Arrangement for conveyor installations

Technical field:

The present invention relates to an arrangement for conveyor installations. More particularly, the invention relates primarily to those conveyor installations which are used in the clothing industry.

Prior art:

An example of a conveyor installation of this type is given in US Patent no. 3,592,141, Inge Davidsson. Here, an endless, loop-shaped main conveyor is used together with a number of side conveyors. Carriages with work- pieces can be moved by means of gears from the main conveyor to the desired side conveyor and along the latter to a rest position at a work station. From the work station the carriage can be moved onwards on the side conveyor and returned to the main conveyor for distribution to the next work station or, after the final work station, for delivery of the finished workpiece. In the installation described, each carriage is addressed by means of a mechanism on the latter for distribution to the desired side conveyor and can then be re-addressed at each work station. There are other examples of similar conveyor installations in which the addressing is instead effected by means of a central control.

In the installation described in the cited patent, and in other correspondingly known examples, the side conveyor runs in a downward direction to a position at which the workpiece can be collected for onward conveyance. In the cited patent specification the side conveyor is shown as a rail. However, as will be shown in the context of the present invention, it can be designed in another way, but the invention nevertheless presupposes that such a conveyor is designed with a lowermost point to which it runs in a downward stretch and from which it runs on in an upward stretch.

Technical problem:

An installation of the type described permits a high degree of automation in the conveying work itself, but in this respect it is assumed that manual operations will take place at the work stations to which onward con¬ veyance is effected. Nevertheless, the installation of the known type does not eliminate the manual moment which requires that the person carrying out the operation must ensure that a carriage or product-carrier has been brought forward within range on the side conveyor, and thereafter the product processed at the work station must be arranged in the product-carrier. It would be advant¬ ageous if, at the work station, the product could be positioned very simply for automatic pick-up by the product-carrier.

As already mentioned, the invention relates in particular to the clothing industry. This means that it should therefore be possible, when a sewing operation has been completed, for the clothing section in question to be positioned at a pick-up site, after which the operator can immediately go to the next sewing operation.

Solution:

The arrangement involves the conveyor belt, at the work stations in which the products are picked up, being designed in a manner known per se with a curve hanging down towards a lowermost point, to which it runs in a downward stretch and from which it runs in an upward stretch, there being arranged, close to the said lower¬ most point, a positioning site for the products which are to be picked up, and the product carrier being designed with members for gripping the product so that, when the product carrier is lowered in the downward stretch of the conveyor belt, the product carrier comes into contact with the product lying below, grips it and moves it onwards in an upward movement along the upward stretch of the conveyor belt.

Advantages:

The present invention provides an arrangement for the described type of conveyor installations, which in a simple manner permits automatic pick-up of articles present on such a conveyor line with a downward stretch and on a side conveyor line.

This arrangement is suitable for use in connection with conveyor installations for articles of a soft and flexible material, such as pieces of cloth in clothes manufacture, an area to which the cited patent specif¬ ication, belonging to the prior art, also relates.

Description of figures:

The attached drawings show an exemplary embodiment of the invention. Fig. 1 shows the arrangement according to the invention applied to a side conveyor in a conveyor installation of the type mentioned;

Fig. 2 shows parts of the arrangement according to the invention in a first operating position, the view being from the same direction as in Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 shows a view of a part incorporated in the arrangement.

Preferred embodiment:

The installation shown partially in Fig. 1 consists of a main conveyor line 1 from which there is an outout station 2 and into which there is an input station 3. A number of work stations are arranged along the line 1. Side conveyor belts run between the main conveyor line 1 and the work stations. These side conveyor belts are each connected via a gear (not shown) to the main conveyor line 1 and run in a loop to each work station and are reconnected to the main conveyor line at a point down¬ stream of the station.

After a workpiece has been fed onto the main conveyor line 1, it can be shunted via an output station 2 into

the work stations by means of any type of address equipment, which controls the gears. In the work position at each work station the workpiece is processed and then moved on via an associated input station 3 along the side conveyor belt and again onto the main conveyor line for onward conveyance to other work stations.

As has already been mentioned, installations of the type described and shown partially in Fig. 1 are often used in the clothing industry. The following, more detailed description is also based, where the type of workpiece is indicated, on the clothing industry.

In Fig. 1 the said main conveyor line 1 is shown as a rail 4. Carriages 5 (see far bottom in Fig. 1) can be moved along the rail. These carriages have two rollers 6 which are separated by a waist and which can run on the rail, and a downward-directed fork 7 on which there can be hung, by means of a clamp 8, the work pieces 9, in this case sections of clothing which are to be worked. During its movement the driver moves the carriages 5 in the direction of the arrow 14. The output station 2 comprises a rail section, of which only the endpiece is shown in Fig. 1. A chain conveyor 12 constitutes the side conveyor belt. The input station 3 is shown as another rail section. The rail section in the output station 2 runs in a downward curve from a gear, which connects its starting end to the main conveyor line, and down to the endpiece shown in Fig. 1 close to a feeding position for the chain conveyor. The rail section in the input station 3 runs from the chain conveyor 12 to a shunt-in position on the main conveyor line. The carriages 5 can reach the side conveyor belt shown in Fig. 1 via the output station 2. The rail section in the input station 3 is, as can be seen, designed sloping from the chain conveyor 12 and, after delivery from this, the carriages 5 are transferred to the rail 4 for onward conveyance.

The chain conveyor 12 has a chain 13 which runs over two

chain wheels 14 and 15. The drive direction will be that shown by arrows 16. From the chain wheel 15 the chain 13 runs along a slide edge 17 which gives the chain a defined direction. The chain wheel 14 is a driving wheel and is secured on an axle 18 which projects from a drive mechanism in a box 19. The drive mechanism is designed to be able to drive the chain wheel a certain number of steps. Forward movement can be effected by means of an adjustable stepping motor of a known type or, as is assumed here, by means of a motor whose operating cycles are controlled by a photosensor 20 which, by means of a light ray, detects how many links have passed it.

From the chain wheel 14 to the chain wheel 15 the chain 13 extends in a freely downward-hanging curve to a lowermost point. The chain wheel 15 is enclosed in a cap 22 which is open at the bottom and whose edge 23, where the chain 13 runs in, is shaped as a curve turned out towards the periphery of the cap, which curve is designed to cooperate with the roller 6 of the carriage 5.

The chain is provided with recesses in support links, which are designed to enclose the waist part between the two rollers 6 of the carriage 5 (see Fig. 1) . The ar¬ rangement has a locking action which is such that the carriage can be secured in the support link without any action other than the waist part being pressed into the said recess, while it can only be released by force by means of the action of the chain wheel 15 in the input station 3 for return to the main conveyor line 1.

Fig. 2 can be regarded as a direct continuation of the view in Fig. 1. It also shows the lowermost point of the side conveyor belt, that is to say the downward hanging curve of the conveyor chain 12. Furthermore, however, it shows under this lowermost point one of the said worksta¬ tions, here designated by 25. This is illustrated here as a table 26 supported by a stand 27 and with a downward-sloping, terminating part 28. The stand 27

supports a shelf 29 under the part 28 of the table, which shelf 29 is finished with an upright support member 30. The support member 30 is finished with an upper edge 31.

Fig. 3 shows the support member as seen from the right in Fig. 2. According to Fig. 3 the support member has the shape of a plate with a recess 32. Over the opening of this recess there extends a bar-like member 33 which can be turned upwards but not downwards. In the embodiment shown, the support member consists of a rigid screw spring with a tightly winding turn, which spring is secured at one side in a holder 34 and, at the other side, bears against a support 35. Accordingly, the spring can be bent upwards and its unsecured end then leaves the support 35. In contrast, if an attempt is made to bend the spring downwards with moderate force, it is able to withstand this by virtue of the fact that its free end bears against the support 35.

The top edge 31 of the support member 30 is located under the lowermost part of the conveyor chain 12, but, in the direction of movement thereof, slightly in front of the position where the chain turns from its downward to its upward stretch.

The height of the edge 31 is set in such a way that, when one of the carriages 5 of the conveyor chain 12 is moved past the support member 30, the clamp 8 is brought down under the edge 31. The position between 31 and the path of movement of the clamp 8 on the carriages 5 which are passing is adapted in such a way that the fork 7 of the carriage 5 is moved down over the member 30 and contacts its edge 31 and, more particularly, the bar 33 and is moved down so far that the gripping edge of the clamp 8 opposite the left fork leg is moved down under the bar 33.

The carriages 5 are provided with addressing arrangements which are able to shunt them from the rail 4 of the main

line 1 into one of the side conveyors by means of manoeuvering the respective gear. Since, in the exemplary embodiment, it is assumed that the installation in question is designed for the manufacture of clothes, the carriages carry, as shown in Fig. 1, sections of clothing 9 or, alternatively, finished clothing for final processing. The aim is that it should be possible to distribute the clothing sections to various work stations in the order in which they are to be processed. There- after, the processed clothing sections, which have been sewn together for example to give finished clothes or to give assembled parts of articles of clothing, are con¬ veyed onwards first on the main conveyor line and then via other side conveyor belts to additional work stations and, finally, for delivery from the installation.

In connection with each onward conveyance, the workpiece must be picked up at each station. It is therefore economical and labour-saving if this picking-up of the product or semi-finished product can be carried out automatically. This is of particular importance in the case of automatically operating work stations, since the necessity of placing someone at the station to ensure that the produced material is conveyed onwards would lose a large part of the gains obtained from automation of the processing itself. Thus, for example, there are sewing machines which are designed to receive previously prepared sections, carry out a sewing operation and, thereafter, deliver the processed article. Such an arrangement is assumed for Fig. 2. The product, which is designated by 9 in the figure, is worked on the table 26 in an undefined manner. The product consists of cloth. During working, the product 9 is fed out over the sloping edge part 28 and slides down along this once the opera¬ tion is complete. By means of suitable adaptation of the sliding angle and positioning of the edge 31 of the member 30, the piece of cloth can be made to lie over the edge 31 in the manner shown in Fig. 2.

When a product carrier in the form of a carriage 5 is moved into the side conveyor belt and conveyed by the conveyor chain 12, this carriage is lowered towards the edge 31 and the product 9 resting upon this. When its left fork leg has reached down to the edge, it bears against this and, upon continued downward movement of the chain, the fork 7 is brought down over the edge and around the product 9. When the chain moves the carriage upwards after having turned at its lower point, the clamp 8 executes a catch action by virtue of the fact that it tends to catch the product upon the relative pull out¬ wards from the fork. This results in the clamp gripping around the product in the area of the opening 32, where the material in the plate, which forms the member 30, does not prevent such a direct grip.

Upon continued pulling upwards, the bar 33 is situated on the top side of the clamp 8 and is bent upwards until the clamp and the product 9 have passed the bar to such an extent that it can snap down to the position shown in Fig. 3. This is facilitated particularly if the bar itself is flexible, as is the case if it consists of a tightly wound screw spring.

Having left the member 30, the product 9 is then moved onwards by the chain 12 up to the input position 3 where it leaves the side conveyor and is transferred to the main conveyor line 1 for onward conveyance to other stations for continued processing.

The basic function of the picking-up of the product is thus achieved by virtue of the fact that the conveyor, which moves the product carrier, has a downward-moving part and an upward-moving part, this following on from the former at a lowermost point, and by virtue of the fact that, under this lowermost point, there is a support member for the product which is to be picked up, and at the same time the product carrier has a device which can grip the product when it reaches the positioning site of

the latter (that is to say the member 30) and lift it for onward conveyance. More particularly, in the illustrated embodiment, the gripping is achieved by means of the product carrier having a fork shape with a downward- directed opening, which is moved in over the positioning member for the product and grips around this. The latter can be effected by a catching member, the clamp 8, which can be moved in over the product positioning member without impediment but which, upon movement in the opposite direction, as a result of the catch action grips around the product. This operation is made possible in particular by the opening provided with the transverse bar in the product positioning member.

The arrangements for transferring the product from the work station to the product positioning member are not the object of the invention. They are adapted according to the arrangement of the work station. The illustrated table with a downward-sloping end part is thus only one example of how this can be achieved. Accordingly, it is possible to design members which place the product on the product positioning site in a dynamic procedure or with robot members which guide it to the product positioning member and deposit the product there. In accordance with such adaptations, the product positioning member can have different designs within the scope of the subsequent patent claims. Thus, it can be designed as a more extensive surface or have a roof-like shape instead of the plate shape shown.

When the workpiece has been picked up by means of the clamp 8, the carriage is moved upwards from its lowermost position by the chain to the cap 22 and chain wheel 15. This leads to the carriage 5 rolling out from the recess when it arrives at the input station 3.

The illustrated advantages and possibilities can be achieved with the embodiment which has been described and shown. However, the arrangement can be given another

design within the scope of the subsequent patent claims depending on the general design of the conveyor installation and the nature of the product. The embodi¬ ment which has been illustrated is particularly suitable for soft, flexible products and especially those of textile material or the like. If the product has another form, the arrangements will of course be adapted accord¬ ingly. The passive pick-up arrangement described, the illustrated clamp, is simple and provides for a satis- factorily functioning and robust arrangement in the case of soft, flexible products. Under other circumstances it may be necessary to have more active pick-up members provided with controlled clamps or the like, vacuum arrangements or magnets.