Technical field

This invention relates to a handling system .

In particular, the invention relates to a handling system of the type comprising a threaded bar and two counter- rotating nut s engaged and movable on it .

Background art

These handling systems are usually used for moving a load from a surface to a higher surface , and vice versa . Handling systems are used both in industrial and other context s , for example residential , as in the case of elevators or lift s .

The prior art includes solutions which comprise the use of a mechanism comprising a threaded bar on which a nut is inserted .

Due to the operating mechanism of these prior art systems , for example applied on lift s /elevators , it inevitably follows that the rotation of the nut along the threaded bar determines a constraining reaction having a vertical component (useful for the required movement ) and a horizontal component (not required) .

The horizontal component , if it is not balanced, would result in a rotation of the cabin of the elevator constrained to the nut it self .

In order to overcome this drawback , the prior art systems comprise the installation of reaction guides positioned parallel to the threaded bar and designed to balance the horizontal component generated by the roto-translat ion of the nut, avoiding impossible rotations of the cabin of the elevator.

The prior art systems provide a solution which is certainly valid in terms of effectiveness but it is certainly not free of drawbacks.

Firstly, the installation of these reaction guides in some cases adversely affects the adequate level of safety, such as, for example, when the elevator is not segregated .

A further drawback is that these reaction guides installed to prevent these rotations of the cabin of the elevator are not very attractive for strictly aesthetic reasons.

Another drawback relative to the prior art systems is that they require a structure which is not always simple and inexpensive to make.

Moreover, the necessary presence of these reaction guides considerably limits the freedom to position these handling systems (elevators) inside a room, making, for example, an installation in the centre of the room difficult.

Aim of the invention

The aim of the invention is therefore to provide a handling system which is able to overcome the above- mentioned drawbacks of the prior art.

A further aim of the invention is that of providing a handling system which is able to cancel out the horizontal component of the reaction generated by the roto-translation of the nut on the threaded bar, without the need for installations which adversely alter the safety and the appearance of the system. Another aim of the invention is to provide a handling system which is able to guarantee an excellent degree of safety of the system in its entirety.

A further aim of the invention is to provide a handling system which can allow the installation of an elevator freely in any position inside a room, without the need for lateral supports.

Another aim of the invention is to provide a handling system which is simple and inexpensive to make.

According to the invention, these aims and others are achieved by a handling system comprising the technical features described in the accompanying claims.

Brief description of the drawings

The technical features of the invention, with reference to the above-mentioned aims, are clearly described in the appended claims and its advantages are apparent from the detailed description which follows, with reference to the accompanying drawings which illustrate purely non-limiting example embodiments of the invention, in which:

- Figure 1 is a schematic perspective view of a handling system according to the invention;

- Figure 2 is a schematic front view of a particular application of the handling system of Figure 1;

- Figure 3 is a partly exploded schematic view of a detail of the handling system of Figure 1;

- Figure 4 is a schematic view from above and partial cross section of the handling system of Figure 1;

- Figure 5 is a schematic partial lateral cross section of the handling system of Figure 1; - Figure 6 is a cross section view from below of a skid of the handling system of Figure 1.

Detailed description of preferred embodiments of the invention

With reference to the Figure 1, the numeral 1 denotes in its entirety a handling system made in accordance with the invention, hereinafter also referred to simply as the system 1.

Advantageously, the direction of movement is defined as vertical with respect to a horizontal plane or the ground but it is possible to use the handling system 1 according to the invention for moving loads in directions in any way inclined or parallel to a horizontal plane or the ground.

With reference to Figure 1, the handling system 1 according to the invention comprises a threaded bar 2 having a main axis of extension A.

The system 1 also comprises a first 3 and a second 3' nut designed to engage by screwing with the threaded bar 2.

The first 3 and second 3' nuts are therefore able to move relative to the bar 2 along the axis A.

The system 1 according to the invention also comprises handling means 30 for moving the first 3 and the second 3' nut.

The handling means 30 comprise a motor-driven gear 300 interposed between and operatively connected to the first 3 and the second 3' nut.

The motor-driven gear 300 rotates about an axis B transversal to the axis of rotation A of the first 3 and second 3' nuts, in such a way as to impart a first rotation R on the first nut 3 and a second rotation R' on the second nut 3'.

Advantageously, the rotations R and R' have an opposite orientation .

The gear 300 is powered by a respective motor (not shown in the drawings), advantageously supplied by the electricity network or by accumulators.

The threaded bar 2 comprises a first 21 and a second 21' thread extending in the same stretch of the threaded bar 2.

Advantageously, this stretch comprising both the threads 21, 21' extends over the entire length of the threaded bar 2.

One of these first 21 and second 21' threads is of the left-hand type, the other of these first 21 and second 21' threads is of the right-hand type.

Moreover, the first 3 and the second 3' nuts are designed to engage, respectively, with one of either the first 21 or the second 21' thread.

In this way, each of the nuts 3 and 3', rotating, follows one of either the first 21 or the second 21' thread to move relative to the bar 2 along the axis A.

In particular, the system 1 is structured in such a way that the nuts 3 and 3' always translate along the axis A in the same direction (both from the top downwards and vice versa).

The counter-rotation of the first 3 and second 3' nuts allows the zeroing of the horizontal component of the reflex reaction generated to the weight force imparted by the load on the first 21 and second 21' threads of the bar 2. In effect, both the first 3 and the second 3' nuts, by rotating and translating on the threaded bar 2, generate constraining reactions having horizontal components of equal intensity and opposite directions making the system balanced.

With reference to Figure 2, the system 1 according to the invention advantageously also comprises a lifter 100 connected to the first nut 3 and the second nut 3' and designed to lift a load moving relative to the bar 2 along the axis A.

Advantageously, the lifter 100 is an elevator for loading objects or persons.

With reference to Figures 3 to 6, each of the nuts 3 and 3' comprises a plurality of spheres 4 designed to engage in support with a respective one of the first 21 and second 21' threads of the bar 2.

Each of the nuts 3 and 3' also comprises a plurality 5 of skids for containing the spheres 4.

The skids 5 are positioned angularly on the first 3 and second 3' nut.

The skids 5 are substantially cylindrical in shape and are designed to be inserted in a direction perpendicular to the direction of extension of the threaded bar 2 on the respective nuts 3, 3'.

More specifically, the skids 5 are positioned in such a way as to follow the inclination of the first 21 and the second 21' thread of the bar 2.

As shown in Figure 4, the skids 5 are distributed in a radial fashion about the respective nut 3, 3', which has as the centre the main axis of extension A of the threaded bar 2. In this way it is possible to optimise the equal distribution of the load on each single skid 5 of the nuts 3 e 3'.

Advantageously, both the nuts 3 and 3' comprise a plurality of seats 6, which are also angularly distributed in a radial fashion, having as the centre the main axis of extension A of the threaded bar 2.

The seats 6 are designed to contain the skids 5.

Advantageously, both the skids 5 and the respective seats 6 are positioned angularly equally distributed on the nuts 3 e 3'.

In particular, each seat 6 corresponds to a respective skid 5 which, during operation of the handling system 1, is inserted and retained in the respective seat 6.

The skids 5 are held in the respective seats 6 by locking means, for example a threaded grub screw, not illustrated in the drawings.

The removal of the locking means allows the removal of the skids 5 from the respective seat 6.

Advantageously, the skids 5 can be removed with respect to the respective seats 6, which allows, for example, maintenance operations to be performed quickly and easily by simply extracting one or more skids 5 from the respective seats 6.

Advantageously, moreover, the seats 6 have a cylindrical shape and the skids 5 have a portion shaped to match a respective seat 6 for allowing at least an oscillation of the skids 5 relative to the nuts 3 and 3'.

The above-mentioned oscillation is due to a rotation of the skids 5 with respect to a relative C.

The axis C is perpendicular to the main axis of extension A of the threaded bar 2.

Advantageously, the axis C lies in a plane parallel to the plane in which the axis B of rotation of the motor- driven gear 300 is made.

The oscillation makes it possible to obtain an adjustment of the position of the skids 5, and in particular of the spheres 4 held inside them, with respect to the trend/inclination of the threads 21 and 21' of the bar 2.

The above-mentioned oscillation of each single skid 5 in the relative seat 6 allows automatic adaptation of the skid 5 to threaded bars 2 having different angles of inclination of the spiral (thread).

The advantage achieved is that a same skid 5 may be used on threaded bars 2 having different threads and/or different diameters.

The system 1 also comprises a deformable element 7 elastically interposed between the seats 6 and the respective skids 5.

According to the embodiment shown in Figure 3, the elastically deformable element 7 is positioned integral with a portion of each of the skids 5.

Alternatively, or in addition, the deformable element 7 is positioned integral with an inner surface of each of the seats 6 (this embodiment is not shown in the drawings).

Both solutions allow an effect of suspension and damping of the movement of the single skid 5 with respect to the relative seat 6 to be obtained.

This damping makes it possible to overcome, for example, any manufacturing defects of the threaded bar 2, for example in the case of bars 2 made by rolling, or bars added to increase the length, or any elastic deformations of the bar, or of the nuts 3 and 3', during operation.

The presence of a deformable element 7 for each single skid 5 makes it possible to obtain a secure distribution of the load to which the nuts 3 and 3' are subjected equally distributed on all the skids 5 and, therefore, on all the spheres 4.

With reference to Figure 4, each skid 5 comprises an internal channel 8 for housing and recirculating a plurality of the above-mentioned spheres 4.

In each of the nuts 3 and 3', the spheres 4 are designed to roll on the respective portions of thread 21 and 21' of the bar 2 and circulate inside the channel 8 of the respective skid 5.

This solution makes it possible to obtain an equal distribution of the loads on each single sphere 4 of a single skid 5 and, therefore, an equal "aging" of all the spheres 4 of a single skid 5.

Advantageously, as shown in Figure 5, each skid 5 comprises a retaining unit 10 configured to prevent the escape of the spheres 4 from the channel 8 when the skid 5 is extracted from the respective seat 6.

The retaining unit 10 has a first portion 30 shaped to match the profile of the respective thread 21, 21' and a second locking portion 31 adjacent to the first portion 30 and configured to affect the escape of the spheres 4 when the skid is extracted from the respective seat 6.

The element 10 therefore allows the skids 5 to be removed, individually, from the respective seats 6, without having to remove the threaded bar 2 from the system 1.

The locking portion 31 of the retaining unit 10 is shaped in such a way as to superpose an area greater than half the spheres 4 in such a way as to define an opening 32 made over an area less than half the area of the spheres 4.

This guarantees the retaining of the spheres 4 also when the runner 5 is extracted from the seats 6.

The skids 5 may also, individually, be removed from the respective seats 6 even when the nut 3 is under load.

This makes it possible to easily perform maintenance operations on the individual skids 5 without having to remove the nuts 3 and 3' from the threaded bar 2, which is an operation that would be very expensive since it would result in the stoppage of the entire handling system 1.

The skids 5 comprise two semi-portions which are joined to each other to form the body of the skid 5.

More in detail, the skid 5 comprises a lower portion 11 designed for centring with respect to the respective seat and an upper portion 12 designed to contain the recirculation channel 8 of the spheres 4. The two portions 11, 12 form a cylinder when coupled.

Figure 6 shows a view from below in cross section of a skid 5 which indicates a loading portion 20 (dashed line) of the spheres 4 when they are in contact with the respective thread 21 or 21' of the respective threaded bar 2 and transmit the load to it.

The loading portion 20 extends for a stretch of less than 180°.

The extension of the loading portion 20 less than 180° makes it possible to insert and remove, even in the loading condition, each individual skid 5 from the respective seat 6.

The removal and the insertion of each individual skid 5 is performed with a movement in a direction substantially perpendicular to the direction of extension of the threaded bar 2.

In particular, the shape of the recirculating channel 8 for the spheres 4 inside the skid 5 is such as to allow the spheres 4 under load, that is to say, those passing from the loading portion 20, and only them, to freely travel along reasonably different trajectories.

As shown in Figure 6, the spheres 4 under load can be positioned, when inside the portion 20, in at least two positions 20a, 20b (and all the multiple intermediate positions) of the channel 8.

Figure 6 also schematically illustrates a portion 22 which corresponds to the area where all the possible trajectories which can be followed by the spheres 4 of a single skid 5 lie.

Each trajectory travelled by the spheres 4 corresponds to a diameter of the threaded bar 2.

It is understood that when the diameter of the threaded bar 2 is varied, the diameter of the nuts 3 e 3' which can be coupled with it also varies.

The handling system 1 according to the invention achieves the preset aims and brings further important advantages. A first advantage of the handling system 1 according to the invention is that of providing a solution which is able to guarantee an excellent degree of safety of the system in its entirety. A further advantage of the handling system 1 according to the invention is that of providing a solution which is able to cancel out the horizontal component of the reaction generated by the roto-translation of the nut on the threaded bar, without the need for installations which adversely alter the appearance of the system.

A further advantage of the invention is that of providing a handling system which is able to cancel out the horizontal component of the reaction generated by the roto-translation of the nut on the threaded bar, without the need for installations which adversely alter the appearance of the system.

Another advantage of the invention is to provide a handling system which can allow the installation of a lifter/elevator freely in any position inside a room, without the need for lateral supports.

Another advantage of the invention is to provide a handling system which is simple and inexpensive to make.