Conveyor system with means for generating electricity

Abstract

The invention relates to a conveyor system (1) having a slide (2) and a device (3) for generating electricity, in which the slide (2) comprises a sliding surface (4) configured to transport a single piece of goods (5) by sliding downward from a starting point (A) to an end point (B) arranged below the starting point (A) in the horizontal direction, the device (3) for generating electricity comprises at least one rotatable drive roller (6) arranged in the plane of the sliding surface (4) and a generator (7) comprising a flywheel (8) connectable to the at least one rotatable drive roller (6), the at least one drive roller (6) being connected to the flywheel (8) in an active state and the at least one drive roller (6) being connected to the flywheel (8) in an inactive state. The at least one drive roller (6) is disconnected from the flywheel (8). In this way, a means is provided for converting the kinetic energy of a single piece of goods sliding down the slideway into electrical energy for efficient use.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a conveyor system having a slide and a device for generating electricity, wherein the slide comprises a sliding surface configured to transport a single piece of cargo by sliding downward from a starting point to an end point arranged horizontally lower than the starting point. Background Art

[0002] Conveyor systems are often used as conveying equipment for the smooth transportation or transfer of single-piece goods in logistics, warehouses or factories. If the height difference during transportation or transfer is to be overcome, a slide is used, on which the single-piece goods slide down from a higher starting point to a lower end point. The focus is on economical, safe and smooth transportation of single-piece goods from incoming goods to outgoing goods.

[0003] A slide is a driveless conveying element for space-saving vertical transport. The piece of freight is moved only by gravity. The weight of the piece of freight is thus converted into kinetic energy with the aid of the slide. When the piece of freight reaches the end of the slide, it rebounds and the kinetic energy suddenly disappears.

[0004] The devices or methods known from the prior art do not yet allow this kinetic energy to be captured and used in the form of electrical energy. Summary of the invention

[0005] The object of the present invention is to provide a means of converting the kinetic energy of a piece of cargo sliding down a slide into electrical energy for efficient use.

[0006] This object is achieved by a conveyor system.Preferred embodiments are described below.

[0007] Therefore, according to the present invention, a conveyor system having a slide and a device for generating electricity is provided. The slide comprises a sliding surface configured to transport a single piece of cargo by sliding downward from a starting point to a terminal arranged horizontally below the starting point, and the device for generating electricity comprises at least one rotatable drive roller arranged in the plane of the sliding surface and a generator comprising a flywheel connectable to the at least one rotatable drive roller, wherein in an active state, the at least one drive roller is connected to the flywheel, and in an inactive state, the at least one drive roller is disconnected from the flywheel.

[0008] In the present context, a "slide" is understood to be any kind of slope suitable for a piece of goods to slide down. The sliding surface can in particular be a flat and / or planar surface. Alternatively, the sliding surface can in particular be part of a roller conveyor. In this case, the sliding surface comprises rollers for transporting the piece of goods.

[0009] In this context, a "flywheel" is understood to be a mechanical device that uses the conservation of angular momentum to store rotational energy; the form of kinetic energy is proportional to the product of the moment of inertia and the square of the rotational speed. In particular, assuming that the moment of inertia of the flywheel is constant, for example, the flywheel has a fixed mass and a second moment of area about a fixed axis, the stored rotational energy is directly related to the square of the rotational speed of the flywheel.

[0010] In the present context, a "generator" is understood to be, in particular, a device which converts motion-based power, in particular potential energy and kinetic energy, into electrical power for use in an external circuit.

[0011] Therefore, continued rotation of the flywheel allows the generator to operate more efficiently and generate electricity for a longer period of time.

[0012] Therefore, a key point of the present invention is that the drive rollers are arranged in a sliding surface in the same plane so that the sliding piece of cargo slides on the drive rollers. In the active state, the drive rollers are connected to a flywheel, which is connected to a generator, so that the sliding piece of cargo causes the drive rollers to rotate. The rotating drive roller drives the flywheel connected to the generator, which generates electricity through the movement of the flywheel. Another key point of the present invention is that in the inactive state, the flywheel and the drive roller are disconnected from each other so that the flywheel can continue to rotate freely without the stationary drive roller slowing down the flywheel.

[0013] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the conveyor system further comprises a monitoring unit, which is configured to detect a single piece of goods sliding down the sliding surface. The monitoring unit particularly comprises a camera and / or a motion sensor and / or a weight sensor. In the case of detecting a single piece of goods sliding down the slide, the conveyor system can be switched from an inactive state to an active state so that the drive roller and the flywheel can be prepared for the single piece of goods to arrive. Once the single piece of goods has passed through the drive roller, the conveyor system can be switched to an inactive mode so that the flywheel can continue to rotate without being connected to the drive roller. Alternatively, the conveyor system preferably includes a mechanical mechanism that directly or indirectly connects the drive roller to the flywheel. The mechanism can be, for example, an interlocking of the drive roller triggered by the weight of the package when sliding down, or a freewheel sprocket that separates the rotation of the drive roller from the flywheel.

[0014] In material handling, the chute is divided into a spiral chute, a conveying chute, a box chute, a buffer terminal, a small sorting terminal, and / or a gravity roller chute in particular. The drive roller can be integrated in particular in any type of chute. According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the sliding surface comprises a plurality of rollers. A plurality of rollers form a gravity roller conveyor, which serves as an entire chute for horizontally transporting a single piece of cargo at a slight incline. Moreover, in addition to conventional chutes and terminals, gravity roller conveyors can be used in particular as feed elements or discharge elements. At the end of a transport line, they can also be used as a buffer line. Preferably, some of the plurality of rollers can be combined to construct a plurality of drive rollers. The more rollers that are connected to a flywheel as drive rollers, the more kinetic energy that can drive the flywheel, and therefore the more kinetic energy that can be converted into electrical energy. Therefore, the efficiency of the device for generating electricity can be improved as a whole.

[0015] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the generator comprises a DC generator or an AC generator.

[0016] A DC generator is a generator that uses a commutator to produce direct current. A motor generator uses a rotating coil of wire and a magnetic field to convert mechanical rotation into a pulsed DC current via Faraday's law of induction. The generator consists of a fixed structure that provides a constant magnetic field (called a stator) and a set of rotating windings that turn within that field (called an armature). Due to Faraday's law of induction, the movement of the wire within the magnetic field produces an electromotive force that pushes electrons in the metal, thereby producing an electric current in the wire. On small machines, the constant magnetic field may be provided by one or more permanent magnets; larger machines have a constant magnetic field provided by one or more electromagnets (usually called field coils).

[0017] An alternator is a generator that converts mechanical energy into electrical energy in the form of alternating current. For reasons of cost and simplicity, alternators in particular use a rotating magnetic field with a fixed armature. Alternatively, a linear alternator or a rotating armature with a fixed magnetic field is used. A conductor moving relative to the magnetic field generates an electromotive force in it. When the electromotive force moves under magnetic poles of opposite polarity, the electromotive force reverses its polarity. Typically, a rotating magnet (called a rotor) turns inside a fixed set of conductors (called a stator), which are wound into coils on an iron core. When the mechanical input causes the rotor to rotate, the magnetic field passes through the conductors, generating an induced electromotive force.

[0018] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the flywheel is arranged in a plane different from the plane of the sliding surface. Specifically, the flywheel is arranged below the sliding surface in the horizontal direction and can be easily connected to the drive roller by lifting the flywheel or a connecting element. According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the flywheel and at least one drive roller can be connected via a movable gear transmission system, in particular a movable spur gear transmission system or a movable ring gear transmission system. A spur gear transmission is a gearbox with spur gears on parallel axes. Preferably, the movement between the drive roller and the gearbox is performed by a belt transmission or a gear. The movement between the gearbox and the flywheel is performed by a gear. The simplest design is a single-stage spur gear unit with two shafts, with a gear positioned on each shaft. Multi-stage gears can be formed by adding more gears and intermediate shafts. Their advantage is that they are relatively simple designs because few moving parts are used and it is easy to manufacture externally toothed spur gears. Ring gear transmission systems (for example in planetary gears or worm gears or bevel gears) include wheels rotating on a rotation axis, which run around a central wheel, similar to the movement of planets around the sun. The ring gear system is characterized by a compact design and at the same time a high efficiency due to the simultaneous transmission of several torques. The spur gear system or the ring gear system can be moved, in particular lifted, so that a connection can be established between the gear system and the drive roller. As soon as the gear system and the drive roller are in contact with each other, the rotation of the drive roller drives the gear system, which drives the flywheel.

[0019] According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the conveyor system further comprises a control unit for controlling a flywheel, wherein, in an active state, the rotation speed of at least one rotatable drive roller can be controlled via the flywheel. In addition to the generation of energy, the speed and / or positioning of the piece of goods sliding down the slide can also be influenced by the at least one drive roller and the flywheel, respectively. In particular, the control unit connects the drive roller to the flywheel, in particular in such a way that the piece of goods is decelerated and / or a desired movement mode and / or movement direction is achieved.

[0020] Specifically, the control unit includes a programmable microcontroller, such as Arduino. "Arduino" is an Italian open source hardware and software company, project and user community that designs and manufactures single-board microcontrollers and microcontroller kits for building digital devices. Its hardware products are licensed under the CC BY-SA license, while the software is licensed under the GNU Lesser General Public License (LGPL) or the GNU General Public License (GPL), which allows anyone to manufacture Arduino boards and distribute software. Arduino board designs use a variety of microprocessors and controllers. These boards are equipped with multiple sets of digital and analog input / output (I / O) pins that can be connected to various expansion boards ("shields") or breadboards (for prototyping) and other circuit interfaces. These boards are characterized by serial communication interfaces, including some models of universal serial bus (USB), which are also used to load programs. The microcontroller can be programmed using C and C++ programming languages, using a standard API (also known as the Arduino programming language), which is inspired by the Processing language and used with a modified version of the Processing IDE (Processing IDE). In addition to using a traditional compiler toolchain, the Arduino project also provides an integrated development environment (IDE) and command-line tools developed in Go.

[0021] According to the present invention, there is further provided a method for generating electricity using a conveyor system having a slide and a device for generating electricity, wherein the slide comprises: a sliding surface configured to transport a single piece of cargo by sliding downward from a starting point to an end point arranged horizontally lower than the starting point; and a monitoring unit configured to detect the single piece of cargo sliding down the sliding surface, and

[0022] The device for generating electricity comprises at least one rotatable drive roller arranged in the plane of the sliding surface and a generator comprising a flywheel connectable to the at least one rotatable drive roller, wherein in an active state the at least one drive roller is connected to the flywheel and in an inactive state the at least one drive roller is disconnected from the flywheel. The method comprises the following steps:

[0023] - detect if a single piece of cargo has slipped down a sliding surface,

[0024] - if a single piece of goods slides down the sliding surface, at least one drive roller is connected to the flywheel, and

[0025] - If no single piece of cargo slides down the sliding surface, at least one drive roller is disconnected from the flywheel.

[0026] In this context, “detection” may be understood as active measurement, for example by means of a camera or a sensor, or as passive recognition, for example because a mechanism is activated as a result of a piece of goods sliding down.

[0027] Therefore, in this context, "connect" and "disconnect" may be understood as actively connecting or disconnecting, such as by electrical mechanisms, or as passively connecting or disconnecting, such as by mechanical mechanisms.

[0028] The key point of the invention is therefore that the drive roller is connected to the flywheel only when the piece of cargo slides down the slideway, the sliding surface, respectively. The sliding piece of cargo is essential for power generation. However, if no piece of cargo slides down the sliding surface, the connection between the non-rotating drive roller and the flywheel is counterproductive, because the stationary drive roller slows down the flywheel. Therefore, the flywheel is disconnected when not in use and / or between two sliding pieces of cargo, so that the flywheel can continue to rotate without moving the drive roller.

[0029] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the method further comprises the following method steps:

[0030] - Controlling the rotational speed of at least one drive roller via a flywheel.

[0031] - In addition to generating energy, the speed and / or positioning of the piece of cargo sliding down the slide can be controlled by at least one drive roller connected to the flywheel. The piece of cargo can be slowed down and / or can be moved in a desired direction.

[0032] According to the present invention, the above-mentioned conveyor system is used in logistics to generate electricity using individual pieces of cargo sliding down a slide. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0033] Hereinafter, the present invention will be further described in detail with reference to preferred embodiments in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. In the accompanying drawings,

[0034] Figure 1 : A conveyor system of a preferred embodiment of the present invention is schematically depicted in a three-dimensional diagram,

[0035] Figure 2a : A device for generating energy according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention is schematically depicted in a three-dimensional diagram,

[0036] Figure 2b : The front view schematically depicts Figure 2a The device for generating energy shown in

[0037] Figure 3 : The process of the method of the preferred embodiment of the present invention is schematically depicted in a flow chart.

[0038] The reference numerals are described as follows:

[0039] 1: Conveyor system

[0040] 2: Slide

[0041] 3: Device for generating electricity

[0042] 4: Sliding surface

[0043] 5: Single piece of cargo

[0044] 6: Driving roller

[0045] 7: Generator

[0046] 8: Flywheel

[0047] 9: Roller

[0048] 10: Gear transmission system

[0049] 11: Monitoring unit

[0050] 12: Control unit

[0051] A: Starting point

[0052] B: End DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0053] Figure 1 A conveyor system 1 according to a preferred embodiment of the invention is shown in a perspective view. The conveyor system 1 comprises a slide 2 for sliding a piece of cargo 5 from a starting point A downwards to a lower end point B. The piece of cargo 5 moves due to gravity. The sliding surface 4 of the slide 2 comprises rollers 9. One of the rollers is a drive roller 6 which can be connected to a flywheel (not shown). The entire device 3 for generating electricity is shown in a simplified representation. The slide 2 further comprises a monitoring unit 11 for detecting whether the piece of cargo 5 has slid down the slide 2.

[0054] Figure 2a and Figure 2b The device 3 for generating electricity is shown in more detail in FIG.

[0055] Figure 2a The device 3 for generating energy according to a preferred embodiment of the invention is shown in a perspective view. The individual pieces of goods 5 slide on rollers 9 and also on drive rollers 6. The drive rollers 6 can be connected to a flywheel 8 arranged below the drive rollers 6. Figure 2a The inactive state is shown. The drive roller 6 and the flywheel 8 are disconnected. For power generation, the flywheel 8 is connected to a generator 7. In the opposite direction, the drive roller 6 can be controlled via the control unit 12 controlling the flywheel, so that the sliding down single piece of cargo 5 can be slowed down or can be moved in a specific direction.

[0056] Figure 2b The device 3 for generating electricity is shown in a front view. It is shown that the flywheel 8 and its gear system 10 can be easily connected to the drive roller 6 by lifting the gear system 10 upwards so that the gear system 10 driving the flywheel contacts the drive roller 6. If a piece of cargo 5 slides down the sliding surface 4, the drive roller 6 will rotate and drive the gear system 10, which drives the flywheel 8. The flywheel 8 is designed to rotate with high efficiency and drive the generator 7 to generate electrical energy. The kinetic energy of the sliding piece of cargo 5 can thus be converted into electrical energy.

[0057] Figure 3 The method for generating electricity is shown in a flow chart. In a first step, the sliding surface is monitored. If a sliding piece 5 is detected or expected due to the processing data, the drive roller will be connected to the flywheel, so that the rotating drive roller can drive the flywheel. The device 3 for generating electricity is then active. If no sliding piece 5 is detected or expected between two sliding pieces 5, for example, the drive roller 6 will be disconnected from the flywheel 8. The device 3 for generating electricity is then inactive and the flywheel 8 can rotate freely without being slowed down by the stationary drive roller 6. In this way, the flywheel 8 is connected to the drive roller only when the drive roller is actually driven, so that the flywheel 8 can rotate and operate with increased efficiency.

Claims

1. A conveyor system (1) having a slideway (2) and a device (3) for generating electricity, wherein: The slideway (2) comprises a sliding surface (4) configured to transport a single piece of cargo (5) by sliding downward from a starting point (A) to an end point (B) arranged horizontally lower than the starting point (A), and The device (3) for generating electricity comprises at least one rotatable drive roller (6) arranged in the plane of the sliding surface (4) and a generator (7), the generator comprising a flywheel (8) connectable to the at least one rotatable drive roller (6), wherein: In the active state, the at least one drive roller (6) is connected to the flywheel (8), and In an inactive state, the at least one drive roller (6) is disconnected from the flywheel (8).

2. The conveyor system (1) according to claim 1, further comprising a monitoring unit (11) configured to detect a single piece of goods (5) sliding down the sliding surface (4).

3. The conveyor system (1) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The sliding surface (4) comprises a plurality of rollers (9).

4. The conveyor system (1) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein: The generator (7) comprises a DC generator or an AC generator.

5. The conveyor system (1) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein: The flywheel (8) is arranged in a plane different from the plane of the sliding surface (4).

6. The conveyor system (1) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein: The flywheel (8) and the at least one drive roller (6) can be connected via a movable gear transmission system (10).

7. The conveyor system (1) according to one of the preceding claims, further comprising a control unit for controlling the flywheel (8), wherein In the active state, the rotation speed of the at least one rotatable drive roller (6) can be controlled via the flywheel (8).

8. A method for generating electricity using a conveyor system (1) having a slide (2) and a device (3) for generating electricity, wherein: The slideway (2) comprises: a sliding surface (4) configured to transport a single piece of cargo (5) by sliding downward from a starting point (A) to an end point (B) arranged to be lower than the starting point (A) in a horizontal direction; and a monitoring unit (11) configured to detect the single piece of cargo (5) sliding down the sliding surface (4), and The device (3) for generating electricity comprises at least one rotatable drive roller (6) arranged in the plane of the sliding surface (4) and a generator (7), the generator comprising a flywheel (8) connectable to the at least one rotatable drive roller (6), wherein in an active state, the at least one drive roller (6) is connected to the flywheel (8), and in an inactive state, the at least one drive roller (6) is disconnected from the flywheel (8), the method comprising the following method steps: detecting whether a single piece of cargo (5) slides down the sliding surface (4), If a piece of goods (5) slides down the sliding surface (4), the at least one driving roller (6) is connected to the flywheel (8), and If no single piece of cargo (5) slides down the sliding surface (4), the at least one drive roller (6) is disconnected from the flywheel (8).

9. The method according to claim 8, further comprising the following method steps: The rotation speed of the at least one drive roller (6) is controlled via the flywheel (8).

10. Use of the conveyor system (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 7 for generating electricity in logistics by utilizing individual pieces of goods (5) sliding down a slide (2).

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