Conveyor carpet and vibrating conveyor

Abstract

The invention relates to a conveyor carpet (4) for a vibratory conveyor device, wherein the conveyor carpet (4) has a base plate (5) which defines a longitudinal direction (X), a transverse direction (Y) and a height direction (Z), and a plurality of bristles (6) which protrude from the base plate (5) in the height direction (Z). The conveyor carpet (4) can be more easily customized for the respective vibratory conveyor system if the bristles (6) are printed onto the base plate (5) using 3D printing.

Description

The present invention relates to a conveyor carpet for a vibration conveyor. The invention also relates to a vibratory conveyor equipped with such a conveyor carpet.A vibration conveying device for conveying piece goods or workpieces is equipped with a conveying section along which the piece goods or workpieces are transported, and with a vibration device which excites the conveying section to vibrations or oscillations. A conveying carpet is arranged on the conveying section, which is configured such that piece goods or workpieces resting on the conveying carpet are transported along the conveying carpet by the vibration. The conveying carpet has bristles which usually project upwards from a base plate. The conveying effect of the conveying carpet is explained by the spring elasticity of the bristles and by a uniform inclination of all bristles with respect to the height direction. The vibrations or oscillations preferably act in the height direction, so that the bristles are elastically deformed in the height direction by the weight of the piece goods or workpieces. The inclination of the bristles defines the conveying direction.Such conveyor carpets are complicated to produce and comparatively expensive. In particular, changes in the conveying direction along the conveying path are comparatively complicated to implement, since for this purpose the conveying carpet which has a predetermined conveying direction must be cut to size accordingly and must be joined together along the conveying path in order to bring about the desired change in the conveying direction. It is particularly difficult to realize curved sections of the conveying section, in particular when a plurality of sections of the conveying carpet have to be matched with an exact fit to a predefined arc.The present invention is concerned with the problem of specifying an improved or at least one other embodiment for such a conveyor carpet or for an associated vibration conveying device, which embodiment is distinguished in particular by relatively simple mullability. In addition, a simple adaptability to varying conveying directions along the conveying path is sought.This problem is solved according to the invention by the subject matter of the independent claim. Advantageous embodiments are the subject of the dependent claims.The present invention assumes that a conveyor carpet has a base plate defining a longitudinal direction, a transverse direction and a height direction which run perpendicular to one another, wherein a plurality of bristles protrude from the base plate in the height direction. The invention is now based on the general idea of printing the bristles onto the base plate by means of 3D printing. 3D printing is frequently also referred to as additive manufacturing. By printing the bristles by means of an additive manufacturing method or by means of 3D printing, conveyor copies can be easily finished with respect to the conveying direction. In particular, this makes it possible to produce conveying copies that are customized for the respective conveying section, so that, for example, a conveying section with varying conveying direction can be realized without the need for complicated trimming and joining together of separate pieces of the conveying carpet.According to an advantageous embodiment, the base plate can also be produced by means of 3D printing. The base plate can thus also be finished as desired.The base plate can be expediently configured planar and flat, such that the longitudinal direction and the transverse direction span a base plate plane in which the base plate extends, while a plate thickness and the height direction run perpendicular to the base plate plane. The base plate can alternatively also have any desired three-dimensional shape. It can therefore also be curved or curved, wherein it is still configured flat in a cross section running transversely to its longitudinal extent. The longitudinal extension or longitudinal direction of the base plate is then correspondingly curved and / or arched.In the present context, a "configuration" is synonymous with a "configuration" and / or "device", such that the phrase "configured such that" is synonymous with the phrase "configured and / or configured such that".In principle, it is conceivable to use the same material, preferably a plastic, for the base plate and for the bristles. Preferred plastics are, for example, polyamide (PA) and polyurethane (PU), in particular PA12, thermoplastic polyamide (TPA), thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) and elastomers of TPA and TPU.According to an advantageous embodiment, however, it can be provided that the base plate and the bristles are made of different materials, preferably of different plastics. In this way, particularly suitable materials can be used for the base plate and the bristles in each case in order to improve the respective functionality. It is clear that materials are used here which are similar to one another to such an extent that they can be printed on one another or on one another with sufficient strength in 3D printing.The bristles each have a foot portion connected to the base plate, a bristle end remote from the base plate, and a spring portion connecting the foot portion to the bristle end.Expediently, the respective bristle can have a bristle cross section transversely to the bristle longitudinal direction which is larger in the foot region than in the spring region. This results in increased stability for the attachment of the respective bristle to the base plate. In this way, in particular the durability of the conveyor carpet can be improved. Particularly expedient in this case is a configuration in which the bristle cross section in the foot region decreases in the height direction from the base plate as far as the spring region. Thus, the largest bristle cross section is present directly on the base plate, while the smallest bristle cross section is present at the transition to the spring region. In addition, the bristle cross section in the spring region can be constant in the height direction from the foot region to the bristle end. As a result, a defined spring effect for the respective bristle can be realized. In particular, the conveying carpet can thereby be adapted to the respective transport task, i.e. in particular to the mass of the workpieces and piece goods to be conveyed, and can thus be individually packaged for the respective transport task.In another embodiment, it can be provided that the bristle end is planar and runs parallel to a conveying plane which extends parallel to the longitudinal direction and parallel to the transverse direction. If the bristles each have the same bristle length, in this embodiment all bristle ends lie in a common conveying plane. In this way, in particular a planar contact between the bristles and the respective piece goods or workpieces can be achieved. In addition, the conveying effect or transport effect can be improved for cylindrical piece goods or workpieces, for example, since the bristle ends incline more strongly when the workpiece or piece goods are resting, as a result of which the planar bristle ends also incline in the conveying direction and drive the resting workpiece or piece goods accordingly in the conveying direction.Alternatively, it is also possible to incline the flat bristle ends with respect to the conveying plane in a range of 5° to 30°, in particular such that an edge section of the bristle end which is at the greatest distance from the base plate is located on a side of the respective bristle facing away from the base plate. The planar bristle ends are thereby inclined in particular in the conveying direction. Depending on the bristle cross section, this results in a linear or punctiform contact with the respective workpiece or piece goods. The transport effect can also be improved thereby, in particular for cylindrical workpieces or piece goods, since the bristle ends incline more strongly when the workpiece or piece goods rests, whereby the planar bristle ends also incline more strongly in the conveying direction and drive the supported workpiece or piece goods accordingly in the conveying direction.According to another embodiment, it can be provided that the spring region is configured to be straight and is inclined with respect to the height direction by an angle of inclination of at least 10° and at most 45°. The inclination of the spring region relative to the height direction improves the spring action of the spring region or of the respective bristle on the one hand. At the same time, a conveying direction is defined by an orientation of the angle of inclination. In this case, a right-angled directional triangle is taken into account, the hypotenuse of which runs along the spring region, the anathetus of which runs along the height direction, and the countercathetus of which determines the conveying direction. The angle of inclination is defined between the hypothesis and the anesthetic.The angle of inclination can be in particular 10° to 30° and preferably 10° to 20°. In addition, it can be provided that the respective bristle is also inclined in the foot region with respect to the height direction. The foot region expediently has the same orientation of inclination as the spring region. In a simple embodiment, it can also be provided that the foot region and the spring region have the same angle of inclination.In another embodiment, the foot region can be inclined in the same direction as the spring region with respect to the height direction by a connection angle which is greater than the inclination angle on the base plate and decreases in a stepped or continuously decreasing manner along the foot region as far as the spring region and merges into the inclination angle at the spring region. The foot region thus has a connection angle varying in the height direction with respect to the height direction. Studies have shown that, with such a configuration, a particularly high durability can be realized for the bristles and thus for the conveying carpet.According to a particularly advantageous embodiment, a first carpet section can be formed on the base plate by printing on the bristles, in which section the bristles run parallel to one another and the angle of inclination of the bristles with respect to the longitudinal direction is oriented such that the bristles define a first straight conveying direction along the conveying carpet. Furthermore, a second carpet section can be formed on the same base plate by printing the bristles, in which section the bristles run parallel to one another and the angle of inclination of the bristles with respect to the longitudinal direction is oriented such that the bristles define a second straight conveying direction along the conveying carpet. It can now also be expediently provided that the second conveying direction is rotated about an axis of rotation running parallel to the height direction with respect to the first conveying direction. The conveying direction can thus be changed along the conveyor carpet. For example, the second conveying direction can be rotated by 30° or by 45° or by 60° or by 75° or by 90° with respect to the first conveying direction. Thus, varying conveying directions can be realized on a single conveying carpet which is produced in a single piece with the aid of 3D printing, without a blank of the conveying carpet being required for this purpose. It is thus possible to make up conveyor copies with any desired course of the conveying direction, if desired. The second carpet section can directly adjoin the first carpet section in the longitudinal direction. It is likewise conceivable to form more than two carpet sections with different conveying directions on the same base plate which is integrally connected.In another embodiment, it can be provided that a carpet section is formed on the base plate by printing the bristles, in which section the orientation of the angles of inclination of the bristles with respect to the longitudinal direction along the conveying carpet varies such that the bristles define a curved conveying direction along the conveying carpet. The curvature of the conveying direction is preferably arcuate, wherein an arc with varying radius, in particular an elliptical arc, or an arc with constant radius, in particular a circular arc, can be realized here. In particular, it can be provided that all bristles have the same angle of inclination, but with varying orientation to the longitudinal direction. A curved conveying direction can thus be realized on a one-piece conveyor carpet, for example in order to produce an arc with respect to a radius which is perpendicular to an axis running parallel to the height direction. In particular, it is conceivable to generate a deflection of the conveying direction by any angle of 1° to 360° with the aid of such a carpet section, for example a deflection by 30° or 45° or 90° or 180° or 270° or 360°. For example, the workpieces or piece goods can also be conveyed in a circle. Furthermore, within the same conveying carpet, i.e. on a common base plate, such a carpet section with a curved conveying direction can be formed between two carpet sections with a straight conveying direction in each case. In particular, such a carpet section can be arranged with 90° deflection between a first carpet section, the conveying direction of which runs parallel to the longitudinal direction, and a second carpet section, the conveying direction of which runs parallel to the transverse direction.To realize a carpet section with a curved conveying direction, the carpet section can have a plurality of bristle rows which are arranged consecutively in the curved conveying direction and which have a plurality of bristles running parallel to one another transversely to the conveying direction. The orientation of the angles of inclination with respect to the longitudinal direction along the conveyor carpet varies from bristle row to bristle row. For example, a rotation with respect to the longitudinal direction increases from bristle row to bristle row, for example in the case of a 90° arc, in order to create a transition from a conveying direction running parallel to the longitudinal direction into a conveying direction running parallel to the transverse direction. The bristles can be arranged in a straight line within the respective bristle row. Furthermore, the straight bristle rows can extend radially with respect to a common imaginary center point in the case of a circular arc.In another embodiment, the bristles may have a constant longitudinal distance from each other in the longitudinal direction and a constant transverse distance from each other in the transverse direction. In particular, it can be provided that the transverse distance is smaller than the longitudinal distance. In this case, it is taken into account that the bristles can elastically deform in the height direction during operation of the conveying device in order to generate the desired spring effect. Due to the greater longitudinal distance, a collision of adjacent bristles can be avoided.In another embodiment, it can be provided that the bristles that are adjacent in the longitudinal direction are offset with respect to one another in the transverse direction, wherein this offset is preferably effected by half the sum of the transverse distance and the bristle width measured in the transverse direction. Due to the offset arrangement of the bristles, a comparatively high density for the bristles on the base plate can be realized. A high bristle density ensures a comparatively high load bearing capacity and an efficient conveying effect.According to another advantageous embodiment, it can be provided that the conveying carpet has at least one boundary wall which protrudes from the base plate in the height direction, which extends along a conveying direction of a carpet section of the conveying carpet having the bristles and which adjoins the carpet section transversely to the conveying direction. In particular in the case of a carpet section with a curved conveying direction or in the case of carpet sections with a changing conveying direction, a fall of the conveyed piece goods or workpieces from the conveying carpet transversely to the conveying direction can be avoided with the aid of such a boundary wall. Likewise, such a boundary wall can also be used in carpet sections with a straight conveying direction to avoid abrasive contact of the transported workpieces or piece goods with lateral walls of the conveying section. A configuration is particularly expedient in this case in which the respective boundary wall is printed onto the base plate by means of 3D printing. The conveyor carpet can thus already be equipped with such a boundary wall during its production. Here too, it is conceivable to make up the conveyor carpet together with the boundary wall customized for the respective conveyor device.The bristles can in principle have any desired cross sections. Round, in particular circular, cross sections are conceivable. However, polygonal cross-sections, such as hexagonal or octagonal cross-sections, are preferred. Rectangular and in particular square cross sections are likewise conceivable, in particular flat right cross sections.According to another embodiment, it can be provided that at least a first carpet section and a second carpet section are formed on the same base plate, wherein the bristles within the first carpet section are identical with respect to a bristle height measured in the height direction and a bristle cross section running transversely to the bristle longitudinal direction within a spring region of the respective bristle and a longitudinal distance measured in the longitudinal direction to adjacent bristles and a transverse distance measured in the transverse direction to adjacent bristles and an angle of inclination with respect to the horizontal direction, wherein the bristles within the second carpet section are identical with respect to the bristle height and the bristle cross section and the longitudinal distance and the transverse distance and the angle of inclination. It can now also be expediently provided that the bristles of the first carpet section and the bristles of the second carpet section differ from one another with regard to the bristle height and / or the bristle cross section and / or the longitudinal spacing and / or the transverse spacing and / or the angle of inclination. The above-mentioned parameters of the bristles influence the conveying property of the respective carpet section. Thus, it is possible in this way to realize carpet sections with different conveying properties on the same base plate. For example, the conveying speed can be changed by changing these parameters of the bristles. For example, by increasing the conveying speed, individualization of the piece goods or workpieces can be achieved.In another embodiment, it can be provided that a carpet section is formed on the base plate, in which the bristles vary along the longitudinal direction with regard to a bristle height measured in the height direction and / or a bristle cross section running transversely to the bristle longitudinal direction within a spring region of the respective bristle and / or a longitudinal distance measured in the longitudinal direction to adjacent bristles and / or a transverse distance measured in the transverse direction to adjacent bristles and / or an angle of inclination with respect to the horizontal direction. Here, the mentioned parameters vary within the respective carpet section. With the aid of such a carpet section, it is possible, for example, to create a transition between two carpet sections with parameters for the bristles that differ greatly from one another.It can be optionally provided that the bristle height and / or the bristle cross section and / or the longitudinal distance and / or the transverse distance and / or the angle of inclination increases or decreases stepwise in the longitudinal direction. In the case of a stepped change of the respective parameter, the bristles within the carpet section can form groups which follow one another and each comprise a plurality of adjacent bristles. The respective parameter is then constant for the bristles of the same group, while it varies from group to group. In the case of a continuously variable change of the respective parameter, the respective parameter varies from bristle to bristle.In another embodiment, it can be provided that the base plate extends with its longitudinal direction spirally and helically over at least 30° about a central axis running parallel to the height direction. In particular in the case of a vibration conveying device configured as a conveying pot, the conveying section can extend helically and spirally. By means of the configuration of the conveying carpet proposed here, such a spiral-shaped and helical conveying section can be covered with such a conveying carpet. In this case, a plurality of separate conveyor copies can be used to cover the entire conveying section, which are then each assigned to only one segment of the conveying section. It is likewise conceivable according to a particularly advantageous embodiment that the base plate extends with its longitudinal direction spirally and helically around a central axis running parallel to the height direction over at least 360° or over at least 720°.Another embodiment optionally proposes that the base plate extends with its longitudinal direction along a curve of at least 30° and that the base plate is inclined transversely to the longitudinal direction with respect to the horizontal direction such that the base plate slopes in the transverse direction toward the outside of the curve. By this configuration of the conveying carpet, the piece goods or workpieces are conveyed against a boundary wall or guide wall arranged on the outside of the curve, so that dropping of the piece goods or workpieces on an inside of the curve can be avoided. The respective boundary wall or guide wall can be a component of the conveying section or of the vibration conveying device or a component of the conveying carpet.A vibration conveying device according to the invention, which serves for conveying piece goods or workpieces, is equipped with a conveying section, with a vibration device which excites the conveying section to vibrations, and with at least one conveying carpet of the type described above arranged on the conveying section. The vibration conveying device can be designed in particular as a conveying pot which has a conveying section extending spirally and helically.Further important features and advantages of the invention are evident from the dependent claims, from the drawings and from the associated description of the figures with reference to the drawings.It is understood that the features mentioned above and those still to be explained below can be used not only in the respectively specified combination, but also in other combinations or alone, without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the claims. The above-mentioned components of a superordinate unit, such as a device, a device or an arrangement, which are designated separately, can form separate components or components of this unit or can be integral regions or sections of this unit, even if this is illustrated differently in the drawings.Preferred exemplary embodiments of the invention are illustrated in the drawings and are explained in more detail in the following description, wherein the same reference numerals refer to the same or similar or functionally the same components.They show, in each case schematically, FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a vibratory conveyor equipped with a conveyor carpet, FIG. 2 is an isometric view of a portion of the conveyor carpet, FIG. 3 is another isometric view of a portion of the conveyor carpet, FIG. 4 is another isometric view of a portion of the conveyor carpet in another embodiment, FIG. 5 shows a greatly simplified side view of a section of the conveyor carpet in a further embodiment, FIG. 6 shows a plan view of a bristle of the conveyor carpet in another embodiment, FIG. 7 is a side view of the bristle from FIG. 6, FIG. 8 shows a plan view of a section of the conveying carpet with the bristles from FIGS. 6 and 7, FIG. 9 shows a top view of the conveyor carpet with a straight conveying direction, FIG. 10 shows a top view of the conveying carpet with two carpet sections, each of which has a straight conveying direction, FIG. 11 is a plan view as in FIG. 10, but in another embodiment, FIG. 12 is a plan view of a carpet section with a curved conveying direction, FIG. 13 is an isometric view of the conveyor carpet with a boundary wall, FIG. 14 shows a simplified side view of the conveying carpet in the region of a plurality of bristles, FIG. 15 is a side view as in FIG. 14, but in another embodiment, FIG. 16 is a side view as in FIGS. 14 and 15, but with varying bristle height, FIG. 17 is a side view as in FIGS. 14 to 16, but with a varying bristle cross section, FIG. 18 is a side view as in FIGS. 14 to 17, but with varying bristle spacing, FIG. 19 is a side view as in FIGS. 14 to 18, but with varying bristle inclination, FIG. 20 is a plan view of a vibratory conveying device designed as a conveying pot, the conveying section of which is covered with a conveying carpet, FIG. 21 is an isometric view of the bristles of a portion of a spirally and helically extending backing carpet, FIG. 22 is a top view as in FIG. 20, in which the conveying section is covered segment by segment with separate conveying pins, FIG. 23 is an isometric view of a spatially curved conveyor carpet, FIG. 24 is another isometric view of the spatially curved conveyor carpet, FIG. 25 shows a cross section of a conveyor carpet configured as a half tube, FIG. 26 is a plan view of a portion of the conveyor carpet of FIG. 25 , FIG. 27 is an isometric view of the conveyor carpet of FIG. 25.According to FIG. 1, a vibrating device 1, which serves for conveying piece goods or workpieces not shown here, comprises a conveying section 2 and a vibrating device 3. The vibration device 3 is configured and thus coupled to the conveying section 2 such that it excites the conveying section 2 to vibrations during operation of the vibration device 1, in particular in the form of circular vibrations or in the form of a combination of vertical vibrations and horizontal vibrations. At least one conveying carpet 4 is arranged on the conveying section 2. In the example of FIG. 1, the conveying section 2 defines, with respect to a vertical axis A, a three-quarter circle C which merges on the right from the axis A into a straight section D which feeds the piece goods or workpieces, for example, to a machine E for measurement or sorting or processing or the like. The piece goods or workpieces are fed to the three-quarter circle C to the left of the axis A of the conveying section 2, for example by means of a pouring device B, and are then conveyed on the conveying carpet 4 counterclockwise in the example shown over 270° in the form of a circular arc about the axis A. First, the workpieces or piece goods move forward to the left of the axis A, i.e. toward the observer of FIG. 1, then quasi in front of the axis A from left to right and then to the right of the axis A to the rear, i.e. away from the observer of FIG. 1. In this case, the workpieces or piece goods reach the straight section D to the right of the axis A. In the straight section D, the workpieces or piece goods are then conveyed to the rear of the machine E.Referring to Figs. 2 to 15, the conveyor carpet 4 comprises a base plate 5 defining a longitudinal direction X, a transverse direction Y and a height direction Z which are perpendicular to each other. In the examples shown here, the base plate 5 is configured planar and is also configured planar. Subsequently, the longitudinal direction X and the transverse direction Y define a base plate plane in which the base plate 5 extends, while the height direction Z defines a thickness direction of the base plate 5 running perpendicular to the base plate plane.In addition, the conveyor carpet 4 has a plurality of bristles 6 which project from the base plate 5 in the height direction Z. In the case of the conveyor carpet 4 presented here, the bristles 6 are produced by means of 3D printing and printed directly onto the base plate 5. In principle, the base plate can also be produced by means of 3D printing. In 3D printing, the base plate 5 is then first produced and subsequently the bristles 6 are produced directly thereon.As can be seen in particular from the enlarged views of FIGS. 3 to 8, 14 and 15, the bristles 6 each have a foot region 7, a bristle end 8 and a spring region 9. The foot region 7 is connected to the base plate 5. The bristle end 8 is arranged at a distance from the base plate 5. The spring region 9 connects the base region 7 to the bristle end 8. according to FIG. 7, the respective bristle 6 has a bristle longitudinal direction 10, as well as a bristle cross section 11 extending transversely to the bristle longitudinal direction 10. In the spring region 9 itself, the bristle cross section 11 is constant in the height direction Z from the foot region 7 to the bristle end 8. In the examples of FIGS. 2 to 4, the bristle cross section 11 within the foot region 7 decreases continuously in the height direction Z. In the examples of FIGS. 6 to 8, 14 and 15, the bristle cross section 11 decreases within the foot region 7 in the height direction Z in a stepped manner or continuously in a plurality of steps. In FIG. 7, three steps can be seen which merge into one another by steps, wherein the bristle cross section 11 decreases continuously within the respective foot region 7.FIG. 14 shows a configuration in which the bristle ends 8 are planar and are inclined with respect to a conveying plane 12 which extends parallel to a conveying direction 26 of the conveying carpet 4. This conveying plane 12 extends in a planar base plate 5 parallel to the longitudinal direction X and parallel to the transverse direction Y. The inclination of the planar bristle ends 8 relative to the conveying plane 12 can be in a range of 5° to 20°, for example.In the example of FIG. 14, the inclination of the planar bristle ends 8 relative to the conveying plane 12 is oriented such that an edge section of the respective bristle end 8 on the left in FIG. 14 is at the greatest distance from the base plate 5 and is located on the side of the respective bristle 6 facing away from the base plate 5. The bristle ends 8 are thus inclined with respect to the conveying plane 12 such that the bristle end 8 approaches the base plate 5 in the conveying direction 26.In contrast to this, FIG. 15 shows a configuration in which the bristle end 8 is likewise planar and in the process runs parallel to the conveying plane 12. In FIGS. 14 and 15, an unloaded state of the conveyor carpet 4 is shown in each case, so that no workpiece or piece goods rest on the bristles 6.In the embodiments of the conveyor carpet 4 shown here, the spring region 9 is designed to be largely straight, in particular according to FIGS. 2, 5 and 7, and is inclined with respect to the height direction Z by an angle of inclination 13. This angle of inclination 13 is preferably in a range from 10° to 45°. The angle of inclination 13 can lie in particular in a range from 10° to 30°. Preferred angles of inclination are 10° or 20°. The angle of inclination 13 defines a conveying direction 26 of the conveyor carpet 4, which is indicated in each case by an arrow in FIGS. 2, 5 to 9, 14 and 15. The conveying direction 26 is obtained from a directional triangle 28 which is entered by way of example in FIG. 5 and which is a right-angled triangle. The angle of inclination 13 is defined between the hypotenuse HT of the directional triangle 28 and the anchet AK of the directional triangle 28. The counter-catheter GK now defines the conveying direction 26 and is oriented from the catheter AK to the hypotenuse HT.As can be seen in particular from FIG. 5, it can be provided in one embodiment that the foot region 7 is inclined in the same direction as the spring region 9 with respect to the height direction Z, namely by a connection angle 14. In the example of FIG. 5, this transition is configured tangentially.Alternatively, FIGS. 6 to 8, 14 and 15 show configurations in which the foot region 7 is continuously inclined with the inclination angle 13 with respect to the height direction Z, such that the respective bristle 6 has the same inclination angle 13 continuously in the foot region 7 and in the spring region 9. In other words, in these examples, the connection angle 14 is constant and equal to the inclination angle 13.FIG. 9 shows a carpet section 27 in which all bristles 6 printed on the same base plate 5 run parallel to one another and define a straight conveying direction 26, which here is oriented, purely by way of example, parallel to the longitudinal direction X. In contrast, FIGS. 10 and 11 each show an example in which a first carpet section 15 and a second carpet section 17 directly adjoin one another on the same base plate 5. Within the first carpet section 15, the bristles 6 run parallel to one another, wherein the angle of inclination 13 of the bristles 6 with respect to the longitudinal direction X is oriented such that the bristles 6 define a first straight conveying direction 16 along the conveying carpet 4. In the example of FIGS. 10 and 11, this first conveying direction 16 extends, for example, parallel to the longitudinal direction X. In the second carpet section 17, the bristles 6 likewise extend parallel to one another, wherein the angle of inclination 13 of the bristles 6 with respect to the longitudinal direction X is oriented for the second carpet section 17 in such a way that the bristles 6 define a second straight conveying direction 18 along the conveying carpet 4, wherein this second conveying direction 18 is rotated about an axis of rotation 19 extending parallel to the height direction Z with respect to the first conveying direction 16. This axis of rotation 19 is perpendicular to the plane of the drawing in FIGS. 10 and 11, but can be seen in FIG. 4. In FIG. 4, a rotation angle 31 of approximately 15° is also drawn, with which the conveying direction 26 is rotated with respect to the longitudinal direction X. In FIG. 4, the angle of rotation 31 is entered between a straight line which runs perpendicular to the longitudinal direction X and a straight line which runs perpendicular to the conveying direction 26.In the example of FIG. 10, the second conveying direction 18 is inclined by approximately 30° with respect to the longitudinal direction X and is thus rotated by approximately 30° with respect to the first conveying direction 16. In the example of FIG. 11, the second conveying direction 18 is inclined by about 45° with respect to the longitudinal direction X and is thus rotated by about 45° with respect to the first conveying direction 16.In the example of FIG. 12, a carpet section 20 is formed on the base plate 5, in which the orientation of the angles of inclination 13 of the bristles 6 with respect to the longitudinal direction X along the conveying carpet 4 varies such that the bristles 6 define a curved conveying direction 21 along the conveying carpet 4. In the example of FIG. 12, the conveying direction 21 is embodied purely by way of example as a circular arc section. The associated carpet section 20 produces a deflection of about 30°. In the example of FIG. 12, this is achieved in that a plurality of bristle rows 22 are provided in this carpet section 20, which rows are arranged one after the other in the curved conveying direction 21 and each have a plurality of bristles 6 running parallel to one another transversely to the conveying direction 21. The orientation of the inclination angles 13 relative to the longitudinal direction X varies here along the conveying carpet 4 from bristle row 22 to bristle row 22, The conveying direction 21 thus changes stepwise from bristle row 22 to bristle row 22, whereby the curved conveying direction 21 along the bristle rows 22 is produced.According to FIGS. 3 and 8, bristles 6 can have a constant longitudinal distance 23 in the longitudinal direction X and a constant transverse distance 24 from one another in the transverse direction Y. In addition, the bristles 6 here have a bristle width 29 measured in the transverse direction Y and a bristle thickness 30 measured in the longitudinal direction X. The transverse distance 24 is usually smaller than the longitudinal distance 23 in this case. This offset is preferably approximately half the sum of the transverse distance 24 and the bristle width 29.FIG. 13 shows a particular embodiment in which the conveyor carpet 4 has at least one boundary wall 25 which protrudes from the base plate 5 in the height direction Z. The boundary wall 25 extends along the conveying direction 26 of the carpet section 27 which has the bristles 6. The boundary wall 25 connects to this carpet section 27 transversely to this conveying direction 26. The boundary wall 25 is preferably printed onto the base plate 5 by 3D printing. In particular, the conveying carpet 4 can thus be produced with the base plate 5, with the bristles 6 and with the respective boundary wall 25 by means of 3D printing as a single coherent component.The carpet section 27 generally denotes any carpet section provided with bristles 6, i.e. in particular also the first carpet section 15 and the second carpet section 17 from the examples of FIGS. 10 and 11 and the carpet section 20 from the example of FIG. 12 The associated conveying direction 26 then applies accordingly also to the rectilinear first conveying direction 16 and the rectilinear second conveying direction 18 of FIGS. 10 and 11 and to the curved conveying direction 21 of FIG. 12 In the example of FIG. 13, the conveying direction 26 of the carpet section 27 shown is likewise curved.In FIG. 7, a bristle height 32 measured in the height direction Z is also entered. Figure 2 also shows a bristle length 33 measured in the bristle longitudinal direction 10, which is somewhat greater than the bristle height 32 due to the angle of inclination 13.FIG. 16 shows by way of example how, within a carpet section 15 on the same base plate 5, the bristle height 32 measured in the height direction Z decreases in a stepped manner from left to right in such a way that, in the example, always two adjacent bristles 6 form a bristle pair 34 or a bristle group 34, wherein, within the pair 34 or the group 34, the bristles 6 have the same bristle height 32. From bristle group 34 to bristle group 34, the bristle height 32 then decreases from left to right.FIG. 17 shows by way of example how, within a carpet section 15 on the same base plate 5, the bristle cross section 11 running transversely to the bristle longitudinal direction 10 decreases in a stepped manner from left to right in such a way that in the example always two adjacent bristles 6 form a bristle pair 34 or a bristle group 34, wherein within the pair 34 or the group 34 the bristles 6 have the same bristle cross section 11. From bristle group 34 to bristle group 34, the bristle cross section 11 then decreases from left to right.FIG. 18 shows by way of example how, within a carpet section 15 on the same base plate 5, the longitudinal distance 23 measured in the longitudinal direction X from adjacent bristles 6 and the transverse distance 24 measured in the transverse direction Y from adjacent bristles 6 increase continuously from left to right, such that in the example the longitudinal distance 23 and the transverse distance 24 from one bristle 6 to the adjacent bristle 6 increase from left to right.FIG. 19 shows by way of example how, within a carpet section 15 on the same base plate 5, the angle of inclination 13 increases continuously from left to right with respect to the horizontal direction Z, in such a way that, in the example, the angle of inclination 13 increases from left to right from one bristle 6 to the adjacent bristle 6.Thus, it is possible, in particular analogously to FIGS. 10 and 11, to form at least one first carpet section 15 and one second carpet section 17 on the same base plate 5, wherein the bristles 6 within the first carpet section 15 are identical with respect to the bristle height 32, the bristle cross section 11, the longitudinal distance 23, the transverse distance 24 and the inclination angle 13, and wherein the bristles 6 within the second carpet section 17 are identical with respect to the bristle height 32, the bristle cross section 11, the longitudinal distance 23, the transverse distance 24 and the inclination angle 13. In addition, it can now be provided that the bristles 6 of the first carpet section 15 and the bristles 6 of the second carpet section 17 differ from one another with regard to the bristle height 32 and / or the bristle cross section 11 and / or the longitudinal distance 23 and / or the transverse distance 24 and / or the angle of inclination 13. Additionally or alternatively, analogously to FIGS. 9, 12 and 13, the conveyor carpet 4 can be configured such that a carpet section 20, 27 is formed on the base plate 5, in which the bristles 6 vary along the longitudinal direction X with regard to the bristle height 32 and / or the bristle cross section 11 and / or the longitudinal distance 23 and / or the transverse distance 24 and / or the inclination angle 13. In this case, it can be provided in particular that the bristle height 32 and / or the bristle cross section 11 and / or the longitudinal distance 23 and / or the transverse distance 24 and / or the angle of inclination 13 increases or decreases in a stepped manner or continuously in the longitudinal direction X.According to FIGS. 20 to 24, the conveyor carpet 4 can also be configured such that the base plate 5 extends with its longitudinal direction X spirally and helically about a central axis 35 running parallel to the height direction Z over at least 30°. In FIGS. 20 and 22, this central axis 35 is perpendicular to the plane of the drawing.In the example of FIG. 20, the conveying carpet 4 extends spirally and helically over more than 720° about the central axis 35. This subdivision or segmentation of the conveying carpet 4 into a plurality of separate conveying carpets 4 can entail production-related advantages. For example, the absolute size of the respective conveying carpet 4 can be limited by the respective 3D printing device which is used for printing the base plate 5 and / or the bristles 6.It can also be seen in FIG. 21 that the conveyor carpet 4 can optionally be configured such that the base plate 5 extends with its longitudinal direction X along a curve of at least 30°, wherein the base plate 5 transversely to the longitudinal direction X is inclined with respect to the horizontal direction H such that the base plate 5 slopes in the transverse direction Y towards the outside of the curve. In FIG. 21, an inclination 36 relative to the horizontal direction H is entered at three points of the conveyor carpet 4, which is shown here without the base plate 5. The conveyor carpet 4 can be seen to be inclined such that its top side slopes down to the outside of the curve, to the left in FIG. 21.FIGS. 23 and 24 show examples of spatially curved conveyor station 4, in which the base plate 5 is already produced in a spatially curved manner. This simplifies adaptation or finishing of the conveyor carpet 4 to a spatially curved conveying section 2.FIGS. 25 to 27 show, by way of example, a conveyor carpet 4 which is ready-made for a conveying section 2 configured as a half-pipe or half-pipe. In such a conveying section 2, elongated workpieces or piece goods, which can stand on their front side, can be tilted and aligned with respect to their longitudinal direction. The printed conveying carpet 4 can be easily adapted to such complex geometries. The lining of such a conveying section 2 with a conveying carpet 4 is thereby simplified.FIGS. 20 and 22 show at least one detail of a vibration conveying device 1, which is designed as a conveying pot 37, which is characterized by a spiral-shaped and helical conveying section 2 that conveys workpieces or piece goods to a central inlet 38 on the edge side. With respect to the central axis 35, the inlet 38 is located radially inward and downward, while the outlet 39 is located radially outward and upward.

Claims

Conveying carpet (4) for a vibration conveying device (1), - having a base plate (5) which defines a longitudinal direction (X), a transverse direction (Y) and a height direction (Z), - having a multiplicity of bristles (6) which project from the base plate (5) in the height direction (Z), - wherein the bristles (6) are printed onto the base plate (5) by means of 3D printing.Conveying carpet (4) according to claim 1, characterised in that - the base plate (5) is produced by means of 3D printing.Conveyor carpet (4) according to claim 1 or 2, characterised in that - the base plate (5) and the bristles (6) are made of different materials, preferably of different plastics.Conveyor carpet (4) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized - in that the bristles (6) each have a foot region (7) connected to the base plate (5), a bristle end (8) remote from the base plate (5) and a spring region (9) connecting the foot region (7) to the bristle end (8), - in that the respective bristle (6) transversely to the bristle longitudinal direction (10) has a bristle cross section (11) which is larger in the foot region (7) than in the spring region (9).Conveyor carpet (4) according to claim 4, characterised in - that the bristle cross-section (11) in the base region (7) decreases in the height direction (Z) from the base plate (5) to the spring region (9), - that the bristle cross-section (11) in the spring region (9) is constant in the height direction (Z) from the base region (7) to the bristle end (8).Conveyor carpet (4) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized - in that the bristles (6) each have a foot region (7) connected to the base plate (5), a bristle end (8) remote from the base plate (5) and a spring region (9) connecting the foot region (7) to the bristle end (8), - in that the bristle end (8) is planar and runs parallel to a conveyor plane (12) which extends parallel to the longitudinal direction (X) and parallel to the transverse direction (Y).Conveyor carpet (4) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized - in that the bristles (6) each have a foot region (7) connected to the base plate (5), a bristle end (8) remote from the base plate (5) and a spring region (9) connecting the foot region (7) to the bristle end (8), - in that the spring region (9) is configured to be straight and is inclined with respect to the height direction (Z) by an angle of inclination (13) of at least 10° and at most 45°.Conveyor carpet (4) according to claim 7, characterised in that - the foot region (7) is inclined in the same direction as the spring region (9) relative to the height direction (Z) by a connection angle (14) which is greater on the base plate (5) than the inclination angle (13) and decreases along the foot region (7) as far as the spring region (9) and merges at the spring region (9) into the inclination angle (13) (tangentially).The conveyed carpet (4) according to claim 7 or 8, characterized - in that a first carpet section (15) is formed on the base plate (5), in which the bristles (6) run parallel to one another and the angle of inclination (13) of the bristles (6) with respect to the longitudinal direction (X) is oriented such that the bristles (6) define a first straight conveying direction (16) along the conveyed carpet (4), - in that a second carpet section (17), in particular adjoining the first carpet section (15) in the longitudinal direction (X), is formed on the base plate (5), in which second carpet section the bristles (6) run parallel to one another and the angle of inclination (13) of the bristles (6) with respect to the longitudinal direction (X) is oriented such that the bristles (6) define a second straight conveying direction (18) along the conveyed carpet (4), the second conveying direction (18) is rotated about an axis of rotation (19) extending parallel to the height direction (Z) relative to the first conveying direction (16).The conveying carpet (4) according to any one of claims 7 to 9, characterized - in that a carpet section (20) is formed on the base plate (5), in which the orientation of the inclination angles (13) of the bristles (6) with respect to the longitudinal direction (X) along the conveying carpet (4) varies such that the bristles (6) define a curved conveying direction (21) along the conveying carpet (4).Conveying carpet (4) according to claim 10, characterised in - that this carpet section (20) has a plurality of bristle rows (22) which are arranged in succession in the curved conveying direction (21) and which have a plurality of bristles (6) running parallel to one another transversely to the conveying direction (21), - that the orientation of the inclination angles (13) with respect to the longitudinal direction (X) varies along the conveying carpet (4) from bristle row (22) to bristle row (22).The conveyor carpet (4) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized - in that the bristles (6) have a constant longitudinal distance (23) from each other in the longitudinal direction (X) and a constant transverse distance (24) from each other in the transverse direction (Y), - in that the transverse distance (24) is smaller than the longitudinal distance (23).Conveyor carpet (4) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized - in that bristles (6) which are adjacent in the longitudinal direction (X) are offset with respect to one another in the transverse direction (Y), preferably by half the sum of the transverse spacing (24) and the bristle width (29).The conveyor carpet (4) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized - in that the conveyor carpet (4) has at least one boundary wall (25) which protrudes from the base plate (5) in the height direction (Z), which extends along a conveying direction (26) of a carpet section (27) of the conveyor carpet (4) having the bristles (6) and which adjoins the carpet section (27) transversely to the conveying direction (26), - in that the boundary wall (25) is printed onto the base plate (5) by means of 3D printing.Conveyor carpet (4) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized - in that at least a first carpet section (15) and a second carpet section (17) are formed on the same base plate (5), - in that the bristles (6) within the first carpet section (15) are identical with respect to a bristle height (32) measured in the height direction (Z) and a bristle cross section (11) running transversely to the bristle longitudinal direction (10) within a spring region (9) of the respective bristle (6) and a longitudinal distance (23) measured in the longitudinal direction (X) from adjacent bristles (6) and a transverse distance (24) measured in the transverse direction (Y) from adjacent bristles (6) and an angle of inclination (13) with respect to the horizontal direction (Z), the bristles (6) within the second carpet section (17) are identical with respect to the bristle height (32) and the bristle cross section (11) and the longitudinal distance (23) and the transverse distance (24) and the angle of inclination (13), the bristles of the first carpet section (15) and the bristles (6) of the second carpet section (17) differ from one another with respect to the bristle height (32) and / or the bristle cross section (11) and / or the longitudinal distance (23) and / or the transverse distance (24) and / or the angle of inclination (13).Conveyor carpet (4) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized - in that a carpet section is formed on the base plate (5), in which the bristles (6) vary along the longitudinal direction (X) with respect to a bristle height (32) measured in the height direction (Z) and / or a bristle cross section (11) running transversely to the bristle longitudinal direction (10) within a spring region (9) of the respective bristle (6) and / or a longitudinal distance (23) measured in the longitudinal direction (X) from adjacent bristles (6) and / or a transverse distance (24) measured in the transverse direction (Y) from adjacent bristles (6) and / or an angle of inclination (13) with respect to the horizontal direction (Z), - wherein provision can be made in particular, that the bristle height (32) and / or the bristle cross section (11) and / or the longitudinal distance (23) and / or the transverse distance (24) and / or the angle of inclination (13) increases or decreases in a stepped manner in the longitudinal direction (X) (i.e. always with a plurality of bristles identical thereto) or continuously (i.e. from bristle to bristle).Conveyor carpet (4) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized - in that the base plate (5) extends with its longitudinal direction (X) spirally and helically about a central axis running parallel to the height direction (Z) over at least 30°.Conveyor carpet (4) according to claim 17, characterised in that - the base plate (5) extends with its longitudinal direction (X) spirally and helically around a central axis running parallel to the height direction (Z) over at least 360° or over at least 720°.Conveyor carpet (4) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized - in that the base plate (5) extends with its longitudinal direction (X) along a curve of at least 30°, - in that the base plate (5) is inclined transversely to the longitudinal direction (X) with respect to the horizontal direction in such a way that the base plate (5) slopes in the transverse direction (Y) towards the outside of the curve.Vibration conveying device (1) for conveying piece goods or workpieces, having a conveying section (2), having a vibration device (3) which excites the conveying section (2) to vibrations, and having at least one conveying carpet (4) according to one of the preceding claims arranged on the conveying section (2).

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