Abstract:
The invention relates to a horizontal stacking column used to store articles which are placed next to each other at a reciprocal distance on two-armed ratchet levers ( 6   a   , 6   b   , 6   c ) which are rotationally mounted on two axes of rotation ( 5 ) between two wall strips ( 2,3 ), comprising a carrier arm ( 18 ) for holding the article to be stored in addition to a control arm ( 19 ). The axes of rotation ( 5 ) form an acute angle (w) with the wall strips ( 2,3 ).

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    The present invention relates to a horizontal stacking column for storing articles one beside the other, at intervals from one another, on two-armed ratchet levers, which are mounted such that they can be rotated on rotary spindles arranged between two wall strips and have, on the one hand, a carrying arm, for retaining the article and, on the other hand, a control arm.  
           [0002]    Such stacking columns serve, in particular, for accommodating sheet-like articles, for example for the production of vehicle parts. However, there is also a large number of other application areas which are to be covered by the present invention.  
           [0003]    The stacking columns are usually oriented vertically, as are those which are disclosed, for example, in DE 38 11 310.  
           [0004]    The prior art also discloses sloping stacking columns, for example in EP 0 536 571. In this case, two wall strips are connected at an acute angle to a base surface, base plate or the like. The ratchet levers are arranged on the rotary spindles, between the two wall strips, vertically one after the other such that they are offset laterally in the same direction.  
           [0005]    DE 40 20 864 C2, however, discloses a horizontally arranged stacking column or storage rail of the above-mentioned type in the case of which the wall strips are oriented vertically one beside the other. The rotary spindle for the ratchet is located, approximately horizontally, between the two wall strips. In the use position, the ratchets project upward out of the wall strip. The ratchet has control elements by means of which a following ratchet in each case is moved into the standby position.  
           [0006]    In a fair number of cases, it is desirable for the article which is to be stored not to stand on the wall strips, and for the ratchet levers to act laterally on the article. The horizontal stacking column which has just been described is not suitable for this case.  
           [0007]    The object of the present invention is to develop a horizontal stacking column of the above-mentioned type in the case of which the article does not come into contact with the wall strips, in particular does not stand on the wall strips, and in the case of which, the ratchet levers act laterally on the article.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0008]    In order to achieve this object, the rotary spindles enclose an acute angle with the wall strips.  
           [0009]    This means that the ratchet lever is positioned in an approximately sloping manner overall. The wall strips themselves are arranged parallel and horizontally one above the other.  
           [0010]    The significant advantage of the present invention is that the ratchet levers drop back automatically into their rest position again. The control arm preferably has a higher weight than the carrying arm. For this purpose, the control arm itself may additionally be provided with a higher weight, in particular if the ratchet lever is one made of plastic or aluminum. In this case, the control arm may be provided with a higher-weight metal element. The sloping arrangement of the ratchet lever ensures that the latter drops back into its rest position again once the article has been removed. It is merely in the case of the first ratchet lever that this is avoided by a stop pin, with the result that the first ratchet lever is always kept in the standby position.  
           [0011]    The way in which the individual ratchet levers interact in order that, when one ratchet lever pivots into the operating position, the following ratchet lever always passes into the standby position is not important in the present case. The prior art discloses many different possibilities for this, and these are to be covered by the present invention.  
           [0012]    In addition, the present invention also provides a sensor for detecting the loading state of the stacking column. At the moment when the last ratchet lever pivots into the operating position, this is determined by a sensor. For example, in this case, this may be a straightforward hole which is located in an end surface of the stacking column and is closed or obscured by an angle element actuated by the last ratchet lever or by the latter itself. This is then detected by an optical or mechanical sensor. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0013]    Further advantages, features and details of the invention can be gathered from the following description of preferred exemplary embodiments and with reference to the drawing, in which:  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 1 shows a side view of part of a stacking column according to the invention;  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 2 shows a plan view of the stacking column according to FIG. 1;  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 3 shows a view of the stacking column corresponding to FIG. 2, but once a top wall strip has been removed;  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 4 shows a view of a stacking column corresponding to FIG. 3, but in a further use position;  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 5 shows a plan view of a wall strip prior to the insertion of ratchet levers and corresponding fastening elements; and  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 6 shows a plan view of a fastening element for ratchet levers and, if appropriate, a stop pin. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0020]    According to FIG. 1, two wall strips  2  and  3  are arranged parallel and horizontally one above the other and are connected to one another on the end sides by end walls  4 . The wall strips  2  and  3  have rotary spindles  5  passing through them at certain intervals, the rotary spindles enclosing acute angles w with the wall strips  2  and  3 . The rotary spindles  5  are thus positioned in a sloping manner.  
         [0021]    Only four rotary spindles  5  are shown in the present exemplary embodiment, it being possible to increase the number of rotary spindles  5  as desired, and this number being dependent on the length of the wall strips  2  and  3 .  
         [0022]    Each rotary spindle  5  retains a ratchet lever  6 , three ratchet levers  6   a ,  6   b  and  6   c  being illustrated in the present exemplary embodiment. The ratchet levers serve for securing an article (not shown specifically).  
         [0023]    For the purpose of fastening the rotary spindles  5 , use is made of fastening elements  7 , as are shown in particular in FIG. 6. Each fastening element  7  has a bore  9 , into which the rotary spindle  5  is inserted in the use position. This bore  9  has an axis B which runs at an angle w to a rear wall  10  and to stop surfaces  11  and  12  which are formed by shoulders of the fastening element  7 .  
         [0024]    In the use position, such fastening elements  7  are inserted into corresponding recesses  13  of each wall strip  2 ,  3 , the stop surfaces  11  and  12  butting against said wall strips  2  and  3  from the outside and thus also limiting the insertion depths of the fastening element  7 . Two mutually opposite fastening elements  7  here are inserted into the recesses  13  in a state in which they have been rotated through 180° in relation to one another. The rotary spindle  5  extends between them.  
         [0025]    A bar  14  serves for securing a plurality of fastening elements  7 , the bar, in the use position, butting against the rear wall  10  of a plurality of fastening elements  7  and being connected to a wall strips  2  and  3  by corresponding screws  15 . In this case, these screws  15  engage in corresponding internally threaded bores  16  (FIG. 5). Of course, it is also conceivable for the fastening elements to be adhesively bonded or secured in some other way on the wall strips.  
         [0026]    The fastening elements  7  allow the rotary spindle  5  to be arranged quickly in the same way, assembly, in particular, being made considerably easier. The fastening elements  7  are inserted into the recesses  13 . As soon as a fastening element  7  has been inserted into its recess  13  from one side, the rotary spindle  5  is pushed into the bore  9 , and then a spacer sleeve  17  is pushed onto the rotary spindle  5  and, thereafter, the ratchet levers  6  is positioned on the free region of the rotary spindle  5 . From the other side, a corresponding fastening element  7 , which has been rotated through 180°, is then inserted into the corresponding recess  13  and accommodates the rotary spindle  5  in its bore  9 . Once a plurality of ratchet levers  6  has been arranged in this way along the stacking column P, the fastening element  7  or a certain number of fastening elements  7  are fixed definitively in position by the bars  14 .  
         [0027]    It can be seen in FIGS. 3 and 4 that each ratchet lever comprises a carrying arm  18  and a control arm  19 . The arms  18  and  19  are each arranged on one side of the rotary spindle  5 . However, the control arm  19  has a higher weight than the carrying arm  18 , it being additionally possible here for an additional weight  21  to be inserted into the corresponding recess  20  of the control arm  19 . For the sake of simplicity, the recess  20  is formed by a bore in the control arm  19 , the recess being open. It is possible here for the control arm, in the case of fitting inaccuracies, with the weight  21 , to yield to a limited extent, this facilitating the insertion of the weight  21  by the weight  21  being pressed into the recess  20 .  
         [0028]    By virtue of the weight distribution and/or the additional weight  21 , each ratchet lever, apart from the first ratchet lever  6   a , is normally located in the rest position, as is indicated for the ratchet levers  6   b  and  6   c  in FIG. 3. The ratchet levers  6   b  and  6   c  are retained in this rest position in that the carrying arm  18  strikes either against a fastening element  7  located alongside it or else against the rotary spindle  5  or the spacer sleeve  17 . In this rest position, the ratchet lever  6   b  or  6   c  always disappears between the wall strips  2  and  3 , with the result that the operation of loading the stacking column P is not disrupted.  
         [0029]    The first ratchet lever  6   a , in contrast, is always located in the standby position, in which the carrying arm  18  has been pivoted out of the region of the wall strips  2  and  3 . A stop pin  22  is provided for the purpose of securing the ratchet lever  6   a  in this standby position, the stop pin likewise being retained between the two wall strips  2  and  3  by, for example, fastening elements  7  (see FIG. 6) in a recess  25  (see FIG. 5).  
         [0030]    Each ratchet lever  6  also has a control pin  28 , which passes through the ratchet lever  6  and projects beyond the same on both sides. One part  28   a  of the control pin  28  interacts with one following ratchet lever and the other part  28   b  interacts with the other following ratchet lever. It can be seen that the lowermost ratchet lever  6   a  interacts, by way of a nose  29  of its control arm  19 , with one part  28   a  of the control pin  28  of the following ratchet lever  6   b . If the first ratchet lever  6   a  is pivoted from its standby position into an operating position, as is indicated in FIG. 4, then the nose  29  presses on the control pin  28   a  and pivots the following ratchet lever  6   b  into the standby position.  
         [0031]    If, then, this ratchet lever  6   b  is charged with an article, it likewise pivots into the operating position, in which case the nose  29  of its control arm  19 , in turn, presses on the control pin  28   a  and pivots the following ratchet lever  6   c  into the standby position. At the same time, however, the ratchet lever  6   b  engages, by way of a control edge  30 , over the other part  28   b  of the control pin  28  of the lowermost ratchet lever  6   a  and presses thereon, with the result that this first ratchet lever is fixed in its operating position.  
         [0032]    If, furthermore, the ratchet lever  6   c  is then loaded, its control edge interacts with the control pin  28  of the ratchet lever  6   b  for locking purposes. This functioning can be continued as desired.  
         [0033]    During unloading, the action of the respective ratchet lever dropping back also results in the following ratchet lever immediately unlocking, with the result that the latter, in turn, during unloading, can drop back into its standby position and, thereafter, into its rest position.  
         [0034]    For better abutment of the articles against the ratchet lever, at least part  31  of the ratchet lever, as is illustrated in FIG. 1, should be of angled design, with the result that this part forms an approximately planar abutment surface. In addition, however, the shape of the article which is to be retained is essentially also important as far as the configuration of the ratchet lever is concerned.  
         [0035]    [0035]FIG. 1, furthermore, indicates a sensor  32  via which the loading state of the stacking column P can be determined. In the exemplary embodiment shown, the sensor  32  is an angle element  33  which can be pivoted in front of a hole  34  in the end wall  4 . The hole  34  is thus closed or obscured, with the result that both an optical and a mechanical sensor can determine the loading state of the stacking column P at any one time. The angle element  33  can be pivoted, for example, by a lever which is connected to the last ratchet lever. The last ratchet lever may also actuate some other element for the purpose of initiating the pivoting action of the angle element. It is even conceivable for, for example, part of the control arm of the last ratchet lever to be configured such that it closes the hole  34  in the operating position.