Conveying device and conveying system

Abstract

The present invention relates to a conveying device (1) for a permanent magnet assembly (72), characterized in that the conveying device (1) has a housing upper portion (2), the housing upper portion having a recess (82) starting from a lower surface (81), the recess being formed to accommodate a plate-shaped permanent magnet assembly (72), and at least one spacer (5) attached to the housing upper portion (2) is movable between a first functional position and a second functional position, the spacer defining a first distance (73) between the bottom surface (83) of the recess (82) and a support plane (75) for the housing upper portion (2) at the first functional position, and defining a second distance (74) between the bottom surface (83) of the recess (82) and the support plane (75) for the housing upper portion (2) at the second functional position, the second distance (74) being smaller than the first distance (73).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a conveying device for a permanent magnet assembly. Furthermore, the present invention relates to a conveying system having such a conveying device and a permanent magnet assembly.

Background Art

[0002] Permanent magnet assemblies are used in various technical fields and are thus sent by mail. To prevent undesirable external effects due to the magnetic field provided by the permanent magnet configuration, a short-circuit circuit that short-circuits the magnetic field provided by the permanent magnet assembly for transportation is provided in the permanent magnet assembly, or the permanent magnet assembly is packed in a transportation container that is significantly larger than the permanent magnet configuration in order to reduce the magnetic flux density spreading on the outer surface of the transportation container. In the case of using a short-circuit circuit, the removal of this short-circuit circuit from the permanent magnet assembly can be difficult when using permanent magnets with a high magnetic flux density, but a bulky transportation container usually results in an increase in transportation costs.

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0003] An object of the present invention is to provide a conveying device that enables a compact and transport-safe packaging of a permanent magnet device, and a conveying system having such a conveying device.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0004] This problem is solved by the fact that, in the case of the transport device of the type described at the beginning, the transport device comprises an upper housing portion, the upper housing portion comprises a recess that starts from the bottom surface, the recess is formed to accommodate a plate-shaped permanent magnet assembly, and at least one spacer is attached to the bottom surface of the upper housing portion so as to be movable between a first functional position and a second functional position, the spacer defines a first distance between the bottom surface of the recess and a support plane for the upper housing portion at the first functional position, and defines a second distance between the bottom surface of the recess and the support plane for the upper housing portion at the second functional position, the second distance being smaller than the first distance.

[0005] The challenge of at least one spacer is to easily adjust the distance between the plate-shaped permanent magnet assembly housed in a recess in the upper part of the housing and the support plane on which the upper part of the housing can be placed. This is based on the consideration that the magnetic field strength provided by the permanent magnet assembly and the force resulting from this magnetic field strength decrease exponentially with the distance between the permanent magnet assembly and the support plane, so that even if the permanent magnet assembly moves only slightly closer to the support plane, the magnetic field strength and the force resulting from the magnetic field strength, which is applied by the permanent magnet assembly to the flux conductors on the opposite side, particularly those constituting the support plane, increase significantly. Accordingly, it is advantageous that the upper part of the housing housing the permanent magnet assembly can be initially placed on the support plane such that, based on the presence of at least one spacer in a first functional position, the permanent magnet assembly has a greater distance from the support plane. In the next step, the upper part of the housing housing the permanent magnet assembly can be brought closer to the support plane, so that at least one spacer is moved from the first functional position to a second functional position.

[0006] An advantageous development of the present invention is the subject of the dependent claims.

[0007] It is desirable that at least one spacer is formed as a stand leg movably supported on the upper part of the housing, and that a blocking device is movably positioned on the upper part of the housing, and that this blocking device is formed in a blocking position for blocking at least one spacer in a first functional position and a release position for releasing at least one spacer to move to a second functional position. The challenge of the blocking device is to either fix at least one spacer in the first functional position or allow at least one spacer to move to the second functional position, depending on its position relative to the upper part of the housing. For this reason, the blocking device must be adapted by relying on the support of at least one spacer on the upper part of the housing.

[0008] Ideally, the block device could be designed such that the spacers, which are supported on the upper part of the housing in a linearly movable manner and formed as stand legs—with their linear motion axes aligned laterally with respect to the support plane of the upper part of the housing—have inclined planes, thereby allowing for linear displacement of the spacers / stand legs relative to the upper part of the housing as the block device moves relative to the housing between the block position and the release position.

[0009] It is advantageous that the block device is mounted movably, in particular pivotably, to the upper surface of the upper housing portion opposite to the lower surface of the upper housing portion, and has at least one release recess on the functional surface opposite to the upper surface of the upper housing portion, wherein in the block position, the release recess is positioned spaced apart from the attached spacer, and in the open position, it is positioned opposite to the attached spacer, in particular on the spacer. To move at least one spacer between the two functional positions, the block device can perform linear motion or a superposition of linear motion and pivot motion relative to the upper housing portion. It is particularly advantageous that the block device is mounted pivotably to the upper surface of the upper housing portion, and the pivot axis for the pivot motion of the block device relative to the upper housing portion is aligned parallel to the distance between the recess of the upper housing portion and the recess of the support plane. For example, the block device is formed in a plate shape, in particular as a parallel-plane plate, and in the block position, covers at least substantially, in particular completely, the upper surface of the upper housing portion. To move the block device from the blocked position to the released position, the operator can apply torque in opposite directions to the block device and the upper housing portion, thereby performing a pivotal movement of the block device relative to the upper housing portion. Additionally, to prevent unintended relative movement between the block device and the upper housing portion, it may be intended to form a locking coupling between the block device and the upper housing portion during manufacturing and / or in the released position. Particularly preferred is the intention to fix the block device in the blocked position by additional fastening, such as a screw coupling between the block device and the upper housing portion—which must be released before any relative movement of the block device relative to the housing portion.

[0010] When the block device is moved from the blocked position to the released position, the release recesses formed on the functional surface of the block device—which is opposite the upper surface / surface of the upper part of the housing—combine with the respective spacers. This allows for relative movement of the spacers with respect to the base of the upper part of the housing, which is prevented in the blocked position of the block device by the engagement between the functional surface of the block device and the spacers.

[0011] In an advanced form of the present invention, the spacer is intended to be pivotably positioned on the upper portion of the housing, and the pivot axis of the stand leg is positioned in an axial plane aligned parallel to the lower surface of the upper portion of the housing. For example, the longitudinal axis of the stand leg is intended to be aligned parallel to the distance between the bottom surface of the recess and the support plane in the first functional position, and to take an angle, particularly an acute angle, with respect to this distance in the second functional position. Within the range of such changes in the alignment of the longitudinal axis of the stand leg, the release of the permanent magnet assembly can also be caused by the pivoting motion of the spacer, along with the transition of the stand leg from the first functional position to the second functional position. For this purpose, the spacer may be intended to have a recess on the surface facing the permanent magnet assembly, and this recess is formed to regionally accommodate the permanent magnet assembly. Preferably, this recess is positioned and sized such that the permanent magnet assembly is fitted into the recess in the first functional position and released by the spacer in the second functional position. To ensure secure locking of the permanent magnet assembly in the first function, it is particularly advantageous that the block device is equipped with at least two, preferably three, and especially four, stand legs arranged at the same angular intervals with respect to the pivot axis of the block device.

[0012] In another embodiment of the present invention, the spacer comprises a first leg portion extending in the direction of the lower surface of the upper portion of the housing, starting from the pivot axis, and a second leg portion extending in the direction of the upper surface of the upper portion of the housing, wherein the second end face of the second leg portion opposite to the first leg portion is positioned below the upper surface of the upper portion of the housing in a first functional position, and the end face of the second leg portion opposite to the first leg portion intersects with or is positioned above a locking surface defined by the upper surface of the upper portion of the housing in a second functional position. In the first functional position for the spacer, the second end face is positioned below the upper surface of the upper portion of the housing, and therefore also below a locking surface defined by the upper surface of the upper portion of the housing, which also covers at least one spacer. The distance between the second end face and the locking surface can also be reduced, i.e., approached zero. The functional surface of the block device is positioned directly adjacent to the second end face, thereby preventing the pivoting motion of the spacer. Preferably, the second end face is intended to abut the functional surface of the block device in the block position of the block device. On the other hand, when the block device is moved from the block position to the release position, the release recess formed on the functional surface faces the spacer, and this release recess allows the stand leg to move relative to the upper part of the housing, because the second end face can be rotated inward, at least in a region, into the release recess. As a result, the spacer intersects with the locking surface of the upper part of the housing at the second end face, or is positioned on this locking surface.

[0013] Accordingly, it is intended that at least one open recess of the block device is formed to accommodate the second leg portion at least geographically.

[0014] It is desirable that the upper part of the housing be fitted with a trough-shaped lower housing portion formed to cover the recess in the upper part of the housing. The lower part of the housing increases the distance between the permanent magnet assembly housed in the upper part of the housing and the outer surface of the conveying device, thereby preventing the undesirable application of magnetic force to the outer surface of the conveying system.

[0015] In another embodiment of the present invention, the lower portion of the housing is intended to surround the upper portion of the housing geographically, and / or the lower portion of the housing has a magnetic flux conductor, preferably formed in the shape of a plate, which is positioned on the inner surface of the upper portion of the housing, and which is recessed to the functional position of the lower portion of the housing relative to the upper portion of the housing. For example, the lower portion of the housing surrounds the upper portion of the housing with an outer, at least partially annular rim, thereby preventing outward rotation of at least one stand leg. Furthermore, the rim can be adapted to the geometry of the block device so as to prevent relative movement of the block device with respect to the upper portion of the housing.

[0016] In an optional evolution of the present invention, it is intended that at least one spacer is formed as a plate, particularly as a parallel-plane plate, and is supported on the upper portion of the housing so as to be slidable parallel to a support plane for the upper portion of the housing.

[0017] The problem of the present invention is solved by a conveying system, according to a second aspect of the present invention, comprising a conveying device according to the present invention and a permanent magnet assembly formed in a plate shape and for housing in a recess in the upper part of a housing, wherein the permanent magnet assembly is composed of a plurality of permanent magnets arranged in a Halbach arrangement, particularly cube-shaped.

[0018] Advantageous embodiments of the present invention are illustrated in the drawings. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0019] [Figure 1] Perspective top view of a conveying device having a block device attached and an upper housing portion connected to the lower housing portion. [Figure 2] Perspective top view of the upper part of the housing where the block device is located. [Figure 3]Cross-sectional view of the upper part of the housing with the block device according to FIG. 2 [Figure 4] Perspective top view of the upper part of the housing with the block device in the release position, the permanent magnet assembly housed in the upper part of the housing, and the spacer formed as a stand leg in the upper part of the housing in the first functional position [Figure 5] Perspective top view according to FIG. 4 in which the spacer formed as a stand leg in the upper part of the housing is pivoted to the second functional position [Figure 6] Perspective top view of the upper part of the housing to which the spacer formed as a stand leg is attached

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0020] The conveying device 1 shown in FIG. 1 has an upper housing part 2, a block device 4 pivotally attached to the upper housing part 2, and a lower housing part 3.

[0021] The upper surface 21 of the block device 4, together with the lower surface 22 and side surfaces 23, 24, 25 and 26 of the lower housing part 3, defines the external shape of the conveying device 1. Purely by way of example, it can be said that the shape of the outer shell (not shown) surrounding the external shape of the conveying device 1 is substantially rectangular parallelepiped. For example, the lower housing part 3 is provided with a base plate (not shown) formed to have a purely exemplary square bottom surface, and side walls 27, 28, 29 and 30 protruding vertically upward from the base plate according to the figure of FIG. 1, and these side walls are joined to each other in the corner regions, and thus it is contemplated to form an annular rim that at least regionally surrounds the upper housing part 2 housing the block device 4.

[0022] Each of the side walls 27 to 30 is, purely by way of example, provided with substantially rectangular cutouts 31, 32, 33, 34, through which lateral access to the upper housing part 2 housed in the lower housing part 3 or the block device 4 attached to the upper housing part is possible.

[0023] A fixing screw 41, oriented transversely with respect to the first side surface 23, is screwed into the first side wall 27. This fixing screw penetrates completely through the first side wall 27 and engages with a hole 42 in the upper part of the housing 2, which is preferably designed as a screw hole. Preferably, such a fixing screw, which is not shown in the figure, is also provided on the third side wall 27 for engaging with the upper part 2 of the housing, so that it can be ensured that the lower part 3 of the housing is securely fixed to the upper part 2 of the housing during the conveyance execution of the conveyance device 1.

[0024] Furthermore, the inner surfaces 35, 36, 37 and 38 are arranged adjacent to, preferably in direct contact with, the blocking device 4, thereby preventing the rotation of the blocking device 4 about the rotation axis 6.

[0025] When the conveyance device 1 houses a permanent magnet assembly 72, which is schematically shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, the conveyance device 1 and the permanent magnet assembly 72 constitute a conveyance system 71. The permanent magnet assembly 72 may in particular be a plate-like assembly of a number of die-shaped permanent magnets 77, which are arranged in a Halbach array purely for illustrative purposes in view of their magnetic orientation. Furthermore, purely for illustrative purposes, the permanent magnets 77 are housed in a trough-shaped housing 78, which is made of a magnetic flux conductive material and is intended to promote the orientation of the magnetic field provided by the permanent magnets 77 vertically downwards according to the figures of FIGS. 3 to 5.

[0026] The permanent magnet assembly 72 is housed in a purely illustrative cuboid-shaped recess 82 of the upper part 2 of the housing, which extends from the lower surface 81 of the upper part 2 of the housing. Purely for illustrative purposes, it is intended that the permanent magnet assembly 72 abuts at least regionally against the bottom surface 83 of the recess 82 with the upper surface 79 of the housing 78.

[0027] In order to utilize the transport system 71 as intended, it is planned that, after a transport operation which may be carried out, for example, as the transport of the permanent magnet assembly 72 by mail between the first place of use and the second place of use, the permanent magnet assembly 72 will be removed from the transport device 1 at the second place of use.

[0028] To perform this removal operation, the first step involves removing at least one fixing screw 41 from the first side wall 28 of the lower housing portion 3, and removing the lower housing portion 3 along the rotation axis 6 from the upper housing portion 2 to which the block device 4 is attached.

[0029] This allows free access to the lower surface 76 of the permanent magnet assembly 72, which constitutes the magnetically active region of the permanent magnet assembly, as can be seen particularly in Figures 3-5. The permanent magnet assembly 2 is initially positioned at a first distance 73 from a support plane 75 defined by the components of the housing upper part 2, which are described in detail below, based on the configuration of the housing upper part 2 and the block device 4, as shown in Figure 2. The first distance 73 is sized to allow the user that the magnetic force provided by the permanent magnet assembly 72 lifts the housing upper part 2 containing the permanent magnet assembly 72 from a support (not shown in detail) whose surface is identical to the support plane 75, even if this support is manufactured from a magnetic flux-conducting material.

[0030] As can be seen from the diagram in Figure 6, the spacers 5 are formed purely illustrative and identically, so the following description of one of the spacers 5 is also valid for all the other spacers 5.

[0031] The spacer 5 is formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, and the longitudinal axis 11 of the spacer 5 is aligned parallel to the longest end 12 of the spacer 5. The spacer 5 is provided with a joint pin 15, which defines a joint axis 19 aligned laterally with respect to the longitudinal axis 11. As shown in Figure 6, the spacer 5 is aligned laterally with respect to the longitudinal axis 11 and is divided into a first leg portion 13 and a second leg portion 14 by a separating plane 20 that includes the joint axis 19. As shown in Figure 6, the first leg portion 13 extends vertically below the separating plane 20. As shown in Figure 6, the second leg portion 14 extends vertically above the separating plane 20. Purely illustrative, the outer surface 51 of the spacer 5 is formed flat. The inner surface 52 of the spacer 5 is provided with a groove-shaped recess 53, which extends along the joint axis 19 with a certain contour and is formed to accommodate the peripheral region of the permanent magnet assembly 72, as shown in Figures 3 and 4.

[0032] On the opposite side of the joint pin 15, the first end face 16 of the first leg portion 13, which faces substantially downward as shown in Figure 6, is aligned at an unspecified acute angle with respect to the longitudinal axis 11. On the opposite side of the swivel pin 15, the second end face 17 of the second leg portion 14, which faces substantially upward as shown in Figure 6, is aligned laterally with respect to the longitudinal axis 11, purely illustratively.

[0033] In the base 8 of the upper housing portion 2, a total of eight recesses 54 are formed on the outer surface 56, purely illustrative in nature, and their contours substantially coincide with the contours of the spacer 5. Accordingly, the spacer 5 can be positioned flush with the base 8 of the upper housing portion 2 in a first functional position, as shown in Figure 6. Each recess 54 is provided with a pin housing portion 55, which is formed to accommodate the joint pins 15 of the spacer 5, and allows the rotational movement of each spacer 5 around its respective joint axis 19.

[0034] As shown in Figure 6, when the spacer 5 is in the first functional position, the second end face 17 is contained within a locking surface 18 that is purely exemplary and flat, defined by the surface 7 of the upper portion 2 of the housing. As shown in Figure 5, when the spacer 5 pivots around the joint axis 19, the second end face 17 intersects with the locking surface 18. The functional surface 9 of the block device 5 rests at least almost directly on the surface 7 of the upper portion 2 of the housing, so pivoting motion of the spacer 5 around each joint axis 19 is prevented in the block position of the block device 4, because the second end face 17 abuts against the functional surface 9, thereby ensuring a fitted lock between the block device 4 and the spacer 5.

[0035] In order to release the permanent magnet assembly 72 located in the upper part 2 of the housing, the next step is to remove the fixing screw 43, which is screwed laterally into the block device 4 against the upper surface 21 of the block device 4 and engages with a corresponding hole 44 formed in the upper part 2 of the housing, specifically as a screw hole. This fixing screw 43 prevents rotational relative motion between the block device 4 and the upper part 2 of the housing about the rotation axis 6.

[0036] After removing the fixing screws 43, the block device 4 can be rotated around the rotation axis 6 relative to the upper housing portion 2. The rotation axis 6 is defined by a cylindrical joint bolt 61 that can be screwed into a hole 62 in the surface 7 of the upper housing portion 2, and a corresponding recess 63 formed in the block device 4. As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the block device 4 rotates counterclockwise relative to the upper housing portion 2. This rotational movement moves the block device 4 from the blocked position to the released position. The released recess 10, formed as a recess in the functional surface 9 of the block device 4, overlaps with the spacer 5, thereby allowing these spacers to pivot from the first functional position shown in Figure 6 to the second functional position shown in Figure 5. This pivoting movement brings the permanent magnet assembly 72 closer to the support surface 75 until it reaches a second distance 74. Furthermore, the rotational movement of the spacer 5 increases the distance between the inner surface 52 of the spacer 5 and the permanent magnet assembly 72, thereby releasing the interlocking connection between the spacer 5 and the permanent magnet assembly 72 and freeing the permanent magnet assembly 72.

[0037] The aforementioned procedure for releasing the permanent magnet assembly 72 is of particular interest when the permanent magnet assembly 72 is provided for use with a superconductor (not shown) – this superconductor is housed in a cryostat (not shown). For example, it is intended that the upper housing portion 2 housing the permanent magnet assembly 72 is initially placed on the surface of a cryostat (not shown) housing a superconductor at a temperature above the material's intrinsic transition temperature. The blocking device 4 is initially in the blocking position, thereby causing the permanent magnet assembly 72 to take a first distance 73 from the support surface 75. Next, the superconductor is cooled to a temperature below the material's intrinsic transition temperature, and the superconductor is exposed to the magnetic field provided by the permanent magnet assembly 72. This causes a kind of accumulation of this magnetic field in the superconductor, which is also called "pinning". Next, the device is moved from the blocking position to the release position in order to bring the permanent magnet assembly 72 closer to the support surface 75, and to release the permanent magnet assembly 72 as well. Based on the magnetic interaction between the permanent magnet assembly 72 and the superconductor (not shown), the permanent magnet assembly 72, after being released by the upper housing portion 2, takes a levitation position relative to the superconductor (not shown), for example.

Claims

1. A conveying device (1) for a permanent magnet assembly (72), comprising a housing upper portion (2), the housing upper portion having a recess (82) starting from a lower surface (81), the recess being formed to accommodate a plate-shaped permanent magnet assembly (72), and at least one spacer (5) being attached to the housing upper portion (2) so as to be movable between a first functional position and a second functional position, wherein the spacer defines a first distance (73) between the bottom surface (83) of the recess (82) and a support plane (75) for the housing upper portion (2) at the first functional position, and defines a second distance (74) between the bottom surface (83) of the recess (82) and the support plane (75) for the housing upper portion (2) at the second functional position, the second distance (74) being smaller than the first distance (73).

2. The conveying device (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that at least one spacer (5) is formed as a spacer movably supported on the upper portion (2) of the housing, and a blocking device (4) is movably positioned on the upper portion (2) of the housing, and the blocking device is formed in a blocking position for blocking at least one spacer (5) in a first functional position and a release position for releasing at least one spacer (5) to move to a second functional position.

3. The conveying device (1) according to claim 2, characterized in that the block device (5) is movably, in particular pivotally, attached to the upper surface (7) of the upper housing portion (2) opposite to the lower surface (81) of the upper housing portion (2), and the functional surface (9) of the upper housing portion (2) opposite to the upper surface (7) has at least one release recess (10), the release recess being positioned spaced apart from the attached spacer (5) in the block position, and positioned on the opposite side of the attached spacer (5), in particular on the spacer (5), in the open position.

4. The conveying device (1) according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that a spacer (5) is positioned on the upper part (2) of the housing so as to be rotatable, and the pivot axis (19) of the spacer (5) is positioned in an axial plane aligned parallel to the lower surface (81) of the upper part (2) of the housing.

5. The conveying device (1) according to claim 2, 3, or 4, characterized in that the spacer (5) comprises a first leg portion (13) that extends in the direction of the lower surface (81) of the upper housing portion (2) starting from the pivot axis (19), and a second leg portion (14) that extends in the direction of the upper surface (7) of the upper housing portion (2) starting from the pivot axis (19), wherein the second end face (17) of the second leg portion (14) opposite to the first leg portion (13) is positioned below the upper surface (7) of the upper housing portion (2) in the first functional position, and the second end face (17) of the second leg portion (14) opposite to the first leg portion (13) intersects with or is positioned above a locking surface (18) defined by the upper surface (7) of the upper housing portion (2) in the second functional position.

6. The conveying device (1) according to claim 5, characterized in that at least one open recess (10) of the block device (4) is formed to accommodate at least a region of the second leg portion (14).

7. A conveying device (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that a trough-shaped lower housing portion (3) formed to cover a recess (82) of the upper housing portion (2) is attached to the upper housing portion (2).

8. The transport device (1) according to claim 7, characterized in that the lower housing portion (3) surrounds the upper housing portion (2) in a region, and / or the lower housing portion (3) has a magnetic flux conductor preferably formed in the shape of a plate, the magnetic flux conductor is arranged on the inner surface of the upper housing portion, and this inner surface faces a recess at the functional position of the lower housing portion relative to the upper housing portion.

9. The conveying device according to claim 1, characterized in that at least one spacer is formed as a plate, particularly as a parallel planar plate, and is supported on the upper portion of the housing so as to be slidable parallel to a support plane for the upper portion of the housing.

10. A transport system (71) comprising a transport device (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 9, and a permanent magnet assembly (72) formed in the shape of a plate and for housing in a recess (82) of the upper part (2) of the housing, wherein the permanent magnet assembly (72) is composed of a plurality of permanent magnets (77) arranged in a Halbach arrangement, particularly cube-shaped.

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