A CONNECTING MEMBER FOR TRANSPORT DEVICES MOVEABLE ALONG A HAULING TRACK

Abstract: A connecting member for transport devices (10) moveable along a hauling (24) track and of the kind, which by means of an actuator (7) on one hand is clampable to one of two traction wires (19, 20), e.g. forward- and return part in an endless wire or a wire part each in two at least partially parallel adjacent each other located endless wire systems, and partly is disconnectable from both of these, by means of relative each other openable gripping jaws (12-15). Each connecting member comprises two fixed gripping jaws (13, 14) and two gripping jaws which are moveable by means of the actuator (17) and firmly connected with each other, said moveable jaws are arranged in such a way that when one of the moveable gripping jaws is brought against a fixed gripping jaw, the other moveable gripping jaw is brought away from the other fixed gripping jaw and vice versa and that the actuator (17) is elastically clamped and limitedly axially moveable in both directions from a neutral position, in which both moveable gripping jaws (12, 15) are in open position.

Description: A CONNECTING MEM8ER FOR TRANSPORT DEVICES MOVEABLE ALONG A HAULING TRACK ] ,. The present invention relates to a connecting member for transport devices moveable along a hauling track and of the kind, which by means of an actuator on one hand is clampable to one of two traction wires, i.g. the forward- and return part in an endless wire or a wire part each in two at least partially parallel adjacent each other located endless wire systems, and partly is disconnectable from both of these , by means of relative each other openable gripping jaws. BaςKqrpund, of t e invention A transport system of the above mentioned kind is previously known through the Swedish patent (Swedish patent application No. 83-2494-3). The present invention makes a further development of this known transport system, at which the shifting between the different traction wires is done by means of a connecting member each independently of each other. This is a complication, and if a great number of connecting members are present in a transport system it is aslo a factor increasing the price. A transport system is known where the trucks are displaced along a track by means of a traction wire with a certain transport rate, while at loading- and unloading stations another traction wire is connected for braking and possibly a third one for acceleration of the truck. The shifting between these traction wires is done by means of a gripping member provided with moveable jaws arranged to grip a traction wire at the same time as it or the other traction wires are disconnected. The gripping member disconnects the traction wire downwards, so that it by its own weight leaves the respective gripping member, and is reconnected with the traction wire by the fact that the wire wheels with the traction wire located thereon are lifted hydraulically towards the gripping member. The object and most important features of the invention The object of the present invention is to provide a connecting member, the construction and function of which is very simple, which involves that the connecting member can be designed less bulky, cheaper and more reliable. The connecting member should besides grip the traction wire anywhere along its length without the necessity of lifting or in another way displacing the connecting member or the wire. Furthermore the traction wires, between which the connecting is to take place, should be located on the same level, and in connection with a shifting - branching - from one hauling track to another the traction wire should be able to leave the connecting- or gripping member latteraly, e.g. in the same plane as the branching takes place. The hauling direction of the transport system should also be reversable, i.e. the return part in an endless wire system should be connectable and a disconnection of all wires should be possible. These objects have been solved by the fact that each connecting member comprises two fixed gripping jaws and two gripping jaws which are moveable by means of the actuator and firmly connected with each other, said moveable jaws are arranged in such a way that when one of the moveable gripping jaws is brought against a fixed gripping jaw, the other moveable gripping jaw is brought away from the other fixed gripping jaw and vice versa and that the actuator is elastically clamped and limitedly axially moveable in both directions from a neutral position, in which both moveable gripping jaws are in open position. Description of the drawings Fig. 1 shows a section through a transport device provided with a connecting member according to the invention. Fig. 2 shows the transport device according to fig. 1 in a side view. Fig. 3 shows a section through a modified transport device according to the invention especially applicable where a low constructional height is reqired. Fig. 4 shows the transport device according to fig. 3 in a side view and partly in section. Fig. 5 shows a variation of the transport device according the invention partly in section and provided witha brake. Fig. 6 shows the transport device according to fig. 5 in a side view and pertly in section. Fig. 7 shows further an embodiment in a front view. Description of the embodiments The connecting member 11 according to the invention is a part of transport device 10, for example a truck (not shown) moveable along a hauling track 24, which either can be fixed on the floor or be arranged hanging free from a ceiling, a wall or the like. The transport device, for example a truck, is transported along the hauling track by means of a traction wire, which can be made of an endless wires, a chain or the like and in order to be able to shift the truck from one hauling track to another or from a forward- to a return part in an endless wire system the connecting member starts to function. In the embodiment shown in igs. 1 and 2 the connecting member 11 comprises two pairs of cooperative gripping jaws 12,13 and 14,15, of which the gripping jaws 12 and 15 are moveable while the gripping jaws 13 and 14 are arranged fixed at a guide 16. A guide block 18 is displaceably arranged therein by means of an actuator 17, and the moveable gripping jaws 12 and 15 are attached to said guide block 18. The moveable gripping jaws 12 and 15 are arranged on each side of the fixed gripping jaws 13 and 14, so that a displacement of the guide block 18 to its one outer end position results in that the gripping jaws 12 and 13 are brought together, at which a traction wire 19 located therebetween is firmly pressed between them. At the same time as the gripping jaws 12 and 13 approaches each other, the gripping jaws 14 and 15 are moved away from each other, so that a second traction wire 20 located between them is released, and which can either move freely between the opened gripping jaws or can also be displaced latterally and out of the field of action of the gripping jaws 14,15. The guide 16 is supported by a frame 21, which in its upper part by way of a yoke 22 and rolls 23 is suspended in a bar, which forms a hauling track 24. The transport device 10 supports the load in a load holder 31. In order to obtain an elastic clamping of the traction wires 19 and 20 respectively in the connecting member 11 the back end 25 of the actuator 17 is suspended in a cantilever 26, which by way of a bar 27 fixed thereto is limitedly axially displaceable in a holder 35 arranged in the frame and at which a guide sleeve 28 is fixed. Both ends of the sleeve are free and outside the both sleeve ends projecting from the holder 50 a compression spring 29, 30 is passed and clamped between the holder 35 and holder-ons arranged at the end portions of the bar, which hold the cantilever 26 in an elastically clamped neutral position. The embodiment shown in figs. 3 and 4 has been constructed for such cases where a low constructional height is required. In this embodiment the clamping is acheived by means of a conncting part rotatable about an axle 32 provided with moveable gripping jaws 12 and 15. The fixed gripping jaws 13 and 14 are arranged at a frame part 34, which is supported by the transport device 10. The rotational movements of the connecting member 33 is obtained by means of an appropriate actuator 17, which in the shown embodiment - fig. 4 - consists of a pneumatic or hydraulic piston cylinder 36, the piston rod 37 of which is provided with screw shaped splines 38, which transmit the linear movement of the piston to . a rotating movement to the nut-shaped connecting member 33. The positioning of the piston in the cylinder 36 is done by means of an indicator 39 which cooperates with three fixed transmitters 40. The actuator 17 is elastically clamped in the same way as in the previous embodiment. The embodiment according to figs. 5 and 6, which are a variation of the embodiment shown in figs. 3 and 4, differs from this by the fact that in this example the transport device 1 is also provided with a brake 41, which brakes as soon as both traction wires 19,20 are released. The connecting member 11 is of the same kind as the one in figs. 3 and 4, i.e. it consists of a connecting member 33 rotatable about a central axle journal 32 by means of an actuator 17, which is rotatably attached to a lever 42 fixed to the connecting member 33. The axis of rotation 32 is mounted at the frame 34, which in its lower part is provided with load attachments 31 and in its upper part is firmly fixed to the transport device 10. The brake 41 consists of a brake cylinder 43 in which a two-part spring-loaded piston 44,45 is displaceably arranged, which is connected with a screw 46 which permits a limited movement between the piston parts. The lower piston part 45 is by way of a link 47 connected with the lever 42 of the connecting member 33. The brake 41 is so designed that it is active when the gripping jaws 12-15 are in their neutral position, e.g. no rigid clamping of the traction wires 19,20 takes place, as it is shown in fig. 5. Whenever a rigid clamping of either of the traction wires 19,20 should be done, the connecting member 33 will be rotated about the axle 32, at which the lever 42 also makes a pivoting movement, which is transmitted by way of the link 47 to the brake piston 44,45, at which the brake piston is pulled downwards, i.e. in the direction away from the hauling track 24. The embodiment according to fig. 7 differs from that shown in figs. 5 and 6 by the fact that the connecting member 33 with the moveable gripping jaws 12 and 15 cooperates only with a fixed gripping jaw 13, which at its lower part passes into load attachment 31. Each of the gripping jaws 12 and 15 are provided with a hook-shaped projection 48 intended to be brought into a recess 49 in the active position of the respective gripping jaw. An advantage of this embodiment is that the hook-shaped, moveable gripping jaws 12 and 15 catch the traction wire 19 and 20 respectively even if this would be slack. This embodiment is also provided with a brake 51 in the same way as the embodiment according to figs. 5 and 6 and which in the same way as this in the neutral position of the gripping jaws, with the gripping jaws 12 and 15 located on equal distance from the fixed gripping jaw 13, exerts a brake force towards the hauling track 24. In such cases where the transport device 10 is made as a truck which rolls on a floor in which grooves are made for the transmission members 19, 20 the brake 41 is aranged to act against the floor.

Claims: CLAIMS 1. A connecting member for transport devices (10) moveable along a hauling (24) track and of the kind, which by means of an actuator (7) on one hand is clampable to one of two traction wires (19,20), e.g. the forward- and return part in an endless wire or a wire part each in two at least partially parallel adjacent each other located endless wire systems, and partly is disconnectable from both of these , by means of relative each other openable gripping jaws (12-15), c h a r a c t e r i z e d t h e r e i n, that each connecting member (11) comprises two fixed gripping jaws (13,14) and two gripping jaws (12,15) which are moveable by means of the actuator (17) and firmly connected with each other, said moveable jaws are arranged in such a way that when one of the moveable gripping jaws is brought against a fixed gripping jaw, the other moveable gripping jaw is brought away from the other fixed gripping jaw and vice versa and that the actuator (17) is elastically clamped and limitedly axially moveable in both directions from a neutral position, in which both moveable gripping jaws (12,15) are in open position. 2. A connecting member according to claim 1 , c h a r a c t e r i z e d t h e r e i n, that the moveable gripping jaws (12,15) are displaceable in a guide (16) and diagonally opposite each other attached at a guide block (18) on either side of the fixed gripping jaws (13,14) which are likewise diagonally opposite each other arranged at the guide.each other gripping jaws (13,14) arranged at the guide. 3. A connecting member according to claim 1 , c h a r a c t e r i z e d t h e r e i n, that the moveable gripping jaws (12,15) are arranged with substantially radially projecting arms from a hub (33), which is rotatable about an axle journal (32) and mounted at a frame (34), which also supports this or the fixed gripping jaws (13,14) in the radius of action of the arms. 4. A connecting member according to claim 1 , c h a r a c t e r i z e d t h e r e i n, that to the attachment (26) of the actuator (17) a bar (27) is connected which is limitedly axially displaceable mounted in a holder (35,28), which is formed to make a holder-on for compression springs (29,30) clamped on the bar (27) on each side of the holder, springs (29,30). 5. A connecting member according to claim 1, c h a r a c t e r i z e d t h e r e i n, that to the moveable gipping jaws (12,15) a link (47) is rotatably connected which is arranged so that in the neutral position of the moveable gripping jaws, i.e. when no clamping effect is exerted on the traction wires (19,20), it actuates a brake (41 ) .

Inventors: OLSSON JOHAN, OLSSON, JOHAN
Applicants: OLSSON KONSTRUKTIONER AB J, OLSSON JAKOB JOHAN KONST AB
Application year: 1985
Main classification: B65G35
IPC codes: B61B13, B61G5, B65G17