Protective device for a roller conveyor and roller conveyor

Abstract

A safety device (1) for a roller conveyor (100), wherein the safety device (1) has a first sub-body (10) and a second sub-body (20), wherein both the first sub-body (10) and the second sub-body (20) have a fastening section (11, 21) for engaging in and / or reaching through the same opening (111) of a support element (110) of the roller conveyor (100), wherein a bearing element (30) is arranged between the first partial body (10) and the second partial body (20), such that the first partial body (10) forms a two-armed lever whose pivot point (D) is located on or in the bearing element (30) and on the end of one lever arm (H1) the fastening section (11) of the first partial body (10) is located, and wherein a clamping mechanism (40) is provided with which a force can be exerted on a section of the first part body (10) belonging to the other lever arm (H2) opposite the lever arm (H1) on which the fastening section (11) of the first part body (10) is located, in the direction of the second part body (20), so that the fastening section (11) of the first part body (10) and the fastening section (21) of the second part body (20) are pushed apart.

Description

[0001] Roller conveyors are widely used in conveying technology, where objects are transported via rollers. To allow for flexible routing, these roller conveyors often have driven rollers, with the drive being provided in particular by belt drives, for example a poly-V drive.

[0002] With such driven roller conveyors, there is a significant risk of injury if an operator's finger gets caught in the drive mechanism—in the case of a belt drive, between the drive belt and the roller—which can easily happen due to the distance between the individual rollers. To prevent this, it is already known to use a finger guard that blocks the space between the rollers, at least in the area of ​​the drive. Such finger guards for roller conveyors are known, for example, from DE 10 2019 002 935 A1, EP 2 406 160 B1, and US 7 882 944 B1.

[0003] Although a number of different solutions for the fastening and / or mounting of these known safety devices are employed, they prove to be less than ideal in practice. The object of the invention is therefore, firstly, to provide a safety device that is easy to install, offers a secure hold after installation, and is also suitable for compensating for manufacturing tolerances in the roller conveyor, particularly in the hole pattern of the roller conveyor's receiving openings; and secondly, to provide a roller conveyor equipped with such a safety device.

[0004] This problem is solved by an anti-entry device with the features of claim 1 or by a roller conveyor with the features of claim 10. Advantageous further developments of the invention are the subject of the dependent claims.

[0005] The inventive safety device for a roller conveyor comprises a first sub-body and a second sub-body. Both the first sub-body and the second sub-body have a fastening section for engaging in and / or passing through the same opening of a support element—in particular, a wall or frame of the roller conveyor—on which the safety device is to be installed. Typically, this fastening section is a projection that extends beyond the contact surface formed by the surfaces of the respective sub-body that rest against the support structure in the installed state.

[0006] The essential feature of the invention is that a bearing element is arranged between the first sub-body and the second sub-body, such that the first sub-body forms a two-armed lever whose pivot point is on or in the bearing element and on one of whose lever arms the fastening section of the first sub-body is located at its end, and that a clamping mechanism is provided with which a force can be exerted on a section of the first sub-body, which belongs to the other lever arm opposite the lever arm on which the fastening section is located, in the direction of the second sub-body, so that the fastening section of the first sub-body and the fastening section of the second sub-body are pushed apart.

[0007] Unlike conventional multi-part safety devices, the first and second parts of this device do not lie flat against each other. Instead, they are spaced apart by the bearing element, allowing them to tilt relative to one another. This enables the mounting sections to be positioned for insertion into the opening of the support element, where they are abutting each other, while the side surfaces of the parts opposite the mounting sections are maximally spaced apart. Actuating the clamping device then moves these side surfaces towards each other, tilting the parts relative to each other around the bearing element. This causes the mounting sections to move away from each other and be pressed firmly against the edge of the opening. As a result, a very secure fit of the safety device is ensured.

[0008] The clamping mechanism can be implemented particularly simply if it is a detent mechanism which has a detent arm arranged either on the first part body or on the second part body with a detent projection which can be brought into engagement with a detent receptacle that is present either on the second part body or on the first part body under tension.

[0009] Optimal use of the leverage can be achieved by arranging the locking arm on the side of the first or second part of the body that is opposite the fastening section, because this maximizes the effective lever arm.

[0010] A particularly simple way to uninstall the locking device is created by the locking arm having a means for creating a positive locking connection with a tool with which the locking connection can be released, in particular an engagement opening for receiving the tool, and / or a projection behind which the tool can engage.

[0011] The relative position of the first sub-body and the second sub-body to each other can be stabilized if either the first sub-body has a projection on a surface facing the second sub-body and the second sub-body has a receptacle on a surface facing the first sub-body for guiding the projection, or the second sub-body has a projection on a surface facing the first sub-body and the first sub-body has a receptacle on a surface facing the second sub-body for guiding the projection.

[0012] In a further development of this embodiment, the shape of the projection and the shape of the guide are adapted to each other in such a way that, when the projection is inserted into the guide, the subbody bearing the projection is pressed towards the fastening sections. This simultaneously presses its contact surface firmly against the support element, further improving the positional stability of the anti-entry device.

[0013] It is particularly preferred if at least one fastening section has a projection for gripping behind it or a groove for inserting the edge of an opening through which the fastening section passes. On the one hand, this also serves to further increase the positioning accuracy of the anti-entanglement device; on the other hand, it also facilitates the installation of the anti-entanglement device because a component whose fastening section is designed in this way can be hooked onto the edge of the opening and then no longer needs to be held in place during the installation of the second component.

[0014] The bearing element can be designed particularly simply as an O-ring. Preferably, this O-ring is simply slid onto a projection of the component body; the fastening section, which extends through the opening, then extends from this projection, which, when the anti-entry device is installed, is located on the roller side in front of the side of the support element where the opening is. When the anti-entry device is installed, it forms part of the contact surface of the anti-entry device.

[0015] The roller conveyor according to the invention has a support element, for example a wall or a frame, in which transport rollers are mounted such that a bearing section of the respective transport roller is passed through an opening in the support element. According to the invention, at least one further opening is provided between at least two adjacent transport rollers, in which an intrusion protection device according to the invention is arranged.

[0016] It is particularly advantageous if the openings for transport rollers and the openings for safety devices in the support element of the roller conveyor have the same shape. This allows for flexible loading and simple manufacturing. Hexagonal openings have proven to be particularly advantageous in this regard.

[0017] The invention is explained in more detail below with reference to figures illustrating exemplary embodiments. These show: Fig. 1: A side view of an anti-entry device, Fig. 2: the first part of the anti-entry device Fig. 1; Fig. 3: the second part of the anti-entry device Fig. 1 inserted into a hexagonal bore of a support element of a roller conveyor; Fig. 4: Inserting the first sub-body into the hexagonal bore of the support element of the roller conveyor made of Fig. 3; Fig. 5: the intervention protection device Fig. 1 in the state connected to the supporting element; Fig. 6: a cross-section through an embodiment of a roller conveyor in which the support element is cut in a plane in which the gripping safety device connected to the support element lies, and Fig. 7: initiating the release of the intervention protection device Fig. 1 with one tool.

[0018] Identical components of identical embodiments are subsequently identified by the same reference numerals, unless otherwise specified. For clarity, not all reference numerals are shown in all figures.

[0019] Fig. Figure 1 shows a side view of a safety guard 1, preferably made of an elastic material, comprising a first body 10, a second body 20, a bearing element 30 designed as an O-ring, and a clamping mechanism 40. A fastening section 11 for engaging an opening 111 in a support element 110 of a roller conveyor 100 is arranged on the first body 10. A fastening section 21 extending from a projection 25 onto which the O-ring bearing element 30 is slid is provided on the second body 20. The fastening section 21 also has a projection 23 for engagement and a groove 24 for inserting the edge of the opening 111 in the support element 110, through which the fastening section passes when the safety guard 1 is installed.

[0020] The first sub-body 10 rests on the bearing element 30, which is designed as an O-ring, thus forming a two-armed lever with a first lever arm H1, which is formed at least partially and in particular at its end by the mounting section 11 of the first sub-body 10, and a second lever arm H2. The pivot point D, or axis of rotation, of this two-armed lever lies on the bearing element 30. Accordingly, the first sub-body 10 can be tilted on the second sub-body 20 with the bearing element 30 attached to it, as can be seen in particular when comparing the Fig. 1 and Fig. 4 recognizes.

[0021] This tiltability of the first sub-body 10 on the bearing element 30 arranged on the second sub-body 20 leads in particular to the first sub-body 10 being moved into a position in the Fig. 4 can be brought into the first position shown, in which its fastening section 11 is in contact with the fastening section 21 and can therefore be easily inserted into the opening 111 in the bearing element 110, while the side surfaces 10a,20a of the sub-bodies 10,20, which are opposite the respective fastening sections, are maximally spaced apart from each other.

[0022] By actuating the clamping device 40, the side surfaces 10a, 20a are moved towards each other, thus causing the partial bodies 10, 20 to tilt relative to each other around the bearing element 30 designed as an O-ring, so that the fastening sections 11, 21 are moved away from each other until the in Fig. 1 and especially also Fig. The position shown in Figure 6 is reached, in which the fastening sections 11 and 21 are firmly pressed from the inside against the edge of the opening 111 in the support element 110. As a result, a very secure fit of the anti-entry device 1 is ensured, which is also independent of any tolerances.

[0023] In this embodiment, the locking device 40 is formed by a locking arm 41 with a locking projection 42, which can be engaged with a locking receptacle 43 under tension. The locking arm 41 is located on the side of the first sub-body 10 opposite its mounting section, thus maximizing the effective lever arm H2. It should be noted that no tool is required to actuate the locking mechanism during engagement. To release the locking device 40, which is described in Fig. As shown in Figure 7, to facilitate the process, a tool holder 44 is provided in the locking arm 41, which allows a tool W to engage with the tool holder 44 and to pry open the locking mechanism.

[0024] How to find out especially in the Fig. 2 and Fig. As can be seen in Figure 3, the stability of the anti-entry device 1 is further improved by the fact that the first sub-body 10 has a projection 12 on a surface facing the second sub-body 20, and the second sub-body 20 has a receptacle 22 on a surface facing the first sub-body 10 for guiding the projection 12. This stabilizes the position of the sub-bodies 10 and 20 relative to each other. Furthermore, the shape of the projection 12 and the shape of the guide 22 are adapted to each other such that when the projection 12 is inserted into the guide 22, the sub-body 10, which has the projection 12, is pressed towards the fastening sections 11 and 21. This simultaneously presses its contact surface firmly against the support element 110, which further improves the positional stability of the anti-entry device 1.

[0025] The installation of an intrusion protection device 1 according to this embodiment is, as the Fig. 3, Fig. 4 to Fig. Figure 5 illustrates this very simply. First, the O-ring forming the bearing element 30 is pushed onto the extension 25 of the second sub-body 20. Then, the projection 23 of the fastening section 21 of the second sub-body 20 is guided through the opening 111 in the support element 110, and the edge of the opening 111 is inserted into the groove 24, preferably slightly compressing the O-ring. Even in this state, the second sub-body 20 is securely supported and requires no further assistance, as can be seen in Figure 5. Fig. 3 sees.

[0026] Then, as in Fig. As shown in Figure 4, the fastening section 11 of the first sub-body 10 also passes through the opening 111. Because the fastening section 11 can rest on the fastening section 21, this is also very easily possible.

[0027] Through the in Fig. As shown in Figure 5, the compression and tensioning of the anti-entry device, which can be done, for example, with the fingers without the use of a tool, causes the projection 12 of the first sub-body 10 to engage with the receptacle 22 in the second sub-body 20 and, upon insertion into it, to press the contact surface of the first sub-body against the support element 110. This is possible in particular because, by receiving the edge of the opening 111 in the groove 24 and the projection 25 of the fastening section 21 engaging behind this edge, the forces acting in this process are absorbed by the second sub-body.

[0028] If the clamping device 40 is clamped by inserting the detent projection 42 of the detent arm 41 into the detent receptacle 43, then, as the Fig. 1 and Fig. 6, the fastening sections 11 and 21 are pushed apart or spread open so that they prevent the removal of the anti-entry device 1 and press the contact surfaces 10b or 20b of the first part body 10 or of the second part body 20 of the anti-entry device 1 against the wall of the support element 110.

[0029] As particularly in Fig. As can be seen in Figure 6, an embodiment of a roller conveyor 100 has a support element 110, which here is designed as a frame. In this embodiment, the support element 110 has hexagonal openings 111. In some of these openings, transport rollers 120 are mounted such that a bearing section 121 of the respective transport roller 120 passes through one of the openings 111 in the support element 110, while in another of the openings 111 the anti-engagement device 1 is arranged. Reference symbol list 1. Intervention protection device 10 first subbody 10a Side surface 10b Plant area 11 Fastening section 12 lead 20 second subbody 20a Side surface 20b Plant area 21 Fastening section 22nd recording 23 lead 24 Nut 25 continuation 30 bearing element 40 clamping device 41 Raster arm 42 Rastvorsprung 43 Rastaufnahme 44 Access opening 100 roller conveyors 110 supporting element 111 Opening 120 transport roller 121 Storage section D pivot point H1 Lever arm H2 opposite lever arm W tool

Claims

A safety device (1) for a roller conveyor (100), wherein the safety device (1) comprises a first sub-body (10) and a second sub-body (20), wherein both the first sub-body (10) and the second sub-body (20) have a fastening section (11, 21) for engaging in and / or reaching through the same opening (111) of a support element (110) of the roller conveyor (100), wherein a bearing element (30) is arranged between the first sub-body (10) and the second sub-body (20), such that the first sub-body (10) forms a two-armed lever, the pivot point (D) of which is located on or in the bearing element (30) and the fastening section (11) of the first sub-body (10) is located at the end of one of the lever arms (H1), and wherein a clamping mechanism (40) is provided with which a clamping mechanism is applied to a section of the first sub-body (10) that is attached to the other, the lever arm (H1). in which the fastening section (11) of the first sub-body (10) is located,a force can be exerted in the direction of the second sub-body (20) on the opposite lever arm (H2), so that the fastening section (11) of the first sub-body (10) and the fastening section (21) of the second sub-body (20) are pushed apart. The anti-entry device (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the clamping mechanism (40) is a locking mechanism which has a locking arm (41) arranged either on the first part body (10) or on the second part body (20) with a locking projection (42) which can be brought under tension into engagement with a locking receptacle (43) which is either on the second part body (20) or on the first part body (10). Intervention protection device (1) according to claim 2, characterized in that the locking arm (41) is arranged on the side of the first partial body (10) or the second partial body (20) that is opposite the fastening section (11, 21). The locking device (1) according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that the locking arm (41) has a means for producing a positive locking connection with a tool (W) with which the locking connection can be released, in particular an engagement opening (44) for receiving the tool (W) and / or a projection behind which the tool (W) can engage. Intervention protection device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that either the first partial body (10) has a projection (12) on a surface facing the second partial body (20) and the second partial body (20) has a receptacle (22) for guiding the projection (12) on a surface facing the first partial body (10) or the second partial body (20) has a projection on a surface facing the first partial body (10) and the first partial body (10) has a receptacle for guiding the projection on a surface facing the second partial body (20). Intervention protection device (1) according to claim 5, characterized in that the shape of the projection (12) and the shape of the guide (22) are adapted to each other in such a way that when the projection (12) is inserted into the guide (22) the partial body (10) which has the projection (12) is pressed in the direction of the fastening sections (11, 21). Intervention protection device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that at least one fastening section (21) has a projection (23) for gripping behind and / or a groove (24) for inserting the edge of an opening through which the fastening section (21) is passed. Intervention protection device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the bearing element (30) is an O-ring. The anti-entry device (1) according to claim 8, characterized in that the O-ring is arranged to be pushed onto a projection (25) of the partial body (10, 20) from which the fastening section (11, 21) extends, such that when the anti-entry device (1) is installed, it forms part of the contact surface of the anti-entry device (1). Roller conveyor (100) with a support element (110) in which transport rollers (120) are mounted such that a bearing section (121) of the respective transport roller (120) is passed through an opening (111) in the support element (110), characterized in that between at least two adjacent transport rollers (120) there is a further opening (111) in the support element (110) in which an anti-entry device (1) according to one of claims 1 to 9 is arranged. Roller conveyor (100) according to claim 10, characterized in that openings (111) for transport rollers (120) and openings (111) for intrusion protection devices (1) in the support element (110) of the roller conveyor (100) have the same shape. Roller conveyor (100) according to claim 11, characterized in that the openings (111) are hexagonal.

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