* * *

The present invention .relates to a conveyor device, particularly for transferring metal pieces coming off a hot-forging press.

The incandescent metal pieces that continuously come off a hot-forging press must be conveyed as far as an area of accumulation, in which there is usually located a collector bin. For said purpose, a conveyor device is used having an endless conveyor belt, a stretch of which forms a movable conveying surface that is substantially horizontal and with a rectilinear development. The movable conveying surface extends between the exit area of the pieces from the press and the area of accumulation, where the end of the conveyor projects above the collector bin. In this way, the forged pieces coming off the press feed the conveyor continuously and then fall by gravity first on the bottom of the bin, and then on top of one another.

The arrangement described above involves falling of the pieces in the collector bin from a certain height, which gives rise to dinges, deformations of edges, ovalizations, bending over of the burrs and other more or less important defects of the metal pieces, according to the weight of said pieces. Falling of the pieces from the conveyor moreover occurs always in a localized area, with the consequent formation of a heap within the collector bin. For said reason, in the course of operation of the press and of the conveyor, the pieces must be re¬ distributed .within the bin, by means of a hook-like tool. Said operation, in addition to rendering necessary the periodic manual intervention of an operator, may be the cause of further scratches or other surface defects of the forged pieces. Another drawback of the known art described previously is represented by the fact that operation of the conveyor must be periodically stopped to enable removal of the collector bin from the area of accumulation when said bin is filled up with forged pieces, and its replacement with an empty bin. After restarting of the conveyor, an operator must then see in some way to disposing of the pieces that have in the meantime accumulated on the conveyor, at output from the press.

Problems substantially similar to the ones mentioned above are encountered to a certain extent also in relation to the conveyance of cold metal pieces.

In its general terms, the purpose of the present invention is to solve one or more of the aforesaid drawbacks. According to the present invention, said purpose

is achieved thanks to a conveyor device having the characteristics referred to specifically in the annexed claims, which form an integral part of the descriptive content of the present application.

The invention will now be described, purely by way of non-limiting example, with reference to the annexed plate of drawings, in which:

- Figures 1 and 2 are schematic side views of a conveyor device according to the invention in a first operating condition and a second operating condition, respectively;

- Figure 3 is a schematic plan view of a conveyor device according to the invention, in two different possible operating conditions;

- Figures 4 and 5 are two schematic side views of a part of a conveyor device according to the invention, which are aimed at illustrating some of the internal components;

- Figure 6 is a detail of a conveyor belt used in the device according to the invention;

- Figure 7 is a schematic plan view of a part of a conveyor device built according to a possible advantageous variant of the invention;

- Figure 8 is a schematic side view of a part of a conveyor device built according to another possible advantageous variant of the invention. The idea underlying the present invention is to provide a conveyor in which the position of the respective conveying surface can be modified, preferably along a number of axes. For said purpose, in the preferred embodiment of the invention, the conveyor is able to perform various movements for the purposes of modifying the position of the respective conveying surface, and in particular at least: - a telescopic movement, referred to hereinafter also as movement according to the axis X, aimed at enabling the variation of axial length of the conveying surface, understood as distance between the point of pick-up and point of unloading of the pieces from the conveyor;

- a movement of transverse slewing, referred to hereinafter as movement according to the axis Y, via which the conveying surface can be moved about a substantially vertical axis so as to be able to maintain practically unchanged the point of pick-up of the pieces, varying, however, the angular position of the point of unloading of the pieces from the conveyor with respect to the pick-up point; and - a movement of inclination, referred to hereinafter as movement according

to the axis Z, via which the conveying surface can be moved angularly about a substantially horizontal axis so as to be able to maintain substantially unvaried the height of the point of pick-up of the pieces and vary the height of the unloading point. At the exit end of the conveying surface, there is preferably mounted an inclined chute, which, in a particularly advantageous embodiment of the invention, can undergo controlled angular movement according to an axis substantially orthogonal to the direction of conveyance of the pieces, referred to hereinafter as movement according to the axis W. Thanks to the movement according to the axis X and/or according to the axis Y, the conveyor of the invention is able to vary the position of the point of unloading of the pieces for the purpose of distributing them within a collector bin. In addition, thanks to the movement according to the axis Y, the conveyor is able to deposit the pieces in a bin set alongside the one that has just been filled, thus preventing times for cycle interruption, possibly enabling automatic replacement of the filled bin.

Thanks to the movement according to the axis Z, the conveyor of the invention is able to deposit the pieces in a collector bin, preventing them from falling from any great height, which might cause possible damage. Possibly, thanks to the movement according to the axis W, the conveyor is also able to direct the forged pieces rapidly and precisely in a well-defined area inside a respective bin.

Thanks to combined movements according to the axes X, Y, Z, and possibly W, the conveyor of the invention is able to distribute the forged pieces precisely within a respective collector bin, starting from the bottom and then creating superimposed "layers" of pieces, thus both preventing them from falling from any great height and preventing formation of a localized heap and consequent need for manual operations of re-distribution which are typical of the known art. The aforesaid combined movements also enable prevention of manual intervention by a person responsible for carrying out change of the full bin.

Illustrated in the attached figures is a possible embodiment of a conveyor device capable of carrying out the aforesaid movements.

With particular reference to Figures 1-3, number 1 designates as a whole a conveyor according to the invention. The conveyor 1 comprises a box-section metal base 2 having a plurality of legs. Four of said legs, two of which are visible

in the figures, designated by 3a, are provided at the bottom ends with respective wheels 3 a', possibly provided with a respective groove for movement on a rail of semicircular cross section 3a" fixed to the ground. The legs 3a are preferably of a lengthenable, i.e., telescopic type, designed, that is, to be slid within respective guides to enable adjustment of the position in height of the base 2 with respect to the ground. Clamping in the chosen position of the legs 3a can be obtained via metal pins. Further legs associated to the base 2, one of which is visible in the figures, designated by 3b, are set in a staggered position with respect to the legs 3a and are of an adjustable type, adjustment being carried out using a hand-wheel (not represented). The legs 3b are provided for purposes of stabilization and stop of the base 2. For this purpose, articulated to the bottom end of each legs 3b is a respective plate 3b' for resting on the ground.

Associated to the base 2, at its top, is a rotatable support 4, made of metal material, which has a substantially U-shaped cross section and comprises two parallel walls or shoulders 4a and a bottom wall 4b.

The reference number 5 designates a box-section guard made of metal material, having two parallel side walls, designated by 5 a. Each wall 5 a is hinged to a respective wall 4a of the support 4, in an area designated by 6. Hinging of the walls 5a to the walls 4a is obtained with means in themselves known, designated by 7, comprising for example pins and bearing-type supports.

The reference number 8 designates a mobile frame, associated in a slidable way to the guard 5, in order to provide therewith a supporting structure for an endless belt, designated by 9 in Figure 3, a stretch of which defines a mobile conveying surface for metal pieces coming from a hot-forging press, an unloading section of which is designated by P in Figure 3. The two end portions of the conveying surface hence provide a loading area and an exit area, designated respectively by IN and OUT in Figure 3.

Associated to the inner side of each wall 5a of the guard 5 are respective guide means, which co-operate with guide means associated to the outer side of a respective side wall 8a of the frame 8. The aforesaid guide means, represented only schematically and designated as a whole by 10 in Figures 1 and 2, can comprise telescopic guides, for example of the DTAS series or the like, marketed by the company ROLLON. Obviously, any other suitable known system of telescopic guides can be used for the purpose. From what has been said above, it may be appreciated how the frame 8 is able to slide with respect to the guard 5,

and hence move in a telescopic way according to an axis designated by X.

Mounted at the end of the frame 8 corresponding to the exit area OUT of the conveying surface is a supporting plate 11, which, in the case exemplified, has an overall circular shape and is fixed at the bottom to the frame 8. The plate 11 supports an inclined chute 12, downstream of the exit area of the conveyor belt 9. The chute 12, provided with side walls 12a, is devised for guiding the pieces coming off the conveying surface downwards, into a collector bin designated by C, which in the case exemplified is of the type referred to as wolfs mouth bin.

The support 4 is mounted on the base 2 so as to be able to move angularly about a substantially vertical axis, designated by Y in Figures 1-3, in order to enable the aforesaid movement of transverse slewing. For this purpose, mounted inside the base 2 is a first actuator assembly 13 of a type in itself known (for example, with electric motor-reducer), which, in the case exemplified, is pre¬ arranged for setting in rotation a vertical pin 14, connected with known means to the bottom wall 4b of the support 4, in the proximity of an edge of the latter. In the proximity of the opposite edge, associated to the bottom wall 4b is a seat for a ball 15, which rests upon a respective rolling surface 16 associated to the top surface of the base 2. As may be noted, the pin 14 and the ball 15 keep the wall 4b of the support slightly raised from the base 2. With said arrangement, actuation of the actuator assembly 13 determines rotation of the pin 14 and consequent angular movement about the axis Y of the rotatable support 4, supported and guided in its front part by the ball 15 that rolls on the plane 16. Figure 3 illustrates for this purpose two possible operative positions of the conveyor 1, that can be obtained via the movement of the rotatable support 4 about the axis Y. As maybe noted, in a first position (represented with a solid line), the conveyor 1 is positioned in such a way that the exit end of the conveying surface, formed by a respective stretch of the belt 9, together with the chute 12, is set in a position corresponding to a first collector bin C so as to enable the latter to be filled with the forged pieces. When the bin C is full, the actuator assembly 13 can be actuated to displace angularly the support 4, and hence the guard 5 with the frame 8, into the second position (represented only partially with a dashed line), in such a way that the exit end OUT of the conveying surface with the chute 12 is set in a position corresponding to a second bin, designated by C, so as to enable the latter to be filled. Passage between the two positions can be obtained rapidly, in an automatic way and with an interruption of just a few seconds of operation of the belt 9, such as not to bring

about a substantial accumulation of pieces coming off the press P onto the belt itself. It goes without saying that, following upon passage from the first position to the second position, the first bin C can be replaced with another empty bin.

It should be noted that, also following upon the movement of slewing or transverse rotation along the axis Y, the position of the loading area IN for loading of the pieces coming from the press P remains substantially unchanged, whilst the angular position of the exit area OUT and of the point of depositing of the pieces determined by the chute 12 varies.

The guard 5 can be moved angularly about a substantially horizontal axis, designated by Z in Figures 1-3, in order to provide the aforesaid movement of inclination. For said purpose, the wall bottom 4b of the support 4 carries a second actuator assembly, designated by 17, of a type in itself known (for example, with electric motor-reducer), which projects within an area S of the base open at the top and free from any encumbrance. The actuator assembly 17 is able to bring about, with modalities in themselves known, raising and lowering in a vertical direction of a rod 18, articulated to the bottom part of the guard 5, in an area close to the seat of the ball 15. With said arrangement actuation of the actuator assembly 17 brings about the vertical movement of the rod 18, and the consequent angular movement about the axis Z of the guard 5, which is hinged in its rear area, via the means 7, to the support 4. The movement along the axis Z does not necessarily involve any arrest of operation of the belt 9.

Figures 1 and 2 illustrate two possible operative positions of the conveyor 1, obtained following upon the movement of the' guard 5 with respect to the support 4, along the axis Z. In. the case of Figure 1, the conveying surface is substantially horizontal, in such a way that the chute 12 is set over the bin C. Through actuation of the actuator assembly 17, the rod 18 can be lowered vertically, in such a way as to vary the inclination of the conveying surface, as may be seen in Figure 2, in which said plane is inclined downwards, with the chute 12 that penetrates within the bin C, reaching almost the bottom thereof. In practical use, in order to fill a bin the conveyor 1 will be first positioned as in Figure 2, so that the pieces coming off the chute 12 are practically deposited on the bottom of the bin C, with a drop from a limited height, such as to prevent any damage thereto. Following upon progressive filling of the bin C, C, the conveying surface may be progressively raised towards the position of Figure 1, actuating the actuator assembly 17 so as to raise the rod 18 vertically, in order to

deposit the further pieces coming off the press on the ones already present in the bin C, limiting also in this case the distance of the fall. It is to be noted that, also following upon the movement of inclination according to the axis Z, or upon variation of the mclination of the conveying surface, the height of the point of pick-up of the pieces from the exit area P of the press remains substantially unvaried, whilst the height of the exit area OUT and of the depositing point, represented by the bottom end of the chute 12, is changed.

Ih the case exemplified, the movement of sliding of the frame 8 with respect to the guard 5, enabled via the telescopic guide means 10, is controlled via an actuator assembly 19 (for example, with electric motor-reducer), having an output shaft, on which two parallel pinions are fitted, one of which is designated by 20 in Figures 4 and 5 (note that in Figure 5 the actuator 19 has been omitted for reasons of clarity). Associated to the bottom part of the frame 8 are two lateral racks, one of which is designated by 21, which extend longitudinally and parallel to one another, and each of which is meshed with a respective pinion 20. As may be appreciated, according to the direction of actuation of the actuator 19, and hence to the direction of rotation of the pinions 20, it is possible to obtain sliding of the frame 8 in and out with respect to the guard 5, along the axis X, as may be seen from a comparison between Figures 4 and 5. In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the endless conveyor belt 9 is formed by a succession of metal bars, parallel to one another in a direction perpendicular to the direction of movement of the belt itself. Said bars, some of which are designated by 9a in Figure 3, are articulated to one another by means of two chains, one of which represented partially in Figures 4, 5 and 6, where it is designated by 22. As may be seen in particular from Figure 6, the chain 22 comprises a plurality of external links 22a alternating with internal links 22b, where each external link is articulated on opposite sides to two adjacent internal links by means of pins 22c. From Figure 6, it is also possible to note how the bars 9a have a substantially semi-cylindrical cross section, where the respective convex surface is to face outside the closed loop formed by the bars to provide the resting surface for the conveyed pieces. At its two longitudinal ends, each bar 9a has two blind holes 9b, inserted within each of which is a portion of a respective pin 22c that projects laterally from the links 22a of the chain 22.

The telescopic movement of the frame 8 with respect to the guard 5 determines a variation in the length of the portion of belt 9 that each time forms

the conveying surface. According to an important aspect of the invention, the conveyor device 1 is therefore provided with an arrangement designed to compensate for said variations in length of the conveying surface. As may be seen in Figures 4 and 5, the system of actuation of the belt 9 comprises: - a pair of motor-driven toothed wheels, one of which is designated by 30, which are parallel and coaxial with respect to one another, and are fitted on the output shaft of an actuator fixed to the guard 5, designated by 31 in Figures 1-3, for example, an actuator with electric motor-reducer (note that the actuator 31 has been omitted in Figures 4 and 5, for reasons of clarity); - a first pair of idle toothed wheels, one of which designated by 32, which are parallel and coaxial with respect to one another, and each of which is pivoted to a wall 8a of the frame 8, in the proximity of the end carrying the chute 11 (i.e., the exit area OUT);

- a second pair of idle toothed wheels, one of which designated by 33, which are parallel and coaxial with respect to one another, and each of which is pivoted to a wall 5 a of the guard 5, substantially in the area of articulation 6 thereof to the support 4 (i.e., the loading area IN);

- a third pair of idle toothed wheels, one of which designated by 34, which are parallel and coaxial with respect to one another, and each of which is pivoted to a wall 8a of the frame 8, substantially at the end opposite to the one at which the gears 32 are located; and

- two chain-tensioner assemblies, one of which designated by 35, of a type in itself known, each comprising two idle toothed wheels 35a in a fixed position and an elastically supported idle toothed wheel 35b. Each chain 22 is set so as to mesh on the various toothed wheels 30, 32-34, where the relative position between the wheels 30 and 34 is such that the stretch of chain engaged between them assumes a substantially S-shaped configuration.

As has been said, each wheel 30 is associated to the guard 5, whilst each wheel 34 is associated to the frame 8, so that the relative position between said wheels is variable according to the position assumed by the frame 8 with respect to the guard 5. In particular, in the condition of maximum extraction of the frame 8 from the guard 5, the wheels 30 and 34 are in the position closest to one another, whilst in the condition of maximum re-entry of the frame 8 into the guard 5, the wheels 30 and 34 are in the position most distant from one another. Thanks to the telescopic movement of the frame 8 with respect to the guard

5, which can be obtained in the ways described above, the distance between the toothed wheels 32 and 33 can then be varied between a maximum and a minimum, with a corresponding variation in the length of the conveying surface, i.e., of the part of the belt 9 that is to transfer the pieces coming off the press P. By means of the same movement of the frame 8 an inverse variation of the distance between the wheels 30 and 34 is obtained (i.e., when the wheels 32 and 33 approach one another, the wheels 30 and 34 move away from one another, and vice versa). In this way, the greater or smaller length of the portion of belt 9 that forms the conveying surface is compensated for, respectively, by the smaller or greater length of the stretches of chain 22 (and hence of the belt 9) that extend between the wheels 34 and 30, as may be appreciated from a comparison between Figures 4 and 5.

Operation of the conveyor device 1 according to the invention can be exemplified by assuming that in the area of accumulation of the pieces there are arranged two bins C and C adjacent to one another, as represented in Figure 3. Prior to start-up of the press, the assembly formed by the guard 5 and by the frame 8 is positioned. as may be seen in Figure 2, and hence with the chute 11 within the bin C.

The pieces unloaded from the press P arrive on the belt 9 and are thus conveyed as far as the chute 12, to be conveyed thereby onto the bottom of the bin C, with a minimal jump, such as to prevent any risk of dinges or other damage.

Exploiting the movement along the axis X and the movement about the axis Y, the position of the chute 12 within the bin C can be varied, so as to distribute the pieces over the entire bottom of the bin C, i.e., in the various areas represented schematically by the rectangles designated by R in Figure 3, without having to proceed to periodic manual interventions of distribution.

When the bottom of the bin C is entirely occupied by the pieces, the inclination of the conveying surface can be varied, exploiting the movement about the axis Z, in such a way that the chute 12 is in a more raised position with respect to the previous one so as to deposit the new pieces coming off the press on top of the ones already present in the bin C. Also said new pieces may be distributed by exploiting the movements according to the axes X and Y, as previously explained. The various steps of movement according to the axes X, Y and Z are then repeated so as to form superimposed "layers" of pieces in the bin C, until it is filled up. When the bin C is full, the guard 5-frame 8 assembly is brought into a

position of maximum raising, via movement about the axis Z, in which the chute 12 is set over the bin C, so as to prevent any risk of interference between the bottom end of the chute itself and the pieces of the uppermost layer present in the bin C. At this point, via movement about the axis Y, the conveyor 1 can be brought into the position shown dashed in Figure 3, in such a way that the conveying surface with the chute 12 is oriented in the direction of the bin C, which will be filled with pieces according to the modalities described above, exploiting the various movements according to the axes X, Y and Z. In the course of filling of the bin C, the full bin C may be emptied and replaced with a new empty collector bin.

The various movements described are managed in an appropriate way, according to the cadence of exit of the pieces from the press, the dimensions of the pieces themselves and of the bins C, C, as well as other possible parameters deemed important. For said purpose there is provided an appropriate programmable control unit, not represented, preferably of an electronic type, which supervises operation of the various actuators and controls the extent of the various movements according to the axes X, Y, Z via sensors of a type in itself known, such as encoders or the like. The various movements may be controlled in a timed way and/or following upon a detecting process performed using suitable sensors.

In a possible variant embodiment of the invention, the plate 11 is fixed, with the possibility of angular movement at the bottom wall of the frame 8, via means in themselves known, such as a ball-bearing coupling. Such a variant is illustrated schematically in Figures I ₅ 2 and 7. The system for obtaining the controlled angular movement of the plate 11 with respect to the axis designated by W in the figures referred to can be of any known type. Merely by way of example, for said purpose two linear chains may be provided, designated by 40 and 41 in Figure 7, each having a respective first end fixed to the plate 11. The second end of each chain 40, 41 is fixed to a corresponding gear pivoted to a respective wall 5a of the guard 5, said two gears being driven in opposite directions by means of a single actuator, designated by 42 in Figure 3, and known transmission means. The system of actuation of each linear chain 40, 41 can moreover comprise at least one idle wheel associated to the guard 5 and one idle toothed wheel associated to the frame 8, which have a function of compensation similar to the toothed wheels 30

and 34 described previously. With such an arrangement, one and the same actuation of the actuator 42 determines opposite directions of movement for the two linear chains 40, 41 (one is pulled and the other is pushed), with the consequent angular movement of the plate about the axis W, and hence of the chute 12, as exemplified in Figure 7. Given the possibility of angular movement of the plate 11, and hence of the chute 12, the side walls 12a of the latter are preferably variable-configuration ones, and here of a telescopic type, i.e., they can be varied in length. For said purpose, as indicated in Figure 1, each wall 12a can comprise a first stretch of wall 12a', provided with an internal cavity, in which there is at least partially inserted a second stretch of wall 12a". The stretch of wall 12a' is hinged, via a vertical pin 12b', to the frame 8, whilst the stretch of wall 12a" is hinged, via a vertical pin 12b", to the chute 12, in the proximity of its exit end. Ih this way, when the plate 11 is moved in a clockwise or couterclockwise direction (as shown dashed in Figure 7), a wall 12a is shortened, via partial insertion of its stretch 12a" into the cavity of the respective stretch 12a', whilst the other wall 12a is lengthened, via partial sliding-out of its stretch 12a" from the internal cavity of the respective stretch 12a'.

Is will be understood that thanks to the provision of the chute 12, which can be independently moved in a controllable way with respect to the frame 8, the conveyor device 1 according to the invention is able to direct the pieces rapidly and precisely into the various areas R of the collector bin C, without having necessarily to proceed to movements about the axis Y.

Obviously the modalities of production of the movable chute 12, of its variable-configuration walls 12a, of its actuation system, and the position of the axis W may vary, as required, with respect to what is exemplified herein. Represented schematically, for example, in Figure 8 is an embodiment in which fixed to the frame 8 is a fixed support 11", for instance having the shape of a plate, with a respective portion inclined downwards, on which there is articulated, for example via a ball bearing 11", the chute 12. As may be noted, in this case the axis W of rotation of the chute 12 is inclined, and preferably substantially perpendicular with respect to the plane of sliding of the pieces on the chute itself.

From the foregoing description both the characteristics of the present invention and its advantages are clearly evident. Amongst the latter, it is emphasized once more how the solution proposed enables both prevention of risks of damage to the pieces and elimination of the need for any manual interventions

of distribution of the pieces themselves, as well as any prolonged pauses in operation of the conveyor for the purposes of replacement of the collector bins. If need be, the conveyor device described herein can be used, with the same advantages, also for transferring cold metal pieces and the like. Of course, without prejudice to the principle of the invention, the details of implementation and the embodiments may vary widely with respect to what is described and illustrated herein, without thereby departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the ensuing claims.

Instead of via a motor-driven pin of the type previously designated by 14, the angular movement of the support 4 with respect to the base 2 could be obtained via a linear actuator, such as a hydraulic or electric jack, operatively set substantially in a horizontal position between the base and the support, with suitable means of articulation at its two ends. Ih this case, the pin for support and rotation of the support 4, which replaces the one designated by 14 in Figures 1 and 2, will not be motor-driven.