Conveyor device

A conveyor device for conveying suspended items inside a factory includes a conveyor capable of traveling on at least one runner on a track. The conveyor device includes a drive element for the conveyor. A drive catch arranged on the conveyor is adapted to be moved to a position of engagement with the drive element for entraining the conveyor. In order to modify this conveyor device in a structurally simple way so as to create greater scope for conveying tasks, in particular in automated operation, a separator device should be provided for effecting controlled movement of the drive catch from its position of engagement with the drive element at a predetermined point in the track.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention refers to a conveyor device for conveying suspended 
items inside a plant or factory. 
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
Such a conveyor device is known from DE 35 44 447 C2. The known conveyor 
device includes a conveyor means provided with an essentially V-shaped bow 
having a runner attached to each free end thereof; by means of these 
runners, the conveyor means can be suspended from a suitably adapted rail 
and roll along said rail. In the area of ascending paths in the track, a 
drive in the form of a chain is provided below the rail. For coupling with 
the drive means, a drive catch in the form of a pivotable rocker is 
arranged on the bow of the conveyor means at a point located opposite the 
chain. The rocker is provided with a plurality of teeth projecting in the 
direction of the chain, part of said teeth being implemented for 
engagement between the chain links and another part of said teeth being 
implemented such that they provide a planar support on the lower surface 
of the chain so that, under the influence of the conveying pressure, the 
rocker will force itself into engagement with the chain. When the rocker 
is in engagement with the chain, this position of engagement can only be 
released when the chain moves away from the rocker. Hence, it is not 
possible to release the conveyor means from the drive at an arbitrary 
position of the track. The known conveyor device is predominantly intended 
for manual operation, the chain drive being only used for supporting the 
conveying movement along ascending paths. For an automated conveyor 
device, for which it is necessary that the conveyor means can be released 
from the drive means at least at predetermined points in the track, said 
known conveyor means cannot be used. 
For a more or less automated operation, it was therefore suggested e.g. in 
German Utility Model 91 06 792 that not the conveyor means but the chain 
should be provided with drive catches with the aid of which the conveyor 
means are driven even if said drive catches only strike against the 
conveyor means thus causing said conveyor means to be displaced along the 
track. The drive catch has a predetermined flexibility so that it can bend 
and move past the conveyor means when the resistance which the conveyor 
means offers to the drive means exceeds a predetermined value. The 
conveyor means can thus be released from the drive means in a simple 
manner e.g. by causing it to strike against an obstacle. 
A further conveyor device provided with a chain drive for the conveyor 
means can be inferred from German Utility Model 92 06 550. In the case of 
this conveyor device, carriages are conveyed with the aid of a drive catch 
in the form of a flap secured to the chain. When the conveyor means is to 
be released from the drive means, the flap is pivoted out of engagement 
with the conveyor means. 
It is true that an arrangement in which the drive catch is secured to the 
drive chain is very useful for conveyor devices with regard to a great 
variety of different cases of use; it permits e.g. a structural design of 
the conveyor device in the case of which the conveyor means are capable of 
accumulating without excessive loads being applied to the drive means when 
the conveyor means strike against an obstacle, and it permits the driving 
connection between the conveyor means and the drive means to be released 
at predetermined points of the track; but said arrangement also has 
serious disadvantages. The conveying distances between the conveyor means, 
for example, are predetermined by the distances between the drive catches 
on the drive chain. In addition, a comparatively large amount of space is 
required especially at the deflection points and the return leg of the 
chain drive, since also the drive catches must be deflected and returned. 
In addition, a specific type of drive chains must always be used so as to 
permit the drive catches to be pressed on and so as to guarantee the 
predetermined distance between the drive catches. 
In comparison with this prior art, it is the object of the present 
invention to provide a conveyor device permitting a greater scope for the 
fulfillment of conveying tasks in a structurally simple way. 
This object is achieved by the features of the invention. 
On the basis of the structural design according to the present invention, 
the conveyor means can be released from the drive means independently of 
one another at predetermined points of the track rapidly and with a small 
amount of wear being caused, whereas the drive element continues to move 
as before. Notwithstanding this, the distance between the conveyor means 
can be varied, said distance being only limited by the width of the 
conveyor means in the conveying direction. The drive can be effected by 
any suitable chain or by means of drive elements of some other kind, the 
space required for the drive element being small and no additional drive 
means being necessary for components that are arranged on the drive 
element. 
The conveying operation, in the case of which the drive catch engages the 
drive element, is the standard mode of operation, whereas the condition in 
which the operating means is released from the drive means will only occur 
when the locking engagement between the arresting member and the drive 
catch has been released by the separator device. In this way, a reliable 
conveying operation is guaranteed. 
Due to the oblique surfaces extending transversely to the direction of 
movement of the drive catch, the drive catch will not be subjected to full 
load until it has assumed its correct position of engagement with the 
drive element, whereby the amount of wear will be reduced still further. 
The spring-loaded condition of the arresting member and the positive 
locking engagement are solutions which are used for providing the locking 
engagement between the arresting member and the drive catch and which are 
specially preferred from the structural point of view. 
Alternative structural embodiments of the drive catch can also be 
particularly efficient in practice. 
One preferred structural embodiment of the conveyor means that is 
particularly suitable for conveyor means which are made of plastic 
material includes a structural design which is known e.g. from 
German-Utility Model 92 10 549. 
In one particularly important embodiment, the individual components of the 
conveyor device can accumulate also outside of the separator device, i.e. 
the conveyor means, which are located one behind the other, are separated 
from the drive means when one conveyor means accumulates behind the next, 
so that excessive loads on the drive motor will be avoided.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
FIGS. 1 to 6 disclose a first embodiment of a conveyor device 1 according 
to the present invention which is used for conveying suspended items 
inside a plant. The conveyor device 1 comprises a plurality of conveyor 
means 2 having each a vertical, elongate, rod-shaped carrier 3 from which 
a runner 4 projects on each side. The runners 4 are arranged below a cover 
5. On the upper side of each carrier 3, a guide pin 6 arranged in the 
vertical centre line of the carrier 3 and guide pieces 7 projecting on 
both sides are provided, said guide pin 6 and guide pieces 7 guiding the 
conveyor means 2 e.g. over switches and junctions, this being described 
for conveyor means having a similar structural design e.g. in German 
Utility Model 92 10 549 which is herewith referred to. At the lower end of 
the carrier 3 facing away from the runners 4, a hook 8 is provided for 
attaching thereto the items to be conveyed. 
The runners 4 are adapted to be rotated about a horizontal axis and they 
have grooved cirumferential surfaces so that they are adapted to roll 
along an upwardly curved rail 9 of a track 10. 
A guide strip 11 extends along said track 10 below the rail 9 and alongside 
the conveyor means 2, a drive element in the form of a chain 12 being 
received in said guide strip 11; this chain 12 is moved along the track 10 
by a motor in a manner which is not shown. The chain 12 is a commercially 
available roller chain and it is arranged in said guide strip 11 in such a 
way that its rollers extend essentially parallel to the longitudinal 
centre line of the conveyor means 2. 
A drive catch in the form of a pin 14 is arranged on the carrier 3 of the 
conveyor means 2 between the runners 4 and the hook 8 in such a way that 
its longitudinal centre line extends at right angles to the longitudinal 
centre line of the conveyor means 2. The drive catch pin 14 is broader 
than the carrier 3 at this point so that it projects beyond the carrier 3 
on both sides thereof with its drive catch tips 14a, the shape of said 
drive catch tips 14a being adapted to the spaces between the rollers of 
the chain 12. 
As can be seen in FIG. 3, the drive catch pin 14 has a notch 15 which 
extends in the middle of the pin 14 from the circumference approximately 
down to the longitudinal centre line of said pin 14 and which has a 
substantially triangular cross-section. 
As can especially be seen in FIGS. 2 and 3, the drive catch pin 14 is 
accommodated in a cavity 17 in the interior of the carrier 3 together with 
an arresting member 16. The arresting member 16 is implemented in the form 
of a pawl, and it is adapted to be pivoted about pivot pins 18 in the 
interior of the cavity 17, said pivot pins 18 extending parallel to the 
longitudinal centre line of the drive catch pin 14 and being located in 
the same horizontal plane as the longitudinal centre line of said pin 14. 
The arresting member 16 is provided with an extension arm 19 having a 
triangular cross-section corresponding to the notch 15 so that the pin 14 
is secured against movement in the direction of its longitudinal axis when 
the extension arm 19 has fully entered the notch 15. 
The arresting member 16 additionally includes a leaf spring 20 which abuts 
on a boundary surface of the cavity 17 and which is implemented such that 
it presses the extension arm 19 into the notch 15. At this position, the 
arresting member 16 locks the drive catch pin 14 against an axial 
displacement in the direction of the longitudinal axis of said drive catch 
pin 14 so that said drive catch pin 14 will remain at the engagement 
position in the chain shown in FIG. 1. The conveyor means 2 will be 
entrained by a movement of the chain 12. 
On the side located opposite the spring 20, the arresting member 16 is 
provided with an actuating lever 21 extending downwards from the pivot 
pins 18. The actuating lever 21 is accessible from outside via an opening 
17a in the cavity 17. In the interior of the cavity 17, a stop surface 22 
is provided, said stop surface 22 restricting the maximum pivotal movement 
of the actuating lever 21. 
The arresting member 16 is provided with an additional extension arm 23 
which projects through the opening 17a beyond the cavity 17 and protrudes 
from the carrier 3, i.e. which advances in the conveying direction A when 
the conveyor means 2 carry out a conveying movement. The second extension 
arm 23 has on the upper side thereof two actuating surfaces 23a and 23b 
which extend at an angle relative to each other. On the side of the 
carrier 3 located opposite the opening 17a, a further opening 17b is 
provided, the upper side of said further opening 17b being defined by two 
stop surfaces 24a and 24b which extend at an angle relative to each other. 
As can be seen in FIG. 1, a separator device 25 is provided at a 
predetermined point adjacent the track 10, said separator device 25 being 
used for releasing the drive catch pin 14 from its position of engagement 
with the chain 12. The separator device 25 includes a wheel 26 which is 
freely rotatable about an axis of rotation 26a, said axis of rotation 
extending substantially parallel to the longitudinal centre line of the 
conveyor means 2 when said conveyor means 2 rolls along the rail 9 with 
the aid of its runner 4. The wheel 26 is located on the same level as the 
actuating lever 21 of the arresting member 16 of the conveyor means 2. 
As can especially be seen in FIG. 4, the wheel 26 has approximately the 
shape of a gear provided with a plurality of equally sized circumferential 
recesses 27 which are uniformly distributed over the cirumference of the 
wheel 26. Each circumferential recess is defined by a front stop surface 
27a and a rear countersurface 27b, said surfaces extending approximately 
in the radial direction. The depth of each recess 27 in the radial 
direction is dimensioned such that, in the area of the actuating lever 21, 
at least half the width of the conveyor means 2 transversely to the 
conveying direction can be received in said recess 27. The distance 
between the stop surface 27a and the countersurface 27b of each recess 27 
is smaller than the length of the conveyor means 2 in the conveying 
direction A and it is dimensioned such that the actuating lever 21 must be 
pressed into the cavity 17 up to the stop surface 22 or rather up to a 
point located close to said stop surface 22 before the conveyor means 2 
fits into the recess 27. 
It follows that, when a conveyor means 2 rolls on the rail 9 into the area 
of the wheel 26, the actuating lever 21 of the arresting member 16 strikes 
against one of the stop surfaces 27a projecting permanently into the path 
of said conveyor means 2 on the rail 9. Due to the conveying pressure 
exerted by the chain 12, the conveyor means 2 will be forced into the 
recess 27 in question, whereby the arresting member 16 will be pivoted via 
the actuating lever 21 and the extension arm 19 will move out of the notch 
15 of the drive catch pin 14 at least to such an extent that, under the 
influence of the conveying pressure, said drive catch pin 14 can move in 
the axial direction at least so far that it slips out of its position of 
engagement with the chain 12. The impetus of the conveyor means 2 is, 
however, sufficient to make the wheel turn freely so that, immediately 
afterwards, the conveyor means leaves the area of the recess 27, whereby 
the arresting member 16 can return to its locking position under the 
influence of the leaf spring 20; at this locking position, the extension 
arm 19 has fully entered the notch 15 so that the drive catch pin 14 is 
again locked at its engaged position. 
For permanently releasing the conveyor means 2 from the drive means, the 
separator device 25 comprises a positioning means 28. The positioning 
means 28 comprises a cam wheel 29, which is adapted to be rotated about 
the same axis of rotation 26a as the wheel 26 and which is connected to 
said wheel 26 so as to be secured against rotation relative thereto, a 
positioning cylinder 30 and a bent lever 31 with a cam follower pin 32. On 
the side facing upwards, the cam wheel 29 has a cam relief comprising a 
central, substantially star-shaped cam 33 and a plurality of individual 
cams 34 surrounding said central cam and delimiting guide grooves 35 for 
the cam follower pin 32, one guide groove 35 being provided for each of 
the recesses 27. The guide grooves 35 extend substantially V-shaped from 
the outer circumference of the cam wheel 29 at an oblique angle radially 
inwards up to and into a cam pin reception means 35a and from said cam pin 
reception means 35a they extend again at an oblique angle radially 
outwards. The two-armed bent lever 31 has on one arm thereof the cam 
follower pin 32, the other arm being articulated on the positioning 
cylinder 30. At the point of intersection of said arms, the bent lever 31 
is rotatably supported via a pintle 36. 
FIGS. 5 and 6 show different operating positions of the positioning means 
28, the individual components being shown in the drawing one on top of the 
other so as to show how the wheel 26 and the positioning means 28 of the 
separator device 25 are arranged relative to one another and relative to 
the conveyor means 2. 
FIG. 5 shows the position of the positioning means 28 when, as has been 
described hereinbefore, the conveyor means 2 are intended to run through 
unhindered and without being permanently separated from the drive means. 
For this purpose, the positioning cylinder 30 is actuated such that the 
bent lever 31 pivots to a position at which the cam follower pin 32 is 
radially pivoted outwards away from the circle of rotation of all cams 33, 
34 of the cam wheel 29. The cam wheel 29 can then rotate freely together 
with the wheel 26 so that the conveyor means 2 can run through unhindered, 
as has been shown in FIG. 5. 
If it is, however, intended to stop the conveyor means 2 and to separate it 
from the drive effected by means of the chain 12, the cam follower pin 32 
of the bent lever 31 is pivoted radially inwards via the positioning 
cylinder 30. Due to the large number of guide grooves 35 in the cam wheel 
29 and due to the shape of said guide grooves, it is guaranteed that the 
cam follower pin 32 can always enter one of said guide grooves 35 
irrespectively of the position to which the cam wheel 29 has been rotated 
together with the wheel 26 by preceding, freely passing conveyor means 2. 
Once the cam follower pin 32 has entered a guide groove 35, it will 
inevitably and reliably be guided, due to the shape of said groove, up to 
an into the cam seat 35a at the radially innermost position of said guide 
groove 35. When the cam follower pin 32 is located at this position, 
rotation of the wheel 26 is blocked, as can be seen in FIG. 6. This has 
the effect that the conveyor means 2 which is currently located in the 
recess 27 of the wheel 26 projecting into the conveying path is separated 
from the drive means in the way described hereinbefore and stopped so that 
subsequent conveyor means 2 can accumulate behind said first-mentioned 
conveyor means 2. 
When subsequent conveyor means 2 are accumulating behind the conveyor means 
2 held in the recess 27 of the separator device 25, also the conveyor 
means accumulating are separated from the drive means. As can be seen in 
FIG. 2, this is done with the aid of a further extended arm 23 which 
enters the opening 17b of the carrier 3 of the preceding, retained 
conveyor means 2, said opening 17b being the rear opening in the conveying 
direction A. In the course of this process, the actuating surface 23a 
first comes into contact with the stop surface 24a, whereby the extended 
arm 23 is pressed downwards and the arresting member 16 and its extended 
arm 19 are pivoted away from their locking position in the notch 15 of the 
drive catch pin 14. This unlocking, pivoted position of the arresting 
member 16 is then fixed in that the second actuating surface 23b strikes 
against the second stop surface 24b, said surfaces being brought into 
engagement with one another as soon as the carrier of the subsequent 
conveyor means strikes against the carrier of the preceding conveyor 
means. This position is given in the case of the conveyor means shown in 
FIG. 2 on the right hand side. The drive catch pins 14 of each subsequent, 
oncoming conveyor means are released from their position of engagement 
with the chain 12 in the same way so that the conveyor means will be 
stopped in a row, whereas the chain will pass through. 
The accumulated row of conveyor means 2 can then be further dealt with as 
desired. One possibility is, for example, to reengage each conveyor means 
with the drive means separately and in predetermined spaced relationship 
with the preceding conveyor means by clockwise pivoting of the cam 
follower pin 32 to its radially outermost position so as to enable the 
wheel 26 and the cam wheel 29 to rotate freely. It is also possible to 
separate the conveyor means, one at a time, from the accumulated row at 
predetermined time intervals so as to lead them one after the other onto 
individual tracks via a switch which is not shown; the time interval 
between two released conveyor means can then be adapted precisely to the 
switching time of the switches. Instead of individual conveyor means, it 
is also possible to release groups of conveyor means from the accumulated 
row. 
In order to prevent the carriers 3, which are suspended by means of only 
one runner 4, from swinging to and fro when they enter the circumferential 
recess 27 or when they leave said recess 27, a further wheel 37, which is 
freely rotatable in any case, can be provided above and in spaced 
relationship with the wheel 26; as for the rest, said wheel 37 is 
constructed analogously to the wheel 26 and it is also provided with 
circumferential recesses 27; said wheel 37, however, acts on the conveyor 
means 2 outside of the arresting member 16, but, preferably, also in a 
recess between the runners 4 and the hook 8. 
FIGS. 7 to 10 show a further embodiment of a conveyor device 100 according 
to the present invention, in said figures, components which are identical 
or comparable to those of the conveyor device 1 of the preceding figures 
are designated by the same reference numerals which have been augmented by 
100. The device 100 again comprises a plurality of conveyor means 102 
including a carrier 103 provided with runners 104, a cover 105, a guide 
pin 106, a guide piece 107 and a hook 108 for attaching thereto the items 
to be conveyed. The runners 104 are implemented such that they are adapted 
to roll along a rail 109 of a track 110. A guide strip 111 for a driving 
chain 112, which can again be implemented as a roller chain, extends along 
said track 110. 
The carrier 103 of the conveyor means 102 includes a drive catch 114 in the 
form of a wheel which is provided with circumferential teeth (FIG. 9) and 
which is supported so as to be rotatable on a pin 140, extending in the 
interior of the carrier 103, about the vertical longitudinal centre line 
of said carrier 103 in such a way that its teeth can come into driving 
engagement with the chain 12. 
Below the drive catch gear 114, an arresting member 116 is arranged on the 
same pin 140 in an axially displaceable manner. The arresting member 116 
is forced into locking engagement with the drive catch gear 114 by means 
of a helical spring 120 so that the drive catch gear 114 will normally be 
secured against rotation and held at its position of engagement with the 
chain 112. Also the helical spring 120 is arranged around the pin 140 and 
accommodated, together with the arresting member 116, in a cavity 117 in 
the interior of the carrier 103. 
As can especially be seen in FIGS. 8 and 10, the locking engagement between 
the arresting member 116 and the drive catch gear 114 is effected by means 
of a prismatic indentation 115 arranged on the drive catch gear 114 and a 
complementary prismatic projection 119 arranged on the arresting member 
116, said indentation 115 and said projection 119 being not rotationally 
symmetric so as to secure the drive catch gear 114 effectively against 
rotation relative to the arresting member. The arresting member 116 
includes an actuating recess 121 on the side constituting the leading side 
in the conveying direction, said actuating recess 121 having an 
approximately semicylindrical actuating surface 121a which is curved about 
a centre line M. The actuating surface can also be composed of oblique 
surfaces. Towards the outside, the actuating surface 121a is followed by 
upper and lower guide surfaces 141a and 141b extending at an oblique angle 
outwards and upwards and outwards and downwards, respectively, and 
enlarging the opening width of the actuating recess 121. 
As can be seen in FIG. 7, the conveyor device 100 includes a separator 
device 125 including a pin 142 which is adapted to be linearly displaced 
in the direction of its longitudinal axis in the direction of arrow B. The 
displacement of said pin can be effected with the aid of any suitable 
controllable means, said means being not shown. The pin 142 has a circular 
cross-section having a radius that corresponds essentially to the radius 
of the actuating surface 121a provided on the arresting member 116. Its 
longitudinal centre line 142a is, however, arranged in such a way that it 
extends below the centre line M of the cylindrical actuating surface 121a 
in vertically spaced relationship therewith, the distance between said 
centre lines corresponding to a predetermined distance a. 
Distance a is, however, not large enough to permit a conveyor means 102 to 
strike against the pin 142 outside of the guide surfaces 141a, 141b of the 
actuating recess 121, when said pin has been moved into the path of the 
conveyor means 102 on the track 110. On the other hand, said distance a is 
large enough that, under the influence of the conveying pressure, the 
arresting member 116, which endeavours to receive the pin 142 completely 
in the correspondingly curved actuating surface 121a, is pressed 
downwards, under compression of the spring 120, to such an extent that the 
locking engagement of the prismatic projection 119 in the complementary 
indentation 115 on the drive catch gear 114 is released, whereupon said 
drive catch gear 114 can rotate freely about the pin 140. This has the 
effect that the moving chain 112 will only cause the drive catch gear 114 
to rotate, whereas the conveyor means 102 stands still. 
As in the case of the conveyor device 1 according to the first embodiment, 
also the conveyor device 100 is implemented such that the conveyor means 
can accumulate. For this purpose, each conveyor means 102 includes a 
projection 143 with a semicylindrical stop surface 143a, which is curved 
about its centre line M with the same radius as the actuating lever 121a 
on the arresting member 116, said projection 143 being provided on the 
side of the carrier 103 constituting the rear side in the conveying 
direction A, i.e. the side located opposite the actuating surface 121a. In 
addition, the centre line M of the stop surface 143a extends below the 
centre line M of the actuating surface 121a, the distance a between said 
centre lines M corresponding to the distance a which has been described 
hereinbefore in connection with the centre line 142a of the pin 142. It 
follows that, when a subsequent conveyor means 102 accumulates behind a 
conveyor means which has been stopped by the pin 142 and separated from 
the drive means, the actuating recess 121 of said subsequent conveyor 
means will be put over the stop surface 143a of the front conveyor means 
in the manner which has already been described for the pin 142. Also this 
has the effect that, against the effect produced by the helical spring 
120, the arresting member 116 is pulled downwards and out of its locking 
engagement with the drive catch gear 114. The conveyor means will 
accumulate. 
In addition to the pin 142 of the separator device 125, a further pin 144 
is provided, which acts on the carrier 103 at a point located above the 
pin 142 but still below the runners 104 and which is moved simultaneously 
with the pin 142. This additional pin 144 serves to reduce still further 
the swinging movement of the conveyor means 102 which runs only on one 
runner 104. At a distance corresponding to the width of the conveyor means 
102 in the conveying direction A, a third pin 145 can additionally be 
provided, said third pin 145 being adapted to be displaced independently 
of the pins 142 and 144 but in the same direction B. The third pin 145 
remains in engagement with a subsequent conveyor means e.g. until it is 
sure that the projection 143 of the preceding conveyor means 102 has been 
released from the arresting member so that the conveyor means can reliably 
be separated from one another. It will be expedient to provide each 
conveyor means 102 with a recess 146 into which the second as well as the 
third pin 144, 145 can be sunk completely. 
As modifications of the embodiments described and shown hereinbefore, the 
details described on the basis of the individual drawings can easily be 
interchanged. The arresting member and the separator device according to 
FIG. 1 can, for example, also be used in combination with a drive catch 
gear and the drive catch pin can be used in the device according to FIG. 
7. The locking engagement can also be effected by means of friction alone. 
Instead of the roller chain, any other type of conveying chain, which 
should be provided with a suitably adapted drive catch in an expedient 
manner, can be used for the purpose of driving. Instead of the conveyor 
means described, also other forms of conveyor means known in the prior art 
can be equipped with the drive catches and the separator device, The cam 
wheel and the wheel provided with circumferential recesses of the device 
according to FIG. 1 can be combined so as to form a unit. Instead of this 
wheel, it is also possible to use a cross or the like, which is provided 
with recesses.