in electrical contact with two further sliding contacts 72.5 and 72.6. In this case, their supply voltage is 24 volts. These two rails are used to transmit BUS signals. Each conveyor car 26 within the rail conveyor system communicates with an external control device (control center) via the BUS signals. For this purpose, each electrical consumer and thus each conveyor car has its own address. This means that each electrical consumer can be addressed specifically. This enables individual communication between the control center and a specific conveyor car 26 or between the conveyor cars. These control signals are sent or received via the two BUS rails 70.5 and 70.6. Each conveyor car 26 can also have its own internal control center in which the entire route configuration of the rail conveyor system 12 can be stored. Depending on the travel coordinates, corresponding

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Control commands are sent to the various electrical consumers of the respective conveyor car, such as its drive motor 76. This allows, for example, the conveyor car 26 to be stopped at a specific point on the rail conveyor system 12 or its travel speed to be changed.

In the case of extensive rail conveyor systems, fork light barriers can be provided at certain points, via which the conveyor cars can be "zeroed" in terms of position in order to maintain their position accuracy even in elongated and branched rail conveyor systems.

Via the BUS system, each conveyor car 26 and thus also each electrical consumer of the existing conveyor cars can be programmed and reprogrammed at any point and at any time using the external control center. This allows a flexible response to unexpected system situations.

In addition, work data and work progress from the various electrical consumers of a conveyor car 26 or from stationary electrical consumers can be communicated to other consumers and/or a central control center via the BUS system. Each conveyor car can therefore carry a complete log of the states caused by the electrical consumers at all times. Depending on external consumers, the electrical consumers present within a conveyor car 26 can also be influenced and the conveyor cars 26 can be controlled, for example stopped or transported further, depending on the operation of the external electrical consumers.

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It is also possible to pass on work data, such as weights, temperatures and the like, from a conveyor car directly to work stations, thus interacting directly with the work stations during a process. Such processes are conceivable, for example, when filling a container on a conveyor car from different silos. The filling process can be controlled using a scale on the conveyor car, which opens or closes the filling valve on the silo in question.

Finally, each conveyor car can come into direct contact with any other conveyor car at any point on the rail conveyor system and at any time in order to communicate status reports of the conveyor car or the workpieces or other transported parts on it. The work station being approached and the individual driving situation can also be communicated. This significantly increases the reliability of the entire system, as interactive processes can take place.

In addition, in the present example, the conveyor cars 26 can be equipped with a distance measuring device for constantly measuring the distance to a conveyor car travelling ahead and/or for detecting an obstacle. In addition, it is possible to arrange transmitter light barriers at the front in the direction of travel and receiver light barriers at the rear in the direction of travel on each conveyor car 26. These light barriers are activated at previously defined parts of the system in which several conveyor cars have to travel relatively close together, simultaneously or quickly one after the other. This enables so-called cycle bar operation 35

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of several carriages. If a conveyor carriage in front fails, the following carriage detects this and stops immediately. This measure ensures that the cycle chain of all conveyor carriages can be stopped immediately and without the influence of the external control center.

This type of control is not only limited to the rack-and-pinion-driven rail conveyor system described above. This type of control can also be used for other process-related systems in the chemical and automotive industries, for example. Rail conveyor systems with friction drive (wheel/rail) can also be controlled in a similar way.

Not absolutely necessary for the control, but recommended for practical operation for safety reasons, the rail conveyor system 12 also has two busbars 70.7 and 70.8 and two sliding contacts 72.7 and 72.8 in contact with them. These two busbars can be used to trigger an emergency stop command or an area stop command. These two busbars can be part of a safety guard area that delimits the rail conveyor system in certain sections where safety is at risk.

If the power connection is interrupted by this protective grid, which can happen, for example, by opening the protective grid, the current flow through the signal rails 70.7 or 70.8 is interrupted and a predetermined control command is triggered, for example to interrupt the power supply for the drive motor 76. When a protective grid is opened, the conveyor carriage 26 located in the corresponding safety zone is stopped. After closing the protective grid and operating a manual control switch, the power supply for controlling the drive motor 76 can be restored.

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released and thereby the drive motor 76 can be supplied with traction current again.

In Fig. 2, the rail conveyor system 12 shown in Fig. is shown again in a highly schematic manner. One can see the good accessibility of the drive motor 26 on the side, which forms a drive block 82 with the drive pinion 78, the intermediate gear 80 and the support rollers 30, 44, 46 supported on the right rail 16 "at the rear" of the conveyor carriage 26.

The rail conveyor system 12.3 shown in Fig. 3 differs from the above rail conveyor system 12 in that the rack 24 is now attached to the support structure 18 immediately adjacent to the right rail 16, also pointing outwards.

In the rail conveyor system 12.4 shown in Fig. 4, the two rails 14, 16 form the cross-sectional end areas of a T-shaped support structure 18.4. This support structure 18.4 simultaneously forms the cover 56 shown in Figures 2 and 3. The central cable duct 54 is present in the T-post of this support structure 18.4. The T-post contains longitudinal beams 60.4 and 62.4, which correspond to the longitudinal beams 60, 62 of the rail conveyor systems 12 and 12.3. In the rail conveyor system 12.4, the drive motor 76 is also installed inwards, which is different from the previous rail conveyor systems. Accordingly, the rack 24 is placed on the inside of the right rail 16. In this design too, the drive pinion 78 engages the rack 24 via an intermediate gear 80. Due to the T-shaped design of the support structure 18.4, the right horizontal support roller 46 can be attached to the support structure 18.4 instead of to the

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Rail 16 roll off, otherwise the support structure 18.4 would have to be made correspondingly wider in cross-section.

In the rail conveyor system 12.5 shown in Fig. 5, the drive motor 76 is not placed all the way inwards as in the system 12.4, but in the space between the conveyor carriage 2 6.5 and the support structure 18.5. The transverse dimension of the support structure 18.5 can thus be kept as small as desired. In this embodiment, the rack 24 is also in direct meshing engagement with the drive pinion 78. For this purpose, the rack 24 is attached to the outside of the T-shaped support structure. However, it would also be possible to attach the rack 24 to the outside of the right rail 16. If the construction were otherwise the same, an intermediate gear would then have to be provided between the rack 24 and the drive pinion 78 in order to bridge the distance between the rail 16 and the motor 76 in the transverse direction. In this system 12.5, in contrast to the above, the left horizontal support roller 44 grips the support structure 18.5 from the inside. The right horizontal support roller 46 rests on the outside of the right rail 16.

In the rail conveyor system 12.6 shown in Fig. 6, which corresponds in principle to systems 12 and 12.3, in contrast to systems 12 and 12.3, the drive motor 76 is completely relocated into the interior 52. In this respect, a configuration roughly comparable to system 12 is present.

The drive motor 76 in turn is in meshing engagement with a drive pinion 78 via an intermediate gear 80 with the rack 24 attached to the inside of the right rail 16.

The rail conveyor system 12.7 5 shown in Fig. 7 differs from, for example, the rail conveyor

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system 12.5 essentially consists in the fact that both the vertical support roller 30 and the two horizontal support rollers 44, 46 rest on the right rail 16, which is part of the support structure 18.7. Here too, similar to the rail conveyor system 12.5, the rack 24 attached to the support structure 18.7 can also be attached to the outside of the right rail 16. In this case, an intermediate gear would also have to be provided to bridge the distance to the drive pinion 78.

10

In all the example cases according to Figures 2 to 7, only one electrical consumer, the respective drive motor 76, is shown in the drawing on the respective conveyor car. Of course, other electrical consumers can also be present. All of these consumers are or would then be connected to the busbars 70 via the electrical sliding contacts 72 shown in Figure, for example, via the car control system.

Fig. 8 shows a cross-section of a lift carriage 90 which can be moved between a lower level 92 and an upper level 94 in the Z direction.

The lift carriage 90 contains a frame 96 to which the two rails 14, 16 are firmly attached. A rack 24 is attached to the outside of the right rail 16.

A sleeve construction 98 with a horizontal through hole 100 is attached to opposite areas of the frame 96. A cantilever bolt 102 can be pushed into each of these two sleeve constructions 98 and through their holes 100, which cantilever bolt is mounted on the frame 96 so that it can be moved horizontally. The cantilever bolt 102 protrudes from the area of the frame 96.

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The extendable cantilever bolt 102 can then be pushed onto a bracket plate 120, which is provided in the stationary area of the rail conveyor system adjacent to the lift car 90 in the respective level 92, 94 and is correspondingly aligned.

Such a possibility of moving a bolt in a horizontal direction is shown in Fig. 10 for a transfer carriage 110. On one side of the transfer carriage 110 - and in a corresponding manner on the opposite side of the same - a cantilever bolt 103 is mounted in such a way that it can be pushed through a sleeve 114 attached to the transfer carriage 110. For this purpose, the cantilever bolt 103 is articulated on a crank rod 104. The crank rod 104 can be driven accordingly via an eccentric drive 106, which is connected to an electric motor 108 or a pneumatic cylinder. When the cantilever bolt 103 is moved through the sleeve 114 (Fig. 10), the cantilever bolt 103 is pushed into another sleeve 112. This sleeve 112 is present on the stationary part 12.1 of the rail conveyor system 12 adjacent to the transfer carriage 110. As soon as the two opposing cantilever bolts 103 fit precisely into the adjacent sleeves 112, the transfer carriage 110 is aligned with the adjacent part 12.1 in the Y direction, i.e. in the direction of displacement of the transfer carriage 110.

A similar thing is done with the cantilever bolt 102 of the 0 lift car 90. However, this cantilever bolt 102 or the two opposite cantilever bolts do not engage in sleeves 112, but are supported on bracket plates 12 0. These bracket plates 12 0 are present on the lift car 90 between framed, stationary parts 12.1 of the rail conveyor system 12, namely

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in each level 92, 94, in which the lift car 90 is to be coupled to parts 12.1 of the rail conveyor system 12 present there.

05 10 15 20 25 30 35

The cantilever bolt 102 (Fig. 8, 9) has a flattened portion 122 with which it rests on the respective bracket plate 120. Corresponding to the flattened portion 122, a comparable flattened portion 123 is present in the through-hole 100 of the sleeve construction 98 of the frame part 96.

While the cantilever bolt 103 is intended to ensure only the horizontal alignment of the transfer carriage 110 to the stationary part 12.1 of the rail conveyor system by immersing itself in the adjacent sleeve 112, the cantilever bolts 102 on the lift carriage 90 have the task of aligning the same with its frame 96 and thus also with the rails 14 and 16 as well as the rack 24 in terms of height exactly to the adjacent stationary part of the rail conveyor system. These stationary parts are each predetermined by the position of the bracket plates 120. The lift carriage 90 hangs on the bracket plates 120 with its extendable cantilever bolts 102, always in exact height alignment to the stationary part of the rail conveyor system.

In addition to this exact alignment of the lift carriage 90 in the respective level 92, 94 in the Z direction, a horizontal alignment of the lift carriage 90 to the adjacent stationary parts of the rail conveyor system is also possible. Centering bolts 13 0, 132 are used for this purpose, which are provided on the stationary part in the area of level 94, projecting downwards and on the stationary part in the area of the lower level 92, projecting upwards. When the lift carriage 90 moves up and down, a sleeve 134 on the frame 96 slides either from below

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via a centering bolt 130 (level 94) or from above onto a centering bolt 132 (level 92). The centering bolts 130, 132 have a conical tip 136. This ensures that even if the position between the frame 96 and the stationary parts of the rail conveyor system in the respective level 92, 94 is slightly offset horizontally relative to one another, the sleeve 134 of the frame 96 can slide over the relevant centering bolt 132. Due to the conical tip 136 of the respective centering bolt 132, when the sleeve 134 slides over the relevant bolt 130, 132, the frame 96 slides in the horizontal direction (X-Y) into the exact horizontal alignment with the relevant bolt 130, 132.

In order to enable this horizontal alignment of the frame 96 and thus of the lift carriage 90, the frame 96 is mounted floating in the X-Y direction on a substructure 140. For this purpose, frame saddles 142, 144 are screwed to the underside of the frame 96, which are each in sliding contact with a running profile 146, 148. Each of these running profiles 146, 148 is attached to another running profile 150 or 152 arranged at right angles to it, which are held in lower frame bearing shells 154 or 156. Due to the horizontal mutual sliding ability between the frame saddles 142, 144 and the upper running profiles 146, 148 on the one hand and the lower frame bearing shells 154, 156 and the running profiles 150, 152 guided in these shells, the frame 96 can be displaced horizontally by a predetermined amount relative to the substructure 140. The rails 14, 16 can thus be displaced horizontally by a certain amount relative to the substructure 140. When the respective centering bolts 13 0, 132 engage in the sleeves 13 4 attached to the frame 96, the rails 14, 16

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and thus the rack 24 can be aligned exactly in the horizontal X-Y direction relative to the centering bolt 13 0, 132. During the movement of the lift carriage 90, the frame 96 supporting the rails 14, 16 is held in a defined zero position via spring elements 158, 160.

Overall, the lift carriage 90 can thus be aligned precisely in the X-Y direction to the other parts of the rail conveyor system that are fixed in the respective plane 92, 94 by means of the cantilever bolts 102 that can be supported on bracket plates 120 and also by means of the precise engagement of the centering bolts 130, 132 in sleeves 134 of the frame.

Similar alignment devices can be provided in all rail joints and rack joints present in the rail conveyor system.

35

Claims (31)

1. Rail conveyor system ( 12 ) for conveyor carriages ( 26 ) mounted on support rollers ( 28 , 30 , 44 , 46 ), 1. with a rack ( 24 ) for driving the conveyor carriages ( 26 ), 2. with at least one travel rail ( 14 , 16 ) on which support rollers ( 28 , 30 , 44 , 46 ) of the conveyor carriage ( 26 ) are supported, 3. with first support rollers ( 28 , 30 ) for transferring vertical loads of the conveyor carriage ( 26 ), 4. with second support rollers ( 44 , 46 ) for transferring horizontal loads of the conveyor carriage ( 26 ), 5. with an electric drive motor ( 76 ) attached to the conveyor carriage ( 26 ), characterized in that 6. the rack ( 24 ) is located in the immediate vicinity of a running rail ( 16 ), 7. this one guide rail ( 16 ) is designed to support the load of at least some ( 30 ) of the support rollers ( 28 , 30 ) transmitting vertical loads and at the same time to support the load of support rollers ( 44 , 46 ) transmitting horizontal loads. 2. Rail conveyor system according to claim 1, characterized in that 1. the support rollers ( 28 , 30 ) provided for vertical load support can roll on two parallel rails ( 14 , 16 ), 2. the support rollers ( 44 , 46 ) provided for horizontal load support can roll on only one ( 16 ) of the two rails, 3. both rails ( 14 , 16 ) are held by a common support structure ( 18 ). 3. Rail conveyor system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that 1. the rack ( 24 ) is present on the guide rail ( 16 ). 4. Rail conveyor system according to one of claims 1 or 2, characterized in that 1. the rack ( 24 ) is present on the support structure ( 18 ) for the guide rail ( 16 ). 5. Rail conveyor system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that 1. the rack ( 24 ) is fastened to the guide rail ( 16 ) or to its support structure ( 18 ) in a force-fitting and/or form-fitting manner. 6. Rail conveyor system according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that 1. that the rack ( 24 ) is integrally connected to the guide rail or to its supporting structure. 7. Rail conveyor system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that 1. the support rollers ( 44 , 46 ) provided for horizontal load support can be rolled directly on one of the running rails ( 16 ) and/or on the support structure ( 18 ) for this running rail ( 16 ). 8. Rail conveyor system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that 1. the drive motor ( 76 ) has a substantially smaller distance to one of the support rollers ( 30 ) provided for vertical load support than to all other support rollers provided for vertical load support. 9. Rail conveyor system according to claim 8, characterized in that 1. at least one support roller ( 44 , 46 ) for horizontal load support is also fastened to the bearing block for this one ( 30 ) of the support rollers provided for vertical load support, from which the drive motor ( 76 ) has a minimal distance in relation to the other support rollers ( 28 , 30 ). 10. Rail conveyor system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that 1. a hood-like cover ( 56 ) is provided on a supporting structure, 2. the hood-like cover ( 56 ) is at least partially present laterally of the support rollers ( 28 , 30 ) provided for vertical load support. 11. Rail conveyor system according to claim 10, characterized in that 1. the two guide rails ( 14 , 16 ) are each inwardly directed support surfaces of the support structure ( 18.4 , 18.5 , 18.7 ). 12. Rail conveyor system according to claim 10, characterized in that 1. the hood-like cover ( 56 ) is present on the top and on the outside of the space occupied by the support rollers intended for vertical load support. 13. Rail conveyor system according to claim 11, characterized in that 1. the support structure ( 18 ) in the manner of a hood-like cover completely frames the support rollers ( 28 , 30 ) provided for vertical load support and at least part of the support rollers ( 44 , 46 ) provided for horizontal load support from the outside and below. 14. Rail conveyor system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that 1. the drive motor ( 76 ) is located outside the downwardly open U-profile of the conveyor carriage ( 26 ). 15. Rail conveyor system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that 1. the drive motor ( 76 ) is located within the downwardly open U-profile of the conveyor carriage ( 26 ). 16. Rail conveyor system according to claim 15, characterized in that 1. the drive motor ( 76 ) is located outside the clearance profile delimited by the hood-like cover ( 18.5 , 18.7 ). 17. Rail conveyor system according to claim 16, characterized in that 1. the drive motor ( 76 ) is located in the space between the clearance profile delimited by the hood-like cover ( 18.7 ) and the clearance profile occupied by the conveyor carriage ( 26 ). 18. Rail conveyor system according to claim 15, characterized in that 1. the drive motor ( 76 ) is located within the clearance profile delimited by the hood-like cover ( 18.4 , 56 ). 19. Rail conveyor system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that 1. busbars ( 70 ) are provided in a fixed location and can be connected to an electrical energy source, 2. current collectors ( 72 ) are provided on each conveyor carriage ( 26 ), which are electrically connected to the respective electrical consumers ( 76 ) of the conveyor carriage and which can be brought into electrical contact with the conductor rails ( 70 ), 3. the busbars ( 70 ) are designed both for the electrical energy supply of the electrical consumers ( 76 ) and for the signal transmission for the purpose of individually controlling the electrical consumers present on the conveyor carriages ( 26 ), on the one hand between at least one external control device and the electrical consumers ( 76 ) and/or on the other hand between the electrical consumers ( 76 ), 4. each electrical consumer ( 76 ) has an individual electrical address, 5. electrical BUS signals are present during electrical signal transmission. 20. Rail conveyor system according to claim 19, characterized in that 1. BUS signals are present in the form of CAN-BUS signals. 21. Rail conveyor system according to claim 19 or 20, characterized in that 1. separate busbars ( 70.1 to 70.4 ) for the power supply and 2. separate busbars ( 70.5 , 70.6 ) are available for the transmission of the BUS signals. 22. Rail conveyor system according to one of claims 19 to 21, characterized in that 1. separate busbars ( 70.7 , 70.8 ) are available for the transmission of hardware-defined control signals. 23. Rail conveyor system according to claim 22, characterized in that 1. the control signals EMERGENCY STOP signals are used to interrupt the electrical power supply to a given electrical consumer ( 76 ). 24) Rail conveyor system according to one of claims 19 to 23, characterized in that 1. the power supply can be carried out with alternating current or direct current. 25. Rail conveyor system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that 1. programmable absolute values can be used for the motor drive of a conveyor carriage ( 26 ). 26. Rail conveyor system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that 1. a sensor device for measuring the distance between adjacent conveyor carriages ( 26 ) is present. 27. Rail conveyor system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that 1. a sensor device for monitoring an adjustable free space in front of and/or behind a conveyor carriage ( 26 ) is provided. 28. Rail conveyor system ( 12 ) according to one of the preceding claims, in which in the region of a rail joint there is a first rail section on a first support structure and a second rail section on a second, movable support structure, characterized in that 1. an alignment device ( 98 , 120 ; 103 , 112 ; 130 , 132 , 134 ) is provided for the mutual exact alignment of the first and second rail sections. 29. Rail conveyor system according to claim 28, characterized in that 1. at least one sleeve ( 112 ) in which a support structure is present, 2. a bolt ( 103 , 130 , 132 ) in the other support structure is assigned to this sleeve ( 112 , 134 ) in such a way that with exact mutual alignment of the two support structures and thus also of the butted rails, the bolt ( 103 , 130 , 132 ) can be inserted precisely into the sleeve ( 112 , 134 ). 30. Rail conveyor system according to claim 28, characterized in that 1. there are at least two rail sections offset in height on stationary support structures that are also offset in height, 2. a support structure having a rail section and height adjustable in the Z direction is provided as a lift ( 90 ) between the vertically offset rail sections, 3. the height-adjustable support structure ( 90 ) is mounted horizontally, in the XY direction, floating, 4. a bolt ( 130 , 132 ) aligned in the Z direction is present on the stationary support structure, 5. a sleeve ( 134 ) is provided on the height-adjustable support structure ( 90 ) such that, with exact XY alignment of the height-adjustable support structure ( 90 ) to the respective adjacent stationary support structure, the relevant bolt ( 130 , 132 ) of this stationary support structure can be inserted into the sleeve ( 134 ) of the height-adjustable support structure ( 90 ) with a precise fit, 6. at least one abutment ( 120 ) is provided on each of the stationary support structures, 7. at least one cantilever member ( 102 ) is provided on the height-adjustable support structure ( 90 ) and is adjustable in the X or Y direction such that when the height-adjustable support structure is aligned exactly in the Z direction, this cantilever member ( 102 ) rests on the abutment. 31. Rail conveyor system according to claim 28, characterized in that 1. the abutment is a bracket plate ( 120 ) on which the cantilever member ( 102 ) can be supported in exact Z-alignment.