Apparatus for transverse movement of elongated workpieces

The invention relates to an apparatus for the essentially horizontal transport of elongate workpieces transversely to their longitudinal direction, consisting of a supporting framework with vertical legs and with horizontal guide beams which are supported by the legs and which are arranged, at a distance, parallel to the transport direction of the workpieces, of lifting carriages, the track wheels of which are movable in lateral longitudinal channels of the guide beams, but are secured against vertical movements, of a lifting device for lifting the lifting carriage over the top side of the guide beams and for lowering the lifting carriages under the top side of the guide beams, and of a flexible pulling member, of which the ends provided in the upper section of the pulling member are each connected to a lifting carriage and which is guided underneath each guide beam around a direction-changing wheel and a drive wheel in a vertical plane, the direction-changing wheel being mounted with its horizontal pivot axle in the region of one end of the guide beams, while the drive wheel is mounted with its horizontal pivot axle in the region of the other end of the guide beams.

The invention relates to an apparatus for the essentially horizontal 
transport of elongate workpieces transversely to their longitudinal 
direction, consisting of a supporting framework with vertical legs and 
with horizontal guide beams which are supported by the legs and which are 
arranged, at a distance, parallel to the transport direction of the 
workpieces, of lifting carriages, the track wheels of which are movable in 
lateral longitudinal channels of the guide beams, but are secured against 
vertical movements, of a lifting device for lifting the lifting carriage 
over the top side of the guide beams and for lowering the lifting 
carriages under the top side of the guide beams, and of a flexible pulling 
member, of which the ends provided in the upper section of the pulling 
member are each connected to a lifting carriage and which is guided 
underneath each guide beam around a direction-changing wheel and a drive 
wheel in a vertical plane, the direction-changing wheel being mounted with 
its horizontal pivot axle in the region of one end of the guide beams, 
whilst the drive wheel is mounted with its horizontal pivot axle in the 
region of the other end of the guide beams. 
An apparatus of the type mentioned above is known from U.S. Pat. No. 
3,917,078. In the apparatus according to this patent specification, which 
is herewith incorporated by reference, lifting carriages drivable by means 
of a motor are attached to a horizontal guide system which can be lifted 
on a vertical guide system. Used as lifting devices are hydraulic 
cylinders in legs, the horizontal guide system being supported by the ends 
of these legs. Depending on the loading of the horizontal guide system by 
workpieces, for example double-T girders, located thereon, it is possible 
for the lifting movement caused by the two hydraulic cylinders engaging on 
the ends of a horizontal guide system to take place unevenly. To prevent 
the parts movable relative to one another from jamming as a result of 
this, special constructional measures are provided in the known apparatus 
which is, consequently, very complicated and costly in its overall design 
and can give rise to an uneven delayed lifting of the workpieces by the 
lifting system. 
Apparatuses of the known type mentioned in the introduction, also 
designated as cross-conveyors, are, as a rule, an integral part of 
conveying systems which serve to feed workpieces from a supply by means of 
a cross-conveyor to a longitudinal conveyor, for example a roller 
conveyor, which feeds the workpiece in a longitudinal direction to a 
processing device, for example a saw, a stamping machine or a drill, for 
the purpose of machining. Following the machining, the machined workpiece 
is transported by means of the longitudinal conveyor, on the discharge 
side of the processing device, into the range of action of a further 
cross-conveyor, the lifting carriages of which lift the workpiece from the 
longitudinal conveyor and which feeds this to its next destination, for 
example for further processing or to a store. An apparatus of this type is 
described completely in U.S. Pat. No. 3,917,078 mentioned, so that it is 
possible to do without an illustration and description of the processing 
device and the longitudinal conveyor in the present application. This is 
because the present invention relates exclusively to an improvement of the 
apparatus transporting the workpieces transversely to their longitudinal 
direction, hence of the cross-conveyor, one cross-conveyor being assigned, 
in each case, in a processing installation, to the longitudinal conveyor 
in front of and behind the processing device, for feeding and removing the 
workpieces. 
The object on which the invention is based is to improve the known 
apparatus mentioned in the introduction, so that it guarantees a reliable 
lifting and lowering of the workpieces with as small an outlay in terms of 
construction as possible, while permitting corresponding economical 
manufacture, and ensuring that the workpieces are lifted from their guide 
beams and lowered exclusively in a vertical direction and, consequently, 
can be lowered exactly at the point which is required for the workpieces. 
The invention achieves this object in that the lifting device for each 
lifting carriage consists of a parallel crank gear with sides of equal 
size in pairs, the web of which is formed by a lifting plate of the 
lifting carriage, the short sides of which are formed by angle levers 
having lifting arms articulated to the lifting plate, and the connecting 
rod of which is formed by a longitudinally adjustable rod connected 
pivotally to the ends of the pulling arms of the angle levers, that the 
axle of each track wheel is attached in the region of the angling of the 
associated angle lever and forms the pivot axis of the angle lever, that 
the one flexible end of the pulling member leading to the 
direction-changing wheel is connected to the pulling arm of the angle 
levers, that the other end of the flexible pulling member leading to the 
drive wheel is connected to the lifting carriage relatively immovably in 
its direction of movement, that a setting device is located in the 
supporting framework, and its setting member being movable horizontally 
and supporting the horizontal pivot axle of the direction-changing wheel 
for the pulling member, so that, when the drive wheel is stationary, a 
pulling effect can be exerted, by actuating the setting device, on the end 
of the pulling member leading to the direction-changing wheel, and by 
means of this pulling effect the angle levers are pivoted about the axle 
of their track wheels and, during this time, the lifting plate is lifted 
over the top side of the guide beams by the lifting arms, articulated to 
the lifting plate, of the angle levers, whilst the lifting plate is 
retained immovably in the longitudinal direction of the guide beams by the 
other end of the pulling member. 
The other end of the flexible member leading to the drive wheel is 
appropriately fastened to a pulling-member holder which is guided movably 
on the horizontal guide for the upper section of the flexible pulling 
member and which has a vertical aperture, at least one side plate being 
fastened to the lifting plate of the lifting carriage and projecting 
relatively movably from this lifting plate downwards into the aperture of 
the pulling-member holder.

The drawings show an apparatus 1 for the essentially horizontal transport 
of elongate workpieces, for example profile bars, double-T girders, etc., 
transversely to their longitudinal direction, this apparatus consisting of 
a supporting framework 2 with vertical legs 3 and with horizontal guide 
beams 4 supported by the legs 3. The guide beams 4 are arranged, at a 
distance, parallel to the transport direction of the workpieces. Lifting 
carriages 5 are provided, the track wheels 6a, 6b, 6c, 6d of which are 
movable in lateral longitudinal channels 7 of the guide beams 4, but are 
secured against vertical movements. Also provided is a lifting device 8 
for lifting the lifting carriage 5 over the top side of the guide beams 4 
and for lowering the lifting carriages 5 under the top side of the guide 
beams 4. A flexible pulling member 9 is connected, by means of its ends 
10, 11 provided in its upper section, in each case to the lifting carriage 
5 and is guided underneath each guide beam 4 around a direction-changing 
wheel 12 and a drive wheel 13 in a vertical plane. The drive wheel 13 sits 
on a drive shaft 14 which can be coupled, in a way known per se and 
therefore not shown, to a brakable drive motor. 
U.S. Pat. No. 3,917,978 shows completely a cross-conveyor with several 
horizontal guide beams of the cross-conveyor, which are located at a 
distance from one another, so that the invention is illustrated and 
described only with reference to one guide beam having lifting carriages 
located thereon. 
The direction-changing wheel 12 is mounted with its horizontal pivot axle 
15 in the region of one end of the guide beams 4, whilst the drive wheel 
13 is mounted, with its horizontal axle formed by the drive shaft 14, in 
the region of the other end of the guide beams 4. 
According to the invention, the lifting device 8 for each lifting carriage 
5 consists of a parallel crank gear 17 which consists of sides of equal 
size in pairs and the web of which is formed by a lifting plate 26 of the 
lifting carriage 5, the short sides of which are formed by angle levers 
18, 19, 20, 21 having lifting arms 22, 23, 24, 25 articulated to the 
lifting plate 26, and the connecting rod of which is formed by a 
longitudinally adjustable rod 31 connected pivotally to the ends of the 
pulling arms 27, 28, 29, 30 of the angle levers 18, 19, 20, 21. 
The axle 32 of the track wheels 6a, 6b, 6c, 6d is attached in the region of 
the angling 33 of the associated angle lever 18, 19, 20, 21 and forms the 
pivot axis of the respective angle lever. 
The angle levers 18, 21 and 19, 20 respectively are made identical in pairs 
and are attached pivotally by means of their lifting arms 22, 25 and 23, 
24 respectively, in pairs, via lifting axles 42 and 43 respectively, each 
to one of the two ends of the lifting plate 26. In this situation, the 
lifting arms of the two pairs of angle levers extend from their associated 
lifting axles 42, 43 approximately horizontally in the direction of the 
end of the apparatus provided with the drive wheel 13, whilst the pulling 
arms of the angle levers form an obtuse angle with the associated lifting 
arms and are directed downwards in pairs parallel to one another. 
The pairs of track wheels 6a, 6d and 6b, 6c respectively are each attached, 
in the region of the angling 33 of the associated angle levers, to their 
outer side, the axles of said pairs of track wheels being aligned with one 
another and each being located at the same distance from the lifting axles 
42 and 43 respectively and hinge points 67, 68 of the associated pairs of 
pulling arms 27, 30 and 28, 29 respectively for the longitudinally 
adjustable rod 17. 
The end 10 of the flexible pulling member 9 leading to the 
direction-changing wheel is articulated at a hinge point 69 to the two 
pulling arms 27, 30 of the angle levers 18, 21. The other end 11 of the 
flexible pulling member 9 leading to the drive wheel 13 is articulated at 
48 to a pulling-member holder 37 which is guided movably on a horizontal 
guide 38 for the upper section of the pulling member 9. The end of the 
pulling-member holder facing away from the end 11 of the flexible pulling 
member is welded to a transverse axle 49, of which the two ends projecting 
beyond the parallel longitudinal sides of the pulling-member holder each 
carry a supporting roller 50, 51. A locking plate 53 is attached, outside 
a supporting roller, to one axle end by means of a spring ring 72 and is 
screwed with its other end, by means of a countersunk screw 73 and a 
spacer sleeve 54, to the bar-shaped part 47 of the pulling-member holder. 
Consequently, an aperture 39 is formed between the bar-shaped part 47, the 
plate 53, the spacer sleeve 54 and the supporting roller 50 adjacent to 
the plate, and a side plate 40 fastened to one outer side of the lifting 
plate 26 engages into this aperture so as to be movable vertically 
relative to the pulling-member holder. A side plate 41 corresponding to 
the side plate 40 is attached to the other vertical outer side of the 
lifting plate 26, aligned in a transverse direction, at such a distance 
from the side plate 40 that the two side plates 40, 41 can engage, with 
play, over the bar-shaped part 47 of the pulling-member holder 37 and come 
to rest against the two supporting rollers 50, 51. 
The locking plate 53 is, as shown in FIG. 3, designed as a right-angled 
triangle in a general view of it, the supporting rollers 50, 51 being 
located in its right-angled corner and the hypotenuse extending obliquely 
upwards from the countersunk screw 73 to the point of intersection with 
the vertical cathetus side of the locking plate. Welded on in the upper 
corner is an outwardly projecting stop 74 which, as is evident from FIGS. 
3 and 4, is located underneath the path of movement of the track wheels 
6a, 6b and, as is evident from FIG. 6, can come to rest against the 
underside of a U-shaped profile 55. The U-shaped profile forms, with a 
U-shaped profile 56 located at a distance opposite and parallel, a guide 
beam 4 for the lifting carriage 5, the open longitudinal channels 7 of 
these U-shaped profiles lying opposite one another and the inner faces of 
the lower legs of the U-shaped profiles 55, 56 serving as a running face 
for the track wheels 6a, 6b, 6c, 6d. In this way, the vertical upward 
movement of the pulling-member holder 37 is limited towards the top by the 
stop 74. 
The end of the supporting framework 2 assigned to the direction-changing 
wheel 12 is provided with a setting device 34 consisting of a horizontally 
arranged lifting cylinder which is fastened in the middle between the 
U-shaped profiles 55, 56, underneath the horizontal guide 38 for the upper 
section of the pulling member 9, to a crosspiece 75 extending horizontally 
between two vertical legs 3 consisting of the U-shaped profiles. 
The setting member 35 consisting of the piston rod of the lifting cylinder 
is composed, at the outer end, of a fork 76 supporting the axle 15 for the 
direction-changing wheel 12. 
If the drive shaft 14 for the drive wheel 13 is held firmly and the setting 
mebmer 35 is extended out of the setting device 34, so that the end 10 of 
the pulling member 9 is pulled in the directon of the direction-changing 
wheel 12, the pair of angle levers 18, 21 undergoes a pivoting movement in 
a clockwise direction about the axle of the track wheels 6a, 6d. Since the 
pair of angle levers 19, 20 is connected to the pair of angle levers 18, 
21 by the rod 17 which is arranged parallel to the lifting plate 26 and 
the hinge points 67, 68 of which have the same distance from one another 
as the lifting axles 42, 43, the pair of angle levers 19, 20 also execute 
the same pivoting angle as the first-mentioned pair of angle levers in a 
clockwise direction about the axle of the track wheels 6b, 6c. As a result 
of this pivoting movement of the pairs of angle levers in a clockwise 
direction, the lifting plate 26 is lifted by the lifting arms 22, 25 and 
23, 24 respectively of the angle levers between the two U-shaped profiles 
55, 56 of the guide beam 4 over their top side. This lifting movement of 
the lifting plate 26 is exactly vertical, because the side plates 40, 41 
are supported, with their end edges facing the direction-changing wheel 
12, on the supporting rollers 50, 51 and the pivot axis of the pairs of 
angle levers, which is formed by the track-wheel axles, can compensate its 
deflection during the movement of the lifting plate by means of a 
horizontal movement in the U-shaped profiles 55, 56. 
When the setting member 35 is retracted into the setting device 34, tension 
springs 44, 45 provided on both sides of the lifting plate ensure that the 
necessary tensile stress is exerted on the end of the pulling member 9, so 
that the latter remains tensioned and, simultaneously, the angle levers 
are pivoted against the clockwise direction under the action of the 
tension springs, so that the lifting plate 26 is lowered again under the 
top side of the guide beam 4 into its original position shown in FIG. 1. 
Between the pairs of pulling arms 27, 30 and 28, 29 respectively a stop 46 
is located between the hinge point 67 and 68 respectively and the pivot 
axle of the track wheels, at the same point in each case, and, in the 
position of rest of the lifting plate 26 or of the pairs of angle levers, 
which is shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, this stop rests against the underside of 
the lifting plate 26 and consequently limits the pivoting movement of the 
pairs of angle levers against the clockwise direction. 
FIG. 1 shows that the lower section of the pulling member 9 is also guided 
in a horizontal guide 64. Both the guide 38 and the guide 64 each consist 
of a smooth guide strip, and guide bolts 63 on crosspieces 62 located in 
the region of the legs 3 assume the lateral guidance of the pulling member 
9 which can consist, according to FIG. 7, of a plate-link chain. 
Finally, it should be noted that the webs 59 of the U-shaped profiles 55, 
56 forming the guide beams 4 are connected releasably, for example by 
screws, to webs 60 of U-shaped profiles 61 which are located at a distance 
from one another and which are anchored in the ground in a suitable way 
and form the legs 3.