Conveyor system for conveying baked goods

Abstract

Conveyor system (100) for conveying a unit load with a rail system (10) having two parallel rails (12, 12) whose running surfaces (14) are arranged facing each other and a plurality of chain links (20) forming a conveyor chain, each with two rollers (22, 22) arranged in one plane, wherein the running surface (24) of a roller (22, 22) facing away from the other roller (22, 22) rests against the running surface (14) of one of the rails (12, 12) and the chain links (20) are each detachably connected to a carrier (30) designed to receive a unit load.

Description

The invention relates to a conveyor system. In particular, the invention relates to a conveyor system for conveying a unit load, specifically a baked good. Conveyor systems are available in a wide variety of designs. Particularly for conveying foodstuffs, conveyor belts in the form of wire mesh belts or plastic conveyor belts are frequently used, as these meet the stringent requirements for food safety. The disadvantage of such systems, however, lies in the high manual effort required for manufacturing the conveyor belts, as well as their multi-part, and especially small-scale, design, which leads to high installation, maintenance, and cleaning costs. This is particularly true for known systems used in the production of products that generate high levels of dust or where contamination can occur through abrasion, resulting in a high need for cleaning. The object of the invention is therefore to create a conveying system with a relatively simple, preferably modular design that meets high hygienic requirements and can be easily cleaned, maintained and repaired. This problem is solved according to the invention by the conveyor system with the features of claim 1. The dependent claims describe advantageous embodiments of the invention. The basic idea of ​​the invention is to create a modular, simple and less fragmented conveyor system with a low overall height, which – although the drive elements can preferably be completely covered by a support attached to the chain links and thus protect against contamination – allows easy access to the elements and therefore uncomplicated cleaning. The conveyor system is essentially designed as a chain conveyor and is particularly equipped with a curved chain, so that the unit load can preferably be transported along curved tracks extending both horizontally and vertically. According to the invention, a conveyor system for conveying a unit load, in particular a baked good, is proposed, comprising a rail system having two parallel rails whose running surfaces are arranged facing each other and a plurality of chain links forming a conveyor chain, each with two rollers arranged in one plane, wherein the running surface of one roller facing away from the other roller rests against the running surface of one of the rails and the chain links are each detachably connected to a carrier designed to receive a unit load. Due to the particularly flat design of the rail system with interspersed chain links and supports attached to the chain links, cleaning of the conveyor system can be carried out very easily when necessary. In particular, the easy removal of the supports, which are detachably connected to the chain links and preferably by means of a simple snap fastener, allows free access to the chain links arranged between the rails. The rails and chain links lie in the same plane, resulting in a low overall installation height, so that both are equally accessible, while still allowing separate inspection and processing, especially cleaning, of the chain links on the one hand and the rails on the other. Preferably, the conveyor system is designed such that the chain links have a ball at one end, which is rotatably mounted in the chain link, and at their other end, opposite one end, a ball receptacle that receives the ball of the adjacent chain link, forming a ball joint connecting two adjacent chain links. The ball receptacle is particularly preferably arranged between the rollers of the chain link, especially centrally between the rollers. Specifically, the rollers, the ball receptacle, and the ball of the chain link are arranged in the same plane, ensuring not only efficient power transmission but also good accessibility to the individual elements, particularly for cleaning purposes. It is further preferably provided that the ball receptacle has a snap closure that interacts with the ball in a form-fit manner. In particular, the chain links have elastic elements on their upper surface in the area of ​​the ball receptacle, which allow the ball to be inserted into the receptacle by means of elastic deformation. After the ball is completely inserted into the receptacle, the elastically deformed sections of the receptacle return to their original position and form a form-fit with the ball held by the receptacle. To release the chain links from one another, a force opposing the elastic deformation of the snap closure must first be overcome. After this force is applied, the ball slides out of the receptacle and the chain links are released from one another. The chain links are designed in a mirror-image symmetrical manner, with a support structure extending along the longitudinal axis, on which the horizontally extending rollers are arranged laterally. The ball is preferably rotatably embedded in the support structure in the plane of the rollers. The rollers are partially enclosed, leaving the running surfaces exposed, to prevent contamination of the roller bearings. Overall, the chain link preferably has a T-shaped structure in plan view. In a preferred embodiment, the conveyor system's rail system comprises a central element with two spacers extending from the central element, each spacer having a rail arranged at its opposite end. In other words, the central element is the rail foot, the spacers can be considered the rail web, and the rails can be considered the rail head with a running surface. Preferably, the central element is designed as a tube. Alternatively, the central element can be designed as a rod, the advantage of which is that a robust and torsion-free element can be created that is lighter than the rod version. In any case, the central element most preferably has a round, oval, or polygonal cross-section. Preferably, the central element is designed in such a way that two rail systems arranged opposite each other on a central element can be formed, and thus in particular a conveyor system with a conveyor chain running in an upper run and in a lower run can be created. The rails, in turn, are preferably designed as round bars, which not only offer good running properties for the rollers of the chain links, but are also particularly easy to manufacture and clean. The running rollers of the chain links, which interact with the rails of the conveyor system, preferably have a concave running surface or at least a flange, or are in particular designed as a double flanged wheel. The supports attached to the chain links preferably have a width that covers the entire rail system, with the supports of adjacent chain links particularly preferably overlapping each other. The supports can be designed as simple, mutually slidable plates and preferably have structures that divide the upper surface of the supports, which receives the transported goods, into compartments or at least stabilize the transported goods on the support. For example, the support can be designed as a tray, which is particularly suitable for receiving rolled sweet wafers. It is understood that the conveyor system has a drive to power the chain, which may include, for example, an electric motor. Additionally, the system may also include cleaning elements for cleaning the chain links, particularly their rollers, or for cleaning the supports, which clean the conveyor system components using an aqueous solution or compressed air. The invention is explained in more detail below with reference to a particularly preferred embodiment illustrated in the accompanying drawings. The drawings show: Fig. 1 a sectional view of a particularly preferred conveyor system according to the invention; Fig. 2 a perspective view of a first section of the rail system (A) implemented in the conveyor system shown in Fig. 1 and a perspective view of a second section of the rail system (B) implemented in the conveyor system shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 a rear view (A) of a particularly preferred chain link of the conveyor system shown in Fig. 1; a side view (B) of the particularly preferred chain link of the conveyor system shown in Fig. 1; a top view (C) of the particularly preferred chain link of the conveyor system shown in Fig. 1.Figure 1 shows a conveyor system and a top view of a chain section formed from the particularly preferred chain links; Figure 4 shows a section of a chain formed from a plurality of chain links with supports attached to it, designed to receive a transported item, in a side view (A) and in a top view (B); and Figure 5 shows the attachment of a support designed as a shell to a chain link in a front view (A), in a rear view (B), in the context of a chain formed from a plurality of chain links in a side view (C) and in a top view (D). Fig. 1 shows a sectional view of a particularly preferred configuration of a conveyor system according to the invention. In particular, two sections of a conveyor system 100 arranged at different heights are visible, each equipped with an upper run and a lower run. The conveyor system 100 is specifically designed for conveying a rolled sweet wafer with a rail system 10, which has two parallel rails whose running surfaces face each other and a plurality of chain links 20 forming a conveyor chain, each with two rollers arranged in one plane, wherein the running surface of each roller facing away from the other roller rests against the running surface of one of the rails, and the chain links 20 are each detachably connected to a carrier 30 designed to receive a piece of goods. The structure of the particularly preferred conveyor system according to the invention can be seen from the illustrations described below. Figure 2 shows a perspective view of a first section of the rail system (A) implemented in the conveyor system shown in Figure 1 and a perspective view of a second section of the rail system (B) implemented in the conveyor system shown in Figure 1. The rail system 10 of the conveyor system 100 shown in Figure 1 has a central element 16 with two spacers 18 extending from the central element 16, at the ends of which opposite the central element 16 a rail 12 is arranged. The central element 16 is designed as a tube with a round cross-section, with the rails connected to the central element 16 by means of the spacers 18 being designed as round bars. The rails 12 are connected to the spacers 18 in such a way that the opposing running surfaces 14 can be traversed unhindered by the rollers of the chain links 20. The design of the chain links can be seen from Fig. 3, which shows a rear view (A) of a particularly preferably designed chain link of the conveyor system shown in Fig. 1; a side view (B) of the particularly preferably designed chain link of the conveyor system shown in Fig. 1; a top view (C) of the particularly preferably designed chain link of the conveyor system shown in Fig. 1 and a top view of a chain section formed from the particularly preferably designed chain links. The chain links 20 are T-shaped in plan view and have a ball 26 at one end and a ball receptacle 28 at the opposite end, forming a ball joint connecting two adjacent chain links 20. The ball receptacle 28 receives the ball 26 of the adjacent chain link 20. The ball receptacle 28 is arranged centrally between the rollers 22 of the chain link 20, with the rollers 22, the ball receptacle 28, and the ball 26 of the chain link 20 being arranged in a common plane. In the example shown, the rollers 22 have a concave running surface adapted to the rails 12, which are designed as round bars. In Fig. 3D it can be seen that the ball receptacle 28 each has a snap lock which interacts with the ball 26 in a form-fit connection, wherein the chain link 20 shown on the left is detached from the connection with the other chain links 20. Figure 4 further shows a section of a chain formed from a plurality of chain links 20 with supports 30 attached to it, designed to hold a transported load, in a side view (A) and in a top view (B). It is clearly visible that the planar supports 30 have a width covering the rail system and are arranged overlapping each other. Finally, Fig. 5 shows the attachment of a shell-shaped support 30 to a chain link 20 in a front view (A), a rear view (B), in the context of a chain formed from a plurality of chain links 20 in a side view (C), and in a top view (D). In Fig. 5A, the snap closure formed by the chain link 20 and the support 30 is clearly visible, with the chain link 20 having a hemispherical catch on each side and the support 30 having a recess on each side to receive the catch. The support 30 can thus be easily connected to and detached from the chain link 20. The carrier 30 itself is designed in the example shown as a bowl, which is made in particular of stainless steel and is designed to hold rolled sweet wafers.

Claims

Conveyor system (100) for conveying a unit load with a rail system (10) having two parallel rails (12, 12) whose running surfaces (14) are arranged facing each other and a plurality of chain links (20) forming a conveyor chain, each with two rollers (22, 22) arranged in one plane, wherein the running surface (24) of a roller (22, 22) facing away from the other roller (22, 22) rests against the running surface (14) of one of the rails (12, 12) and the chain links (20) are each detachably connected to a carrier (30) designed to receive a unit load. Conveyor system (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that the chain links (20) have a ball (26) at one end and at their other end opposite one end a ball receptacle (28) forming a ball joint connecting two adjacent chain links (20, 20) to each other, receiving the ball (26) of the adjacently arranged chain link (20). Conveyor system (100) according to claim 2, characterized in that the ball receptacle (28) is arranged between the rollers (22, 22) of the chain link (20). Conveyor system (100) according to one of claims 2 and 3, characterized in that the rollers (22, 22), the ball receptacle (28) and the ball (26) of the chain link (20) are arranged in one plane. Conveyor system (100) according to one of claims 2 to 4, characterized in that the ball receptacle (28) has a snap lock which interacts with the ball (26) in a form-fit connection. Conveyor system (100) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the rail system (10) has a central element (16) with two spacers (18) extending from the central element (16), at the end of which opposite the central element (16) a rail (12) is arranged. Conveyor system (100) according to claim 6, characterized in that the central element (16) is designed as a tube. Conveyor system (100) according to one of claims 6 and 7, characterized in that the central element (16) has a round, oval or polygonal cross-section Conveyor system (100) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the rails (12, 12) are designed as round bars. Conveyor system (100) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the running rollers (22, 22) have a concave running surface or are designed as a double flanged wheel. Conveyor system (100) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the supports (30) have a width covering the rail system. Conveyor system (100) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the supports (30) are arranged overlapping each other. Conveyor system (100) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the supports (30) are designed as a shell.

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