Abstract:
A carriage is intended to be disposed transversely between essentially-parallel lateral girders. The carriage comprises: stirrups which are disposed at the lateral ends and which each cooperate with a lateral girder in order to enable the movement of the carriage along the longitudinal axis (x) of the lateral girders; a central girder which is placed between the stirrups; first connecting means which are provided between a first lateral end of the central girder and the first stirrup, and second connecting means which are provided between a second lateral end of the central girder and the second stirrup. The aforementioned connecting means are arranged such as to enable the movement of one stirrup in relation to the other with six degrees of freedom and a limited amplitude.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]     This application is a continuation of International PCT Application Serial No. PCT/FR2004/002585, filed Oct. 12, 2004, claiming priority to French Application Serial No. FR 0350744, filed Oct. 29, 2003, both of which are incorporated by reference herein. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY  
       [0002]     The invention concerns a carriage intended to be placed transversely between two lateral girders substantially parallel to each other, the carriage being arranged so as to be able to be moved in a longitudinal direction parallel to the girders. The invention also concerns a gantry comprising two lateral girders substantially parallel to each other, as well as such a carriage.  
         [0003]     Such carriages and gantries are used in factories, warehouses, etc. for handling objects, for example between various machining and/or storage stations. Generally the carriage comprises on the one hand a stirrup at each of its lateral end parts, the stirrups being intended to cooperate with the lateral girders of the gantry, and on the other hand a movable central girder placed between the stirrups and fixed to these, the girder being able to carry various tools or members for gripping objects. One or more motors enable the carriage to move longitudinally.  
         [0004]     According to a first embodiment, a single central motor is provided on the carriage, provided with two lateral transmission shafts and pinions, in order to allow the driving of the carriage along the lateral girders. However, this solution is technically difficult to implement and may prove to be costly.  
         [0005]     According to a second embodiment, two separate motors each drive one of the two stirrups of the carriage. Means of synchronising the two motors must then be provided, which gives rise to not insignificant additional cost and requires increased maintenance of the installations. In addition, despite these synchronisation means, there remain risks that the stirrups may not be moved strictly simultaneously and at the same speed. As a result the carriage may not remain perfectly transverse and risks being locked aslant between the lateral girders. This may occur even if the offset between the positions of the two stirrups is only a few millimetres.  
         [0006]     In addition, having regard to the imperfect synchronisation of the two stirrups, such gantries do not allow movement of the carriage with the required precision, around one millimetre. Moreover, whatever the method of driving the stirrups and its performance, there exists another cause that may result in jamming of the carriage or impair the precision of the gantry. It is a case of lack of parallelism between the lateral girders. This may be due to the actual manufacture of the girders, where it is difficult to guarantee straightness because of their great length, around 20 metres for example. This defect may also stem from the deformation of the girders over time, after several months or several years of use of the gantry.  
         [0007]     The invention aims to resolve the problems posed by the prior art by proposing an economical carriage and gantry guaranteeing excellent precision of movement of the carriage without any risk of jamming between the lateral girders, despite the non-parallelism of the lateral girders or imperfect synchronisation of the movement of the two stirrups. To this end, and according to a first aspect, the invention concerns a carriage intended to be placed substantially transversely between first and second lateral girders substantially parallel to each other, the carriage comprising:  
         [0008]     a stirrup at each of its lateral end parts, a first stirrup being able to cooperate with the first lateral girder and a second stirrup being able to cooperate with the second lateral girder so as to allow the movement of the carriage in a longitudinal direction substantially parallel to the lateral girders;  
         [0009]     a central girder placed between the stirrups;  
         [0010]     a first connection means arranged between a first lateral end of the central girder and the first stirrup and second connection means arranged between a second lateral end of the central girder and the second stirrup, the connection means being arranged to allow the movement of one stirrup with respect to the other, according to six degrees of freedom, with limited amplitude.  
         [0011]     Because the central girder is not being fixed to the stirrups, the stirrups can move with respect to each other, causing a deformation of the carriage (movement of the central girder with respect to the stirrups). The means of connection between the lateral ends of the central girder and the stirrups makes it possible to accommodate and compensate for any errors in synchronisation of the motors or deformations of the lateral girders. The movement of the central girder with respect to the stirrups thus makes it possible to obtain more flexibility and prevent locking of the carriage, despite the constant movement of one stirrup with respect to the other.  
         [0012]     According to the invention, the first connection means can comprise a swivel connection and the second connection means a vertical support and transverse sliding means, the support and the transverse sliding means being arranged so as to allow the rotation movement of the central girder with respect to the first stirrup about longitudinal, transverse and vertical axes with limited amplitude. According to other characteristics the transverse sliding means can include means of limiting the amplitude of the rotation of the central girder with respect to the first stirrup about longitudinal, transverse and vertical axes.  
         [0013]     According to one possible embodiment, the first connection means also comprise transverse sliding means situated at a distance from the swivel connection, the transverse sliding means being arranged so as to allow the rotation movement of the central girder with respect to the first stirrup about longitudinal, transverse and vertical axes with limited amplitude. For example, at least one of the transverse sliding means comprises:  
         [0014]     on the one hand a piece having a U shape, the arms of which are situated in a substantially horizontal plane and directed transversely towards the central girder, the ends of the arms being fixed rigidly to a stirrup of the carriage;  
         [0015]     on the other hand a rod fixed rigidly to the central girder and extending orthogonally to the U-shaped piece, the rod being arranged so as to be inserted in the space formed between the arms of the U-shaped piece with clearance so as to allow the transverse sliding of the central girder with respect to the end part of the carriage and to allow the rotation of the central girder with respect to the first stirrup about longitudinal, transverse and vertical axes according to a certain amplitude, by virtue of the swivel connection.  
         [0016]     The second stirrup can comprise two vertically aligned U-shaped pieces situated at a distance from each other, the central girder being provided with two aligned vertical rods arranged so as to each to be inserted in one of the U-shaped pieces. For example, the first stirrup comprises a concave housing, and a convex piece with a shape complementary to that of the housing is rigidly fixed to the central girder so as to be able to cooperate with the housing in order to form the swivel connection.  
         [0017]     According to one possible embodiment, the first stirrup comprises on the one hand a concave housing with a substantially vertical axis and on the other hand a U-shaped piece, and a central girder is provided with a vertical rod arranged so as to be inserted in the U-shaped piece so as to be placed so as to be substantially aligned with the axis of the concave housing. For example, a first intermediate piece is rigidly fixed to each of the two stirrups and a second intermediate piece is rigidly fixed to each of the lateral ends of the central girder, the means of connection between the girder and the stirrups being carried by the intermediate pieces.  
         [0018]     According to a second aspect, the invention concerns a gantry comprising first and second substantially parallel lateral girders and a carriage as previously described, the carriage being placed substantially transversely between the lateral girders, and comprising a stirrup at each of its end parts, a first stirrup being able to cooperate with the first lateral girder and a second stirrup being able to cooperate with the second lateral girder so as to allow the movement of the carriage in a longitudinal direction substantially parallel to the lateral girders. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0019]     The other characteristics of the invention result from the following description of embodiments, a description given with reference to the accompanying figures, in which:  
         [0020]      FIG. 1  is a schematic view in perspective of a gantry according to the invention, the connection means not having been shown;  
         [0021]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of a carriage according to the invention;  
         [0022]      FIG. 3  is a view in section of the carriage in  FIG. 2 , along the line AA, the central girder not being depicted;  
         [0023]      FIGS. 4   a  and  4   b  depict intermediate pieces intended to be rigidly fixed to the stirrups of the carriage;  
         [0024]      FIGS. 5   a  and  5   b  depict intermediate pieces intended to be rigidly fixed to the lateral ends of the central girder of the carriage; and  
         [0025]     FIGS.  6  to  8  are schematic representations showing the deformations of the carriage when one stirrup is moved with respect to the other.  
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0026]     Reference is made first of all to  FIG. 1 , which depicts a quadratic gantry  1  comprising first and second lateral girders  2 ,  3  substantially parallel to each other. The girders can have a length attaining 20 to 30 m, and be spaced apart by 5 to 10 m for example. The direction x of the lateral girders  2 ,  3  is said to be longitudinal, and the orthogonal direction y situated in the plane of the girders is said to be transverse. A third direction z, orthogonal to the other two, is also defined. The direction z is said to be vertical. However, this term is employed only for the purpose of simplification of the description, since the plane formed by the lateral girders  2 ,  3  may be not horizontal but inclined. A location close to the longitudinal axis situated halfway between the two lateral girders  2 ,  3  is said to be “internal”, in contradistinction to a location at a distance from this axis, said to be “external”. The terms “top”, “bottom”, “above”, “below”, “high”, “low” will be employed with reference to the direction z. The terms “front” and “rear” will be employed with reference to the direction x, when it is considered that the carriage is moving in the direction of the arrow x in  FIG. 1 . Naturally this is aimed only at simplifying the description, and the carriage can also move in the opposite direction.  
         [0027]     The gantry  1  also comprises a carriage  4  placed substantially transversely between the lateral girders  2 ,  3 . The carriage  4  itself comprises a stirrup at each of its lateral end parts. A first stirrup  5  is able to cooperate with the first lateral girder  2  and a second stirrup  6  is able to cooperate with a second lateral girder  3 , so as to allow the movement of the carriage in the direction x.  
         [0028]     The carriage  4  also comprises a central girder  7 , placed between the stirrups  5 ,  6  and connected to these by connection means which will be described subsequently. The central girder  7  is not rigidly fixed to the stirrups  5 ,  6 . The carriage  4  is moved longitudinally by virtue of one or more motors, not shown. The motor or motors can be on board and provide the movement of the carriage by a system of pinions cooperating with a rack provided on the lateral girders. According to another possible embodiment, the motor or motors can be fixed with respect to the building in which the gantry  1  is situated and drive the carriage via a system of chains or belts. In the case where two motors are provided, means provide their synchronisation.  
         [0029]     Now the carriage  4  and the connection means arranged between the central girder  7  and the stirrups  5 ,  6  are described more particularly. In the embodiment depicted, the stirrups  5 ,  6  are identical. A stirrup  5 ,  6  has the shape of a U comprising a vertical wall  8  and two horizontal walls  9 ,  10  extending transversely from the vertical wall  8  towards the outside—that is to say towards the lateral girder  2 ,  3  with which the stirrup  5 ,  6  in question cooperates. The stirrup  5 ,  6  is thus able to be placed around a lateral girder  2 ,  3  and to slide longitudinally along it.  
         [0030]     An intermediate piece is rigidly fixed to the vertical wall  8  of each stirrup  5 ,  6 , on the inside (opposite to the horizontal walls  9 ,  10 ). The first stirrup  5  carries the intermediate piece  11  of  FIG. 4   b , the second stirrup  6  carrying a different intermediate piece  12 , depicted in  FIG. 4   a . The intermediate piece  12  depicted in  FIG. 4   a  is described first of all.  
         [0031]     The intermediate piece  12  comprises a substantially rectangular plate  13  provided with a central orifice  14 , also rectangular, and is intended to be fixed, for example by screwing, on the inside of the vertical wall  8  of the second stirrup  6 . The plate  13  comprises a first piece  15   a  having the shape of a U, the arms  16 ,  17  of which are situated in a substantially horizontal plane and directly transversely towards the central girder  7 , the ends  18  of the arms  16 ,  17  being rigidly fixed to the plate  13 . There thus exists a space  19  formed between the arms  16 ,  17  of the first U-shaped piece  15   a , the bottom  20  of the first U-shaped piece  15   a  and the plate  13 . The first U-shaped piece  15   a  situated in the area of the front top corner of the plate  13 , above the orifice  14 .  
         [0032]     The plate  13  also comprises a second U-shaped piece  15   b  with an identical overall shape and the same dimensions as the first U-shaped piece  15   a , situated in the area of the front bottom corner of the plate  13 , below the orifice  14 , at a distance from the first U-shaped piece  15   a . The two U-shaped pieces  15   a ,  15   b  are aligned vertically. Finally, reinforcement plates  21 ,  22 ,  23  are provided between the plate  13  and the two U-shaped pieces  15   a ,  15   b.    
         [0033]     The intermediate piece  11  depicted in  FIG. 4   b  comprises a substantially rectangular plate  24  provided with a central orifice  25 , also rectangular, and is intended to be fixed, for example by screwing, to the inside of the vertical wall  8  of the first stirrup  5 . The plate  24  first of all comprises a third U-shaped piece  15   c  with an identical overall shape and the same dimensions as the first U-shaped piece  15   a , extending substantially horizontally and transversely towards the central girder  7 . The third U-shaped piece  15   c  is rigidly fixed by its ends to the plate  11 , in the area of the rear bottom corner, below the orifice  25 . The plate  24  next comprises a horizontal wall  26  extending substantially horizontally and transversely towards the central beam  7 , in the top area of the plate  24  above the orifice  25 .  
         [0034]     In the rear area of the plate  24 , the horizontal wall  26  has a downward step  27 , which forms partly the lateral wall and the bottom of a cavity emerging upwards through an orifice  28  in the shape of a disc. In the cavity there is placed a ring  29  of axis  30  and with an outside diameter substantially equal to the inside diameter of the cavity formed by the step  27 . The ring  29  has a top internal face bevelled so as to form a concave housing, as illustrated in  FIG. 3 . The third U-shaped piece  15   c  is placed vertically in line with the orifice  28  in the horizontal wall  26 , as will be explained later. Finally, reinforcement plates  31 ,  32 ,  33  are provided between the plate  24  and on the one hand the third U-shaped piece  15   c  and on the other hand the horizontal wall  26 .  
         [0035]     In addition, an intermediate piece is rigidly fixed to each of the lateral ends of the central beam  7 , on the outside (towards the lateral girders  2 ,  3 ). The first end part  24  of the central girder  7 —connected to the first stirrup  5 —carries the intermediate piece  35  in  FIG. 5   b , and the second end part  36  of the central girder  7 —connected to the second stirrup  6 —carries the different intermediate piece  37 , depicted in  FIG. 5   a.    
         [0036]     The intermediate piece  37  depicted in  FIG. 5   a  is described first of all. The intermediate piece  37  comprises a bent rectangular plate, the two parts  38 ,  39  of which, on each side of the bending zone, are situated in a vertical plane. The first part  38 , provided with a substantially rectangular central orifice  40 , is intended to be fixed, for example by screwing, to the second end part  36  of the central beam  7  and can be at least partially inserted in a cavity in the central girder  7  provided for this purpose. The second part  39  extends towards the second stirrup  6 , and its width is smaller than the width of the first part  38 , around one third. The angle between the two parts  38 ,  39  of the bent rectangular plate is for example between 110° and 160°.  
         [0037]     The intermediate piece  37  also comprises a top horizontal wall  41  and a bottom horizontal wall  42 , substantially identical, and having the shape of a flat V corresponding to the shape of the bent rectangular plate. The external end part of each of the horizontal walls  41 ,  42  comprises a hollow cylinder  43   a ,  43   b  extending from the horizontal wall  41 ,  42  upwards over a height of around 10% to 20% of the height of the bent rectangular plate. The two cylinders  43   a ,  43   b  are substantially identical and have the same vertical axis  44 . In addition, a reinforcement  45  is provided between the external wall of the top cylinder  43   a  and the top horizontal wall  41 .  
         [0038]     In a similar fashion, the intermediate piece  35  shown in  FIG. 5   b  comprises a bent rectangular plate, the two parts  46 ,  47  of which are situated in a vertical plane and form an angle that can lie between 110° and 160°. It may be a case of a bent plate identical to that described with reference to  FIG. 5   a . The first part  46 , provided with a substantially rectangular central orifice  48 , is intended to be fixed to the first end part  34  of the central girder  7  and can be at least partially inserted in a cavity in the central girder  7  provided for this purpose. The second part  47 , less wide, extends towards the first stirrup  5 .  
         [0039]     The intermediate piece  35  also comprises a top horizontal wall  39  and a bottom horizontal wall  50 , substantially identical, and having the shape of a flat V corresponding to the shape of the bent rectangular plate. The external end part of the bottom horizontal wall  50  comprises a hollow cylinder  43   c  extending from the bottom horizontal wall  50  upwards over a height of around 10% to 20% of the height of the bent rectangular plate. In addition, the external end part of the top horizontal wall  49  comprises a hollow cylinder  51  extending from the top horizontal wall  49  upwards over a height of around 10% to 20% of the height of the bent rectangular plate. The hollow cylinder  50  has the same axis  52  as the hollow cylinder  43   c  but with inside and outside diameters greater than those of the hollow cylinder  43   c.    
         [0040]     A connecting piece is fixed to the inside of the hollow cylinder  51 . This connecting piece comprises on the one hand a top part in the form of a solid cylinder  53 , with a diameter substantially identical to the inside diameter of the hollow cylinder  51 . The hollow cylinder  53  is provided with external top rims for fixing it—in particular by screwing—to the hollow cylinder  51 . The bottom face of the solid cylinder  53  is situated substantially in the same horizontal plane as the bottom face of the hollow cylinder  51 .  
         [0041]     The connecting piece also comprises a part in the form of a spherical cap  54 . The spherical cap  54  is fixed to the bottom face of the solid cylinder  53  so as to be coaxial with the solid cylinder  53  and so that the convex part of this spherical cap  54  is directed downwards. The dimensions of the spherical cap  54  are complementary to those of the ring  29 , so that the cooperation of these two elements forms a swivel connection. According to one possible embodiment, the bottom portion of the spherical cap  54 , situated inside the ring  29 , is truncated (see  FIG. 3 ). Finally, a reinforcement  55  is provided between the external wall of the hollow cylinder  51  and the top horizontal wall  49 . The intermediate pieces  35 ,  37 , rigidly fixed to the central beam  7  of the carriage  4 , are intended to be associated with the intermediate pieces  11 ,  12  rigidly fixed to the stirrups  5 ,  6 , thus forming connection means allowing the movement of the central girder  7  with respect to the stirrups and therefore also the movement of one stirrup with respect to the other (see  FIG. 3 ).  
         [0042]     Firstly, the association of the first stirrup  5  with the first end part  34  of the central girder  7  is described. Firstly, at the top part, the first stirrup  5  is associated with the end part  34  of the central girder  7  by means of a swivel connection formed at the intermediate pieces  11 ,  35  by cooperation between the spherical cap  54  and the bevelled ring  29 , as indicated previously (the axes  30  and  52  substantially coinciding).  
         [0043]     Secondly, at the bottom part, the first stirrup  5  is associated with the end part  34  of the central girder  7  by transverse sliding means. To this end, a rod  56   c -for example a threaded rod provided with a nut at the bottom part—is inserted vertically upwards in the space  19  provided in the U-shaped piece  15   c , and rigidly fixed to the inside of the hollow cylinder  43   c . Axial locking means  57 , such as a washer, are provided on the rod, under the U-shaped piece  15   c  and slightly recessed with respect to the U-shaped piece  15   c , in order to allow the upward vertical movement of the intermediate piece  35  with respect to the intermediate piece  11  but to limit the amplitude of this movement. A vertical clearance is also provided between the bottom face of the hollow cylinder  43   c  and the top face of the U-shaped piece  15   c . The diameter of this rod  56   c  is less than the distance between the branches of the U-shaped piece  15   c  and the distance between the bottom of the U-shaped piece  15   c  and the plate  24 . Thus, by virtue of the longitudinal and transverse clearances, the rotation movement of the intermediate piece  35  with respect to the intermediate piece  11  is possible—but with limited amplitude—about the axes x and y. Naturally, the rotation movement about the axis z is possible by pivoting about the axis  30 ,  52 .  
         [0044]     Secondly the association of the second stirrup  6  with the second end part  36  of the central girder  7  is described. At the top part and at the bottom part, the second stirrup  6  is associated with the end part  36  of the central girder  7  by transverse sliding means, formed by the cooperation between the U-shaped pieces  15   a ,  15   b  on the one hand and the rods  56   a ,  56   b  on the other hand. A first rod  56   a  is inserted in the space  19  provided in the first U-shaped piece  15   a  and rigidly fixed to the inside of the hollow cylinder  43   a . A washer  58  is interposed horizontally between the bottom face of the hollow cylinder  43   a  and the top face of the U-shaped piece  15   a , thus forming a vertical abutment. A second rod  56   b  is inserted in the space  19  provided in the second U-shaped piece  15   b  and rigidly fixed to the inside of the hollow cylinder  43   b . Axial locking means  59  are provided on the rod  56   b  under the U-shaped piece  15   b  and slightly recessed with respect to the U-shaped piece  15   b , in order to allow the upward vertical movement of the intermediate piece  37  with respect to the intermediate piece  12  but to limit the amplitude of this movement.  
         [0045]     A vertical clearance is also provided between the bottom face of the hollow cylinder  43   b  and the top face of the U-shaped piece  15   b . The two rods  56   a ,  56   b  are substantially identical and with the same axis, their diameter being less than the distance between the arms of the U-shaped pieces  15   a ,  15   b  and the distance between the bottom of each U-shaped piece  15   a ,  15   b  and the plate  13 . These longitudinal and transverse clearances allow the swivel movement about the axes x and y with limited amplitude.  
         [0046]     Reference is now made to FIGS.  6  to  8 , which illustrate the possible deformations of the carriage following a movement of one stirrup with respect to the other, this movement being due for example to a deformation of the lateral girders  2 ,  3  or to any imperfect synchronisation of the motors driving the stirrups  5 , 6 . The dotted lines illustrate the normal position of the first lateral girder  2  of the first stirrup  5 , that is to say without deformation of the carriage  4 .  
         [0047]      FIG. 6  illustrates the case where the first lateral girder  2  is shifted horizontally from the second lateral girder  3  by an additional distance ΔL with respect to the normal. The rods  56   a ,  56   b  are then moved transversely in the spaces  19  provided in the U-shaped pieces  15   a ,  15   b , towards the first lateral beam  2 . This sliding aims to compensate for the distancing of the lateral girders  2 ,  3 , allowing the increase in the distance between the second stirrup  6  and the second end part  36  of the central girder  7 . A shift ΔL of around 10 mm can thus be accepted and compensated for without causing any problem of locking of the carriage or loss of precision.  
         [0048]      FIG. 7  illustrates the case where the first lateral girder  2  is moved away vertically from the second lateral girder  3  by an additional distance ΔH with respect to the normal. The spherical cap  34  then pivots in the ring  29 , about the axis x. This movement is possible by virtue of the existence of a vertical transverse clearance between the rods  56   a ,  56   b ,  56   c  and the U-shaped pieces  15   a ,  15   b ,  15   c . The invention thus makes it possible to compensate for a shift ΔH of around ±4 mm/m.  
         [0049]     Finally,  FIG. 8  illustrates the case where the first stirrup  5  is shifted towards the rear by a distance Δx with respect to the second stirrup  6 , in particular following faulty synchronisation of the motors separately driving the two stirrups  5 ,  6 . The spherical cap  34  then pivots in the ring  29  about the axis z, just like the rod  56   c  in the space  19  provided in the U-shaped piece  15   c . The rods  56   a ,  56   b  can also pivot in the space  19  provided in the U-shaped pieces  15   a ,  15   b , about the axis z, but also move horizontally in the space  19  because of the existence of the longitudinal and transverse clearances. The central girder  7  can thus be inclined, in the horizontal plane, and with respect to the direction y, by an angle α of around 5°.  
         [0050]     In summary, the swivel connection therefore makes it possible to accept rotation movements in all directions, these movements being possible but limited by the existence of the longitudinal, transverse and vertical clearances between the rods  56   a ,  56   b ,  56   c  and the U-shaped pieces  15   a ,  15   b ,  15   c . In addition, transverse sliding is also provided. Naturally, these elementary movements can be combined with each other and vary during the movement of the carriage along the lateral girders  2 ,  3 , the total resulting movement being compensated for by the appropriate cooperation by the various connection means provided on the carriage  4 . The invention makes it possible to meet the requirements with regards to precision and robustness of such gantries. By way of example, the carriage can be moved at a speed of 3 m/s and must be stopped over a distance of 20 cm, a precision of around a millimetre generally being demanded.