An interconnected closed system of transport units connected to each other in a formation

Abstract

A closing system (4) for connecting two adjacent transport units (2) in a formation (1) for transporting goods is disclosed, the closing system (4) comprising an accordion-shaped element (5) which is constructed to vary its length along a longitudinal axis (A) of the formation (1) and comprises a central portion (5a) and a pair of outer portions (5b) placed on opposite sides relative to said axis (A), the thickness of the accordion-shaped element (5) decreasing from the central portion (5a) towards the outer portions (5b).

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This patent application claims the priority of European Patent Application No. 19208067.9 filed on August 11, 2019, and Italian Patent Application No. 102020000000310 filed on October 1, 2020, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. Technical Field

[0003] The present invention relates to a closed system, in particular to an interconnected closed system between transport units connected to each other in a formation. Background Art

[0004] The continuous expansion of the e-commerce market requires systems that can manage a very wide range of shipments. This requires the use of large-scale transportation systems that can safely transport even very small objects.

[0005] When the transport function is performed by individual load units along a "train" path in the system, during changes of direction, spaces of variable size and shape are created near the connections between the load units according to the curvature of the path.

[0006] The shape of the space varies in shape and size, for example between a rectangular shape (during the linear movement of the transport system) and a "V" shape (in the curved section), where the length of the rectangular shape is equal to the length of the loading unit and the width is equal to the physical distance between two adjacent loading units.

[0007] In this case, the amplitude angle depends on the radius of curvature of the transport train, the maximum distance between individual loaded units depends on the curvature angle and radius, the size of the units, the distance between the units at the point of minimum distance, and the minimum distance depends on the curvature radius, the size of the units (in practice, there is a minimum space to be ensured to prevent contact at the corners within the curve between two consecutive modules), and the closing system between the units used.

[0008] During transport, the transported object or parts of the transported object may find their way into this space for various reasons, such as due to possible faults or positioning errors during loading, instability of the object itself during transport / loading, or loss of part of its contents. Likewise, ropes or other connecting elements may find their way into this space.

[0009] In the case where the spaces between the loading units are not sufficiently closed, the above anomalies may lead to interlocking or even serious damage to the transport system and / or the transported objects.

[0010] Therefore, there is a need to provide a closing system that is configured to change its shape according to the shape assumed by the formation and thereby prevent dangerous insertion of cargo / objects between transport units.

[0011] Currently, solutions on the market generally consist of partially overlapping rigid "flaps" which do not adequately solve the problem because the flaps leave spaces at their ends that allow the intrusion of objects towards the basic mechanical parts of the system, with a high risk of interlocking.

[0012] In rare cases, complex "accordion" structures have been conceived, which occupy significant space in the curved parts of the path, thus forcing the system's radius of curvature to be wider. The complexity of these objects requires high production costs and long installation times.

[0013] Therefore, there is a need to prevent even small-sized objects from interlocking between adjacent transport units while allowing transport and distribution paths to be created with a radius of curvature that is as small as possible.

[0014] Examples of systems known in the art that suffer from the above-mentioned problems are however described in documents EP 3 205 518, WO 2017 / 025991, EA 003548, GB 698 839 or DE 102 38 673.

[0015] In particular, there is a need to solve the above technical problems in an economical and optimized manner. Summary of the Invention

[0016] The above mentioned problem is solved by a closing system for closing a space between adjacent transport units connected to each other as claimed in the appended claims.

[0017] Thanks to the claimed closed system, the single element allows limiting the space occupied in the curved parts of the path of the transport system in the phase of maximum compression, due to the variable thickness that decreases at the ends.

[0018] In this way, complete coverage of the space between the loading units is ensured, thereby eliminating potential interlocking points and allowing for minimum curvature radii in the path of the transport system. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] Further characteristics and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description given by way of non-limiting example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0020] Figure 1 is a schematic top view illustrating a formation of transport units connected to one another and provided with a closing system for closing a space between two adjacent vehicles according to the invention;

[0021] Figure 2 It is an example Figure 1 a perspective view of a portion of the formation; and

[0022] Figure 3 is an enlarged perspective view illustrating a portion of a closure system according to the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] Reference numeral 1 generally designates a formation comprising a plurality of mutually connected transport units 2. In particular, the transport units 2 may have any shape and be configured for transporting objects of any shape and size.

[0024] For this purpose, for example, Figure 2 By way of example, the transport unit 2 comprises a wall 3 defining a support surface configured to allow the accommodation of an object to be transported.

[0025] The transport units 2 are connected to each other by known and not illustrated connection means to define a formation, thereby defining a gap between a transport unit 2 and an adjacent transport unit.

[0026] Reference Figure 1 , this gap has a dimension along the longitudinal axis A of the formation equal to L; however, due to the radius of curvature of the path followed by the formation 1, this dimension may vary according to the path of the formation 1 itself, with a minimum dimension L min With maximum size L max Changes between.

[0027] The gap between each transport unit 2 and an adjacent transport unit is bridged by a corresponding closing system 4 , which is designed to prevent objects from being inserted between two transport units 2 or from exiting through the gap.

[0028] The closing system 4 is substantially elastic and can be compressed until the aforementioned minimum gap L is defined between the two transport units 2. min , or can be expanded to define the aforementioned maximum gap L between the two transport units 2 max .like Figure 2 As can be clearly seen in FIG, such minimum and maximum clearances are reached at the transverse ends of the closing system 4 relative to the longitudinal axis A of the formation 1 .

[0029] According to the invention, the closure system 4 comprises an accordion-shaped element 5 which is configured to expand or compress depending on a force applied to the accordion-shaped element along a longitudinal axis (in this case the longitudinal axis A) and is provided with a variable thickness along a further axis perpendicular to the first axis (in this case the transverse axis B perpendicular to the longitudinal axis A of the formation 1).

[0030] For more details, refer to Figure 3, the thickness varies between a maximum in a central portion 5a of the accordion-shaped element 5 and a minimum thickness in the outer portions 5b of the accordion-shaped element 5 , the outer portions being opposite to each other with respect to the longitudinal axis A.

[0031] Advantageously, the accordion-shaped element 5 is made in one piece, preferably of an elastic material, for example a polymeric material such as rubber, even better SBR rubber. Advantageously, the closure system 4 is also substantially planar, i.e., it extends much more along axes A and B than along the remaining axes.

[0032] according to Figure 3 In the illustrated exemplary embodiment described in this application, the central portion 5 a of the accordion-shaped element 5 defines a first corrugation profile 7 , and the outer portions each define a corresponding corrugation profile 8 .

[0033] In particular, the expression "corrugated profile" defines a profile having a shape provided along a second direction with an extension along a first direction that is periodically repeated, not necessarily having a shape of the curved or sinusoidal type.

[0034] Advantageously, the corrugated profiles 7 , 8 are continuous with one another and have a pitch and a variable amplitude depending on the type and size of the transport units 2 to be connected to one another.

[0035] In particular, according to the embodiment described, the corrugated profiles 7, 8 define their spacing along the longitudinal axis A, the corrugated profiles extend transversely along the axis B until they cover at least the entire width of the corresponding wall 3 of the transport unit 2 to which they are connected, and have an amplitude along a vertical axis C perpendicular to the axes A and B.

[0036] exist Figure 3 In the exemplary embodiment described, the corrugated profiles 7, 8 define curved end vertical portions and intermediate portions connecting the substantially flat vertical end portions. Figure 2 In the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 5 , the curved end portions are very small and the corrugated portion is generally defined by a central flat portion, thereby defining a corrugated portion that is generally triangular in shape along axis A.

[0037] Furthermore, the accordion-shaped element 5 may comprise a plurality of flanges 6 extending along the vertical axis C.

[0038] More particularly, a plurality of flanges 6 are carried by the central portion 5a, thus being connected to the corrugated profile, for example in the middle flat portion. Even more preferably, all flanges 6 extend along the axis C from one of the accordion systems 5.

[0039] Advantageously, the end flange 6 along the axis A may be configured to be fixed to a respective transport unit 2 ; for example, the end flange may be provided with holes or protrusions (not shown) to allow the end flange to be fixed to the transport unit 2 .

[0040] According to the principles of the present invention, the corrugated portion 8 of the outer portion 5b has a smaller thickness than the corrugated portion 7 of the central portion 5a. According to the above embodiment, the corrugated portions 7 and 8 are therefore joined together to compensate for the thickness difference.

[0041] Preferably, the corrugated portion 8 tapers starting from the central portion 5a as far as the transversely outermost portions of the end portions 5b. Advantageously, this taper follows a linear law.

[0042] The operation of the closed system 4 according to the invention is as follows, with reference to Figure 1 and Figure 2 .

[0043] In the straight path state, the closed system 4 is in a stationary state and connects two adjacent transport units 2 without changing its shape.

[0044] In the curved path state, the closed system 4 changes its shape to follow the trajectory of the formation 1. Therefore, the part closest to the center of the curvature radius tends to compress, while the part farthest from the center of the curvature radius tends to expand.

[0045] The advantages of the closing system 4 according to the invention are evident from the above.

[0046] In particular, the angle of curvature that the formation 1 can follow can be minimized, thereby reducing its deployment and therefore having lower costs. In particular, according to the standard dimensions of the transport units 2, a radius of curvature of the order of 2, 2.5 meters can be obtained.

[0047] By reducing the deployment of the formation 1 , the formation occupies a smaller planning area and can therefore also be used in environments with reduced useful surface.

[0048] The fact that the closure system 4 is a one-piece system made of a single material and preferably by molding allows to minimize its production costs and time. In addition, the closure system facilitates installation, maintenance and replacement between two transport units 2. Likewise, there are no metal elements at all.

[0049] Furthermore, the proposed system avoids objects from interlocking / falling out in the area between two adjacent transport units 2 .

[0050] Finally, it is clear that the advantages of the closing system 4 according to the invention may be achieved through modifications and variations without, however, departing from the scope of protection defined by the claims.

[0051] For example, it will be apparent that the illustrated embodiments may be implemented otherwise than as illustrated in the accompanying drawings and described in detail above.

[0052] For example, as described above, the corrugated profiles 7, 8 may change their shape, or the thickness reduction in the outer portion 5b may be different, or likewise the shaped profiles 7, 8 may have different spacing and amplitudes between the central portion 5a and the outer portion 5b.

[0053] Furthermore, some elements may be optional or replaced by functionally equivalent ones, such as in the case of the flange 6 , within the limits of the claims reported below.

Claims

1. A closing system (4) for connecting two adjacent transport units (2) in a formation (1) for transporting goods, the closing system (4) comprising an accordion-shaped element (5) configured to change its length along a longitudinal axis (A) of the formation (1), extending vertically along a vertical axis (C) and extending transversely along a transverse axis (B), the vertical axis (C) and the transverse axis (B) being perpendicular to the longitudinal axis (A), It is characterized by: The accordion-shaped element (5) comprises a central portion (5a) and a pair of outer portions (5b) placed on opposite sides relative to the longitudinal axis (A), the thickness of the outer portions (5b) decreasing from the central portion (5a) along the transverse axis (B) to the outer portions (5b) in a plane defined by the longitudinal axis (A) and the vertical axis (C).

2. The closed system according to claim 1, wherein: The thickness of the outer portion (5b) decreases linearly starting from the respective connection with the central portion (5a) until reaching a minimum value at the end of the outer portion (5b).

3. A closed system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The central portion (5a) and the outer portion (5b) each comprise a corrugated profile (7, 8).

4. The closed system according to claim 3, wherein: The corrugated profile (7, 8) comprises curved axial end portions and a flat middle portion.

5. The closed system of claim 3, wherein: The corrugated profile (7) of the central portion (5a) and the corrugated profile (8) of the outer portion (5b) are continuous with each other.

6. The closed system of claim 3, wherein: The corrugated profiles (7, 8) each define a corrugation defining a pitch along the longitudinal axis (A).

7. The closed system of claim 3, wherein: The central portion (5a) comprises a plurality of flanges (6) carried by the corrugated profile (7).

8. The closed system of claim 7, wherein: The flanges (6) are carried by the corrugated profile (7) such that the flanges are all arranged on the same side of the corrugated profile.

9. The closed system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The accordion-shaped element is produced in one piece.

10. The system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The accordion-shaped element is molded.

11. The system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The accordion-shaped element is made of rubber.

12. A formation (1) comprising a plurality of transport units (2) connected to one another, the formation (1) comprising a closed system (4) according to any one of the preceding claims, the closed system (4) being inserted between two transport units (2) adjacent to one another.

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