Patent ID: 7547183
Filing Date: 2009-06-16
Classification: B65G,Y10T

Abstract:
1. Apparatus for transferring vehicle bodies from an end of a production line to freight cars arranged on a substantially linear freight car track segment, at least one of the freight cars carrying empty cargo carriers configured respectively for supporting said vehicle bodies, the apparatus comprising: a cargo carrier buffer site in proximity to a leading end of the freight car track segment for storing a plurality of the empty cargo carriers; a joining station in proximity to the end of the production line and configured for supporting one of said cargo carriers thereon; a stacker with a first support for selectively receiving a first of the cargo carriers with a first of the vehicle bodies supported thereon, a lifter for lifting the first support with the first vehicle body thereon and a second support for receiving a second of the cargo carriers and a second of the vehicle bodies supported thereon at a position beneath first support to form a loading unit; a fork lift for transferring the cargo carriers and any of the vehicle bodies thereon between the cargo carrier buffer site, the joining station and the stacker; a gripper operative for transferring the vehicle bodies sequentially from the production line onto one of the cargo carriers at the joining station; a linear feeding track extending substantially parallel to the freight car track segment from a position substantially adjacent the stacker; vehicle body buffer sites in a substantially linear array extending parallel to the feeding track and between the feeding track and the freight car track segment; a feeding carriage movable along the feeding track, the feeding carriage having lifting forks that are movable for selectively lifting the loading unit at the stacker, translating the lifted loading unit toward the feeding track, carrying the loading unit on the feeding carriage along the feeding track and inserting the loading unit into a selected one of the vehicle body buffer sites; a linear loading track substantially parallel to the feeding track and between the vehicle body buffer sites and the freight car track segment, the loading track having an end at the cargo carrier buffer site; and a loading carriage non-rotatably supported on the loading track and movable along the loading track, the loading carriage having arms that are extendable to opposite respective sides of the loading track and that are liftable for lifting the loading unit in a selected one of vehicle body buffer sites, translating the loading unit out of the selected vehicle body buffer site, aligning the loading carriage on the loading track with a selected one of the freight cars and translating the loading unit onto the selected one of the freight cars, the arms of the loading carriage further lifting the empty cargo carriers from at least one of said freight cars and carrying the empty cargo carriers along the linear loading track to the cargo carrier buffer site.