Patent DE-19831992-A1 (DE)
Title: Transport system for flat materials has continuous conveyors with a transfer unit where they are moved separately with virtually no gaps between them
Inventor: REINDERS PETER
IPC: D05B33/00
Filed: 1998-07-16
Abstract: The assembly for the transport of flat materials, where they are transferred from one conveyor to another, has a continuous conveyor (12) as the second unit formed by a belt, strips or chains with at least one carrier (3) and pref. two at intervals across the direction of movement. Each carrier (3) has a strip laying surface (10), parallel to the direction of travel (6), where the carriers support the materials especially with intermediate edge sections. Each carrier (3) is deflected in its path, to form a buffer loop (13), with a deflection zone opposite to the direction of travel (6) into a transfer position.  A further continuous conveyor (15) is parallel to the first conveyor (12), pref. close it. It moves at the same speed and in the same direction as the carriers (3) of the first conveyor (12). The deflection zone (14) for the first conveyor (12) is set back from the transfer position into the basic position, so that the material is taken by the second conveyor (15), and the conveyor moves out of the deflection zone at the transport speed back into the basic position. Both conveyors are continuous loops, with toothed belts as the carriers (3,15) which mesh with toothed wheels for deflection and drive. The closely neighboring carriers (3,15) of both conveyors have a common drive (24) in a synchronized drive in the same direction. Each carrier (3), and especially the toothed belts of the first conveyor (12), pass round a deflection wheel (16) at the leading deflection end . The upper level is moved in the transport direction (6) to form a double loop (13) round two deflection wheels (25,18) so that it travels back against the transport direction into the transfer position and then onwards in the transport direction. The lower level of the conveyor is supported at the laying surface (10). The setting drive for the carrier movements or the counter deflection section (14) operates by registering the location of the material, together with the nominal position under the run-out position of the lower level of the carrier (13) of the first conveyor (12) or the lower level (15) of the second conveyor. Where the assembly is for the movement of fabric sections, cut from piecegoods, the transfer unit is a clamp. The edges of the fabric are parallel to the movement direction of the second carrier (3) sides and at a gap from them, to be clamped on the plane of the first conveyor and, with the clamp, moved into the plane of the second conveyor in a to and fro motion, and the second carrier (3) also moves to and from the clamp. The second carrier (3) has continuous belts which, in the movement direction, are external and close to the alignment line of the clamp, to press the fabric edges against the laying strips (10) of both conveyors. The clamp has two clamping beams. The clamp and the carrier (3) can be brought together, for the fabric edges to be transferred from the clamp to the carrier without a gap between the flat materials. The laying surface (10) can be a flat plate or table, or an additional continuous conveyor.