Load carrier with magnetic closure

Abstract

The invention relates to a load carrier (1) comprising a container part (2) designed to receive components and a lid (3) that can be moved between a closed position (4) and an open position, wherein the lid (3) can be detachably locked and / or secured to the container part (2) in the closed position (4) by means of at least one magnetic closure (6), each of which has at least one magnet. The lid (3) is pivotally hinged to the container part (2).

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a load carrier comprising a container part configured to receive components and a lid that can be moved at least between a closed position and an open position. In the closed position, the lid can be releasably locked and / or secured to the container part via at least one magnetic closure, each of which has at least one magnet.

[0002] To prevent contamination of components in a production environment, it is known to cover the components stored in a load carrier with disposable or reusable film covers that are placed over the load carrier. However, these must be replaced and / or cleaned regularly, either per se or due to wear and tear. This is considered unsustainable.

[0003] In addition, load carriers in the form of containers are known that enclose the components on all sides when closed, thus preventing contamination. However, the disadvantage is that these typically involve a mechanical closure, e.g., using hooks. However, such a mechanical closure requires complex system technology, including image processing systems, for automated operation by a robot. Furthermore, such mechanical closures are prone to failure.

[0004] US 2016 / 0 111 308 A1 takes a different approach and describes a load carrier of the type mentioned above. In particular, it describes a container for transporting semiconductor substrates, in particular between different processing stations, the container having a lid and a pot-shaped lower part. The lid and lower part can be locked and unlocked relative to one another via a magnetic closure, the magnetic closure being formed by magnetic elements arranged in the lid and the lower part. In addition to locking and unlocking the lid and lower part, the containers are also coupled to a processing station for the substrates via the magnetic elements of the magnetic closure, either the lid or the lower part being locked to a lock door of a processing station via the magnetic elements, and the lid and lower part being unlocked in the process.The lid and base are then completely separated by opening the lock door, allowing access to the substrates stored on a rack on the lid or base in the processing station. This prevents contamination of the semiconductor substrates during transport. However, the described load carrier represents a very specific solution for transporting semiconductor substrates, which is only inadequately transferable to other areas of technology such as general mechanical engineering and / or automotive engineering.

[0005] In addition to this solution, other load carriers for storing and / or transporting components in which magnetic elements are used are also known from the state of the art.

[0006] For example, CN 2 13 573 462 U discloses a container with a door lock that provides enhanced theft protection. For this purpose, the container's electronic lock features an electromagnet that, when the lock is closed, acts on a locking bar that is moved into a locked position by an electric motor. The container doors are locked in the locked position via the locking bar.

[0007] WO 2020 / 044 263 A1 discloses a housing for a component carrier in which an electronic assembly for collecting data within a supply chain of the components transported via the component carrier is arranged in a container of the housing. Furthermore, to improve protection against tampering within the supply chain, a magnet is arranged on a securing tab of the container, which interacts with a magnetic sensor of the assembly. Upon removal of the securing tab and the associated, particularly unauthorized, access to the housing, the assembly detects the absence of the magnet, which triggers the assembly to record a security breach in a data storage device or send information about the security breach to a receiving location.

[0008] US 2013 / 0 228 574 A1 discloses a bulk container for use with a liner bag. The bulk container includes a substructure configured to receive forks of lifting machinery for moving the bulk container, and a collapsible top assembly capable of supporting a bag with an entrance in an upward orientation for filling. The bulk container also includes at least one self-supporting, stiffened lid and, correspondingly, a pair of lids. The lids can be pivoted from a closed position to an open position by placing the container in an inclined position where the lids can open under gravity.

[0009] US 6 886 713 B1 and KR 10 2020 0 025 339 A show load carriers whose lids can be releasably locked and / or locked to a container part via a magnetic closure.

[0010] DE 10 2011 121 427 A1 discloses a method for the disposal of waste, a disposal device and a lid arrangement on a container, in particular on a mobile waste and / or disposal container that can be emptied by means of a lifting and / or tilting device.

[0011] Against this background, the object of the invention is to design a load carrier of the type mentioned at the outset in such a way that it is also suitable for use in other automated production environments, such as those found in particular in the field of general mechanical engineering or automotive engineering.

[0012] This object is achieved with a load carrier according to the features of patent claim 1. The subclaims relate to particularly expedient developments of the invention.

[0013] According to the invention, a load carrier is therefore provided, wherein the load carrier has a container part configured to receive components and a lid that can be transferred at least between a closed position and an open position. In the closed position, the lid can be releasably locked and / or secured to the container part via at least one magnetic closure, each of which has at least one magnet. Furthermore, the invention provides that the lid is pivotally hinged to the container part. This allows the load carrier to be used extremely advantageously in a manufacturing environment, as is regularly found in general mechanical engineering or automotive construction. In particular, the load carrier can be operated using simplified systems technology using robots, preferably industrial robots, without having to provide complex image processing systems.The lid of the load carrier can be moved from the closed position to the open position by means of a robot by overcoming a holding force provided by the magnet or magnets of a respective magnetic closure. Moving the lid from the open position to the closed position by means of a robot is also advantageously possible. This could also be done against a holding force provided, for example, by at least one spring and / or damper element holding the lid in the open position. Furthermore, it is also advantageously possible for the lid to be manually moveable between the closed and open positions in emergency operation. In principle, it is conceivable for the load carrier to have only one magnetic closure.However, more than one magnetic closure is preferably provided on the load carrier, and in this case, exactly two magnetic closures are particularly preferred. In the closed position, the interior of the load carrier and thus the components stored in the load carrier are enclosed on all sides by the container part and the lid of the load carrier, thus providing a high level of protection against contamination of the components.

[0014] The magnet(s) can generally be designed as electromagnets. However, a hard magnet or permanent magnet design is preferred.

[0015] In an extremely advantageous development of the invention, each magnetic closure is furthermore provided with at least one container-side closure part and at least one lid-side closure part. In the closed position, these closure parts abut one another and thus lock the lid to the container part. In this development, at least one of the closure parts has the magnet or magnets. This advantageously provides a structurally simple solution for accommodating the magnet or magnets. In this context in particular, such a closure part can therefore also have, in addition to the magnet or magnets, a magnet holder on which the magnet or magnets are arranged. In principle, it is possible for each of the closure parts to have at least one magnet per magnetic closure.

[0016] However, it is equally advantageous if only one of the closure parts for each magnetic closure has the magnet or magnets, and the other closure part has a soft magnetic holding element that interacts with the magnet or magnets. In this way, the probability of a defect in the magnet or magnets can be minimized, since when the lid moves from the open to the closed position, these come into contact with a particularly elastic material which, in contrast to the brittle material of permanent magnetic magnets, has springy properties. Such a holding element can be designed, for example, as a folded sheet. While it is fundamentally possible for the container-side closure part to have the soft magnetic holding element, the closure part having the soft magnetic holding element is preferably the lid-side closure part.Thus, there is additionally the possibility that the lid-side closure part has the magnet or magnets, whereby in a preferred embodiment the magnet or magnets are arranged on the container-side closure part.

[0017] It is also advantageous if at least two, preferably exactly three magnets are arranged per magnetic closure, in particular in a row. By using multiple magnets, here at least two magnets, a sufficiently high holding force can be provided to lock the lid in its closed position, while at the same time increasing reliability. The increase in reliability results from the fact that in the event of a defect or even destruction of part of the magnets, for example a magnet in a magnetic closure, a residual holding force is still guaranteed. In this way, the probability of the lid accidentally becoming released from its closed position can still be largely minimized.

[0018] According to the invention, the magnet or magnets are mounted in a floating manner on the magnetic closure. The floating arrangement allows, for example, existing manufacturing tolerances or deformations resulting from the operation of the load carrier to be compensated – within limits – so that the probability of a defect or even destruction of a magnet or magnets is advantageously minimized. In particular, the magnet or magnets are arranged on the magnetic closure, in particular one of the closure parts of the magnetic closure, so that they can move in at least one, preferably exactly two degrees of freedom. For this purpose, the magnet or magnets could be arranged on a magnet holder of the closure part, for example a folded sheet, and mounted so that they can move – within limits – in the plane of a flat section of the folded sheet.

[0019] An advantageous embodiment of the invention further comprises at least one magnet being designed as a permanent-magnetic or hard-magnetic round magnet. Round magnets are advantageously available in a wide variety of sizes, such as diameter and height, as well as magnetic materials. This allows the magnetic properties to be ideally adapted to desired properties, such as a desired holding force. Furthermore, due to their high availability, round magnets are easily replaceable in the event of a defect or destruction. In this sense, it should be noted that the round magnets of a respective magnetic closure and / or closure part can at least partially have different sizes, for example, different diameters.

[0020] It is further advantageous if the lid is constructed in two parts, with a first lid part and a second lid part being pivotably connected to one another. In this way, the lid, and in particular one of the lid parts of the lid, can advantageously be used to form a section, in particular a front side wall of the load carrier, so that in the open position of the lid, a wall element is formed which is reduced in height compared to the other side walls formed on the load carrier and / or the container part. As a result, the free space thus formed in the open position, or an opening in the front of the load carrier and / or the container part, provides improved access to components stored in the container part. This simplifies the supply and / or removal of components.

[0021] In an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the lid-side closure part is also arranged on the second lid part, wherein, as already described above, the second lid part forms at least a portion of a side wall, in particular the front side, of the load carrier in the closed state. In this way, even in a design comprising more than one lid part, the lid can be completely locked to the container part in the closed position, so that simplified opening of a lid part is not possible. In this case, a respective lid-side closure part is arranged accordingly at the free end of the second lid part and / or the lid.

[0022] In general, but particularly in connection with the above embodiment, it is further advantageous if the container-side closure part is arranged on a wall element of the container part, wherein this wall element forms - exclusively - a section of the - in particular front - side wall of the load carrier and / or the container part. The wall element thus forms - at least - in the closed state, together with the second lid part, the - in particular front - side wall of the load carrier. In this way, the previously described front-side free area or the front-side opening can be provided in a highly advantageous manner and, at the same time, the lid and in particular the second lid part can be locked in its closed position on the container part via the magnetic closure.

[0023] Furthermore, it is advantageous if the lid of the load carrier has at least one handle element. This allows the lid to be easily moved between the closed and open positions, both by means of a system such as a robot and manually.

[0024] The invention permits numerous embodiments. To further clarify its basic principle, one of them is shown in the drawing and is described below. This shows in Fig. 1, Fig. 2 a further development of a load carrier according to the invention; Fig. 3 an embodiment of a magnetic closure of a load carrier in the closed position of the lid; Fig. 4 an embodiment of a magnetic closure of a load carrier in the open position of the lid.

[0025] The Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 show a load carrier 1 according to the invention, respectively a section of a load carrier 1. The load carrier 1 has the container part 2 designed to receive components and the lid 3 which can be transferred between the closed position 4 and the open position 5. The closed position 4 and the open position 5 are in the Fig. 1 shown together.

[0026] In addition, the Fig. 1 that the lid 3 is designed in two parts and in particular has the first lid part 11 and the second lid part 12 which is pivotally connected to the first lid part 11, i.e. is connected via at least one joint, wherein the lid 3 is in turn pivotally connected to the container part 2 via the first lid part 11, i.e. is connected via at least one joint. In the closed position 4, the first lid part 11 closes a top opening (not shown in more detail) of the load carrier 1 and / or the container part 2. In the closed position 4, the second lid part 12 also closes a front opening (likewise not shown in more detail) of the load carrier 1 and / or the container part 2. In the closed position 4, the second lid part 12 forms a section of the front side wall 13 of the load carrier 1 together with the front wall element 14 of the container part 2.For this purpose, the second cover part 12 is arranged in the closed position 4 at a right angle to the first cover part 11 and hangs down on the cover element 11 in the direction of the wall element 14.

[0027] The Fig. 2, which shows the load carrier 1 shown in the section in a partially opened view, it can also be seen that the lid 3, here in particular the second lid part 12, is releasably locked in the closed position 4 on the container part 2 by two magnetic closures 6.

[0028] To simplify the opening and closing of the lid 3, i.e., the transfer of the lid 3 between the closed position 4 and the open position 5, the lid 3 has a gripping element 15 located centrally on the second lid part 12. This gripping element 15 is designed as a gripping rod, so that a system technology (not shown in detail), such as a robot, can easily grip the lid 3.

[0029] Through the Fig. 3 and Fig. 4 also shows a detailed view of one of the similarly designed magnetic closures 6 of the Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 shown load carrier 1, where the Fig. 3 the magnetic lock 6 in closed position 4 and the Fig. 4 shows the magnetic closure 6 in the open position 5 of the lid 3. The magnetic closure 6 has the container-side closure part 8 and the lid-side closure part 9, which, as in Fig. 3, in the closed position 4 they abut one another and lock the lid 3 to the container part 2. In the illustrated development of the magnetic closure 6, the container-side closure part 8 arranged on the wall element 14 has three magnets 7 which are floatingly mounted on the magnet holder 16. For this purpose, the magnets 7 are movably mounted in the plane of the flat section 17 of the magnet holder 16 facing the lid-side closure part 9. The magnets 7 are designed as permanent-magnetic round magnets, with one of the magnets 7 having a smaller diameter than the two other magnets 7. The magnet holder 17 is also designed, in particular, as a folded sheet.

[0030] Like the Fig. 3 and Fig. 4, the magnets 7 are provided exclusively on the container-side closure part 8, whereas the lid-side closure part 9 arranged on the second lid part 12 has the soft magnetic holding element 10 that interacts with the magnets 7. In the illustrated embodiment of the magnetic closure 6 and / or the lid-side closure part 9, this holding element 10 is also designed as a folded sheet metal.

[0031] The Fig.3 further shows that the load carrier 1 has the sealing arrangement 18 in the transition area between the lid 3 and the container part 2, by means of which the potential contamination of components stored within the load carrier 1 is minimized. In the closed position 4, the sealing blade 19, which is provided on the lid 3, here specifically on the second lid part 12 and extends across - essentially - the entire width of the lid 3, here the second lid part 12, engages with the sealing lip 20, which is provided on the wall element 14 and extends across - essentially - the entire width of the wall element 14. List of reference symbols 1 load carrier 2 container part 3 lids 4 Closed position 5 Disclosure 6 magnetic closure 7 Magnet 8 container-side closure part 9 lid-side locking part 10 Holding element 11 first lid part 12 second cover part 13 Side wall 14 wall element 15 Handle element 16 magnetic holder 17 Flat section 18 Sealing arrangement 19 Sealing blade 20 Sealing lip

Claims

[1] Load carrier (1), comprising a container part (2) designed to receive components and a lid (3) which can be transferred at least between a closed position (4) and an open position (5), wherein the lid (3) in the closed position (4) is releasably lockable and / or locked to the container part (2) via at least one magnetic closure (6), each of which has at least one magnet (7), wherein the lid (3) is pivotally articulated to the container part (2), characterized by that the magnet (7) or the magnets (7) are or are floatingly mounted on the magnetic closure (6). [2] Load carrier (1) according to claim 1, characterized bythat for each magnetic closure (6) at least one container-side closure part (8) and at least one lid-side closure part (9) are designed, which in the closed position (4), locking the lid (3) and the container part (2), rest against one another and at least one of the closure parts (8, 9) has the magnet (7) or the magnets (7). [3] Load carrier (1) according to claims 1 or 2, characterized by that for each magnetic closure (6) only one of the closure parts (8, 9) has the magnet (7) or the magnets (7) and the further closure part (8, 9) has a soft magnetic holding element (10) which interacts with the magnet (7) or the magnets (7). [4] Load carrier (1) according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized by that at least two magnets (7) are arranged per magnetic closure (6). [5] Load carrier (1) according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized bythat at least one magnet (7) is designed as a permanent magnetic round magnet. [6] Load carrier (1) according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the cover (3) is designed in two parts and a first cover part (11) and a second cover part (12) are pivotally connected to one another. [7] Load carrier (1) according to claim 6, characterized by that the lid-side closure part (9) is arranged on the second lid part (12), wherein the second lid part (12) in the closed state (4) forms at least a section of a side wall (13) of the load carrier (1). [8] Load carrier (1) according to claim 7, characterized by that the container-side closure part (8) is arranged on a wall element (14) of the container part (2), which forms a section of the side wall (13) of the load carrier (1) formed together with the second cover part (12) in the closed state (4). [9] Load carrier (1) according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the lid (3) has at least one handle element (15).

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