Semiautomatic spiral-tightening device for a vibrating conveyor

Abstract

The present invention relates to a spiral-tightening device for a modular spiral tower (1) of a vertical vibrating conveyor (S), in which vibrating conveyor a wedge slider (4) is inserted between the drive (3) and the spiral tower (1). The wedge slider comprises an anchor plate assembly (25), which is vibratable, i.e. is coupled to a drive, and a wedge assembly (24), which is at rest, i.e. is decoupled from the drive. A wedge (12) in said wedge slider (4) can be slid by means of an electronically controlled stepper motor (18) and, in the process, loads or relaxes a spring element (13), which transfers its predetermined spring force to a tension anchor (7). Said device allows stable vibratory behavior to be ensured and comprises a controller for closed-loop control of the the operation of said wedge slider (4), i.e allows the installation and assembly, operation, and removal and disassembly of the spiral tower (1) to be semiautomatically controlled. Principally, said spiral-tightening device and the method for closed-loop control of the operation thereof are suitable for use in the case of vibrating conveyors having a conveying height of over approximately 2.5 m, in particular from approximately 2.5 m to approximately 5 m.

Description

[0001] Semi-automatic spiral tightening device for a vibrating conveyor

[0002] The present invention relates to a spiral tightening device for a vertical vibrating conveyor according to the preamble of claim 1, as well as a method for controlling it according to the preamble of claim 15, and the use thereof according to the preamble of claim 18.

[0003] Vertical vibratory conveyors are preferably used for dedusting and / or deburring small parts, especially tablets and capsules in the pharmaceutical industry. Vibrating conveyors of this type are known, for example, from WO2021 / 212241 and comprise several assemblies, in particular a drive unit with a vibratable anchor plate and a spiral tower positioned vertically on this anchor plate with a helical conveyor track for transporting the small parts in an upward direction. This spiral tower is usually constructed in several pieces in the form of stackable modules to enable simple assembly for different conveying heights.

[0004] When assembling such a vibratory conveyor, a first spiral module, also referred to as the inlet spiral, is placed on the anchor plate and fastened to it using a first tie rod module, also referred to as the inlet tie rod. Common inlet tie rods are connected to a tie rod on the anchor plate using a bayonet lock. The spiral tower is then built up module by module, i.e. first one further spiral module, followed by another tie rod module. The final assembly is achieved by an outlet spiral and an outlet tie rod. The outlet tie rod is manually screwed to the previously installed tie rod module using a handle to clamp the entire tie rod to the anchor plate. Depending on the application, a different torque can be used to adjust the tension of the tie rod, which is important for the oscillating behavior of the spiral tower.Unfortunately, manually tightening the modular drawbar leads to varying clamping forces and therefore to undesirable deviations from a predefined value for the tensile stress. This also causes unpredictable vibration behavior for the same vibratory conveyor and for the same application. This not only causes variations in the processed end products, but can also lead to damage to the drive, which in turn leads to unwanted downtime, i.e., production losses. Furthermore, manual handling of tools such as torque wrenches is undesirable in clean rooms, and the torque required on the drawbar for high conveying heights, e.g., approximately 2.5 m and more, can no longer be easily achieved by hand.

[0005] Furthermore, modern industry strives to further expand these vibratory conveyors, particularly by increasing their conveying height from the current approximately 2 m in order to further extend the conveyor track. This presents further problems for specialists that cannot be easily solved. Among other things, extending the entire pull rod requires increased clamping forces, which can no longer be achieved manually. Furthermore, manually handling wrenches at a height of over approximately 2 m proves to be time-consuming and also highly risky.

[0006] It is therefore an object of the invention to create a vertical spiral tower of a vibratory conveyor which does not have the disadvantages of the known spiral towers. In particular, a fast and reliable spiral tightening device with definable vibration behavior, in particular with a tension rod length-dependent and reproducible clamping force, is to be created. This should enable the construction of a controlled vibratory conveyor and avoid risky and time-consuming handling and inadequate tensioning of the tension rod, for example, at heights of over approximately 2.5 m. In particular, a tool-free assembly process should be possible during assembly.

[0007] tensioning of the pull rod is possible;

[0008] According to the invention, this object is achieved with a semi-automatic, i.e., software-supported, spiral tightening device having the features of claim 1, as well as with a method according to claim 15. In particular, the present invention relates very generally to the tool-free assembly and the adjustability of the vibration behavior of a modular vibratory conveyor with a modular spiral tower, a modular drawbar, a vibratable drive, and a wedge slide described in more detail below.

[0009] To construct a spiral tower comprising several modules, the modules are clamped together using modular tie rods. After attaching an inlet spiral, an inlet tie rod is connected to a tie rod using a bayonet lock. The spiral tower is then assembled module by module, first one module spiral, then a module tie rod. The end is achieved in a known manner using an outlet spiral and an outlet tie rod. However, when using the spiral tightening device according to the invention, a final screw cap on the outlet tie rod only needs to be screwed to a defined stop on the outlet spiral, requiring only a small amount of torque that can be applied manually and without any special effort.

[0010] According to the invention, the wedge gate valve is inserted between the drive and the spiral tower and comprises a movable wedge, by means of which the tie rod connectable to the inlet tie rod can be moved vertically. This spiral tightening device has a first assembly decoupled from the drive, hereinafter also referred to as the wedge assembly, and a second assembly coupled to the drive, i.e., vibratable assembly, hereinafter also referred to as the anchor plate assembly. With the wedge gate valve according to the invention, the tie rod can be automated and tensioned with a predetermined tensile stress. This means that the asymmetrically constructed wedge assembly does not vibrate even during operation of the vibrating conveyor, and the spiral tower exhibits stable vibration behavior.This wedge assembly essentially comprises an electronically controllable stepper motor, a movable wedge, a threaded nut with a threaded spindle, at least a first and a second proximity switch, as well as a slide bar and optionally a cover, wherein the wedge can be moved along this slide bar with the aid of the threaded spindle. In particular, for controlling the stepper motor, the first proximity switch, located near the mounting position of the wedge, and the second proximity switch, located near the clamping position of the wedge, are electronically connected to the electronic control unit.

[0011] The anchor plate assembly forms a component that can be firmly connected to the drive and essentially comprises an anchor plate connected to a spaced-apart and movable ram support plate. A ram is attached to the ram support plate, which ram is guided vertically displaceably in a ram guide plate and firmly connected to the tie rod, such that the ram, the ram guide plate, and the ram support plate are coupled to the anchor plate in a vibration-transmitting manner. This assembly therefore vibrates during operation of the vibratory conveyor.

[0012] To clamp the tension rod, a wedge slide with a movable wedge is mounted between the spiral tower and the drive. This wedge is moved along the slide rail during clamping or unclamping by means of an electronically controlled stepper motor, the threaded spindle, and the threaded nut, as well as the first and second proximity switches.

[0013] A spring element with a predefined spring force is fitted between the tappet carrier plate and the tappet guide plate. In the clamped position, this spring element is tensioned so that it exerts the desired clamping force on the draw rod, and in the assembled position is compressed to such an extent that the draw rod is relaxed as desired. For this purpose, the wedge rests on several support rollers which are attached to the stationary wedge assembly, and on the other hand, when the wedge is moved, several guide rollers which are firmly connected to the tappet carrier plate rest under spring tension on a bevelled surface of the wedge until the wedge is in its clamped position, i.e. the guide rollers coupled to the spring element are no longer in contact. During vibrating operation, the wedge is always in the clamped position and therefore no vibrations can be transmitted to the wedge assembly.The asymmetrically constructed wedge assembly cannot influence the vibration behavior of the spiral tower. The beveled surface of the wedge preferably has an inclination angle of 2° to 4°. For the assembly or disassembly of the spiral tower, the movable wedge is moved from the clamping position to its assembly or disassembly position with the help of the stepper motor. In this assembly position of the wedge, the plunger support plate with the plunger is offset towards the spiral tower against the predetermined spring force of the spring element, i.e., the spring element is additionally compressed and the tie rod can be easily connected or disconnected with an inlet tie rod.

[0014] To tension the tie rod, the wedge is moved into its tensioning position, and the ram support plate is displaced by a stroke AI in a direction opposite to the spiral tower using the spring force of the spring element. This causes the inlet tie rod, coupled to the tie rod, to rest tautly against the vibratable anchor plate assembly with a predetermined tensile stress, i.e., to be held firmly there. The attached screw cap, preferably in the form of a rotary handle at the end of the outlet tie rod, ensures that this tensile stress is also transferred to the spiral modules, thus ensuring the vibration stability of the entire spiral tower, even during vibrating operation.

[0015] The electronic control unit used to move the wedge includes, in particular, assembly preparation software, release software, and disassembly preparation software to move the wedge to the desired position using the stepper motor, or to control the semi-automatic operation of the spiral tightening device. For this purpose, the following steps are carried out with the help of the control unit.

[0016] Before the manual turning assembly a), the operator switches on the main switch of the vibratory conveyor in step a1) to start the switching-on software. This switching-on software operates while the anchor plate of the turning device is not yet activated, i.e., not vibrating. In step a2), it is automatically checked whether the wedge of the turning device is in its assembly position, and the software decides that if it is in the affirmative, step a3) is carried out, and if it is not, step a4) is carried out. In step a3), a displacement of the wedge towards the assembly position is initialized and carried out until a first proximity switch indicates the value = 0, and then a displacement of the same is carried out in the opposite direction until this first proximity switch indicates the value = 1. If the negative case, i.e.For step a4), a displacement of the wedge in the direction of the assembly position is initialized and executed until the first proximity switch indicates a value = 1. After step a3) or step a4), step a5) can be started, ie, the manual assembly of the spiral tower can be carried out.

[0017] After manual assembly of the spiral tower, i.e. after finally fitting the turning handle and for drive release b), the drive of the vibratory conveyor can be started using the control unit and the following steps. In a first step b1), a start button displayed on the control unit via a graphical user interface (GUI) is manually pressed to activate the release software. This triggers step b2), with which a movement of the wedge into a clamping position is initialized and carried out until a second proximity switch indicates the value = 1. In a step b3), a check is made as to whether the wedge of the spiral tightening device is in its clamping position, and a decision is made as to whether, if so, step b4) is carried out, or if not, step b5). With step b4), the drive of the spiral tower of the vibratory conveyor is started and it begins to vibrate.In step b5), an error message ("spiral tower not tightened") is displayed on the GUI and manual error correction must be carried out in the next step b6) before step b2) can be carried out again.

[0018] Before the turning disassembly c), the following steps are carried out. With step c1), a GUI stop button shown on the control unit display is manually pressed, which stops the vibration of the vibrating conveyor and activates software for the spiral tower disassembly. With step c2), this software activates a movement of the wedge into the assembly position until the first proximity switch indicates the value -1. With step c3), a check is made to see whether the wedge is in its assembly position. If the condition is positive, the spiral tower of the vibrating conveyor can be disassembled manually with step c4). If the condition is negative, an error message ("Spiral tower still tightened") is displayed on a GUI button with step c5). Manual error correction must be carried out with step c6, and then step c2) must be repeated.

[0019] It is understood that the required software can be provided by a person skilled in the art without having to perform an inventive activity in light of the aforementioned tasks.

[0020] During assembly, the spiral tower can be quickly and safely assembled in the desired length, i.e., in particular, with a height of significantly more than approximately 2.5 m. In particular, the present invention generally allows the quick and safe assembly and adjustment of the vibration behavior of a modular vibratory conveyor with a modular spiral tower, a modular pull rod, a vibratable drive, and a wedge slide described in more detail below. During assembly, the outlet spiral is preferably tightened to a defined stop using an ergonomically shaped rotary handle on the outlet pull rod. Only a small torque is required, which can be applied easily by hand, i.e., without tools.

[0021] With the electronic control unit and using the wedge, the stepper motor and the proximity switches, the spiral tower can be automatically clamped with the desired clamping force within 10 seconds.

[0022] In this case, the term “vibration conveyor” is used to describe a vibrating spiral conveyor (also called a spiral conveyor) for the vertical conveying and processing of lumpy goods.

[0023] In a preferred embodiment of the present spiral tightening device, the beveled surface of the wedge has an inclination of 2° to 4°.

[0024] In a further embodiment of the present spiral tightening device, the wedge assembly is provided with a cover to capture the dust generated during operation of the vibratory conveyor.

[0025] In a particular embodiment of the present coil tightening device, the electronic control unit is structured in such a way that, for the semi-automatic operation of the coil tightening device, it executes assembly preparation software (a), release software (b), and disassembly preparation software (c) independently of one another, as already explained. The invention will be explained in more detail below using an exemplary embodiment and with the aid of the figures. In the figures:

[0026] Fig.1: a schematic representation of a preferred embodiment of a spiral tower according to the invention;

[0027] Fig. 2a: a schematic representation of a preferred embodiment of a wedge valve according to the invention in its assembly position;

[0028] Fig. 2b: a schematic representation of a preferred embodiment of a wedge slide according to the invention in its clamping position;

[0029] Fig. 3: a schematic representation of a decoupled "resting" wedge assembly;

[0030] Fig. 4: a schematic representation of a side view of a wedge valve according to the invention;

[0031] Fig. 5: Diagram of the process when switching on a vibratory conveyor according to the invention;

[0032] Fig. 6: Diagram of the process when starting a vibratory conveyor according to the invention;

[0033] Fig. 7: Diagram of the process when stopping a vibratory conveyor according to the invention.

[0034] The vibratory conveyor (S) shown in Fig. 1 essentially comprises three components, namely a drive (3), a spiral tower (1) with a conveyor track (F) and a wedge slide (4) arranged therebetween, wherein this drive (3) is preferably an electromagnetic drive and the spiral tower (1) is constructed from several spiral modules (6, 8, 10). This spiral tower (1) can have a height of over 2.5 m and is held in a known manner by a modular pull rod (2), i.e. consisting of several tie rod modules (5, 9, 11) connected to one another by means of a bayonet lock. An inlet tie rod (5) assigned to an inlet spiral (6) is connected to a tie rod (7) and an outlet tie rod (11) assigned to an outlet spiral (10) is connected at its end opposite the anchor plate (26) of the drive (3) to a screw cap, in particular a rotary handle (15).

[0035] The drive (3) is preferably an electromagnetic drive, as is well known for such vibratory conveyors (S), and during operation causes an anchor plate (26) and the associated tie rod (7) to vibrate. The tie rod (7) is mounted so that it can be vertically displaced for fastening the inlet tie rod (5) and the other tie rod modules (9, 11), as well as the associated turning modules (6, 8, 10). For this purpose, the wedge slide (4) has a substantially horizontally displaceable wedge (12).

[0036] Figs. 2a and 2b show the structure of the wedge gate valve (4) according to the invention and illustrate its mode of operation. In particular, the wedge gate valve (4) comprises a wedge assembly (24) for displacing the wedge (12) that is uncoupled from the drive (3) and a vibratable anchor plate assembly (25) that is coupled to the drive (3). This two-part construction allows the vibration behavior of the spiral tower to be reproducibly controlled.

[0037] In Fig. 2a, this wedge slide (4) is shown in a first position, or assembly position (A), in which the wedge (12) lies between several support rollers (22') and several guide rollers (22), and a plunger (14), or the tie rod (7) attached to it, is offset in the vertical direction. The wedge assembly (24), which is decoupled from the drive (3), for displacing the wedge (12) has a stepper motor (18) that can be controlled by an electronic control unit (not shown) and is coupled to a threaded spindle (17); a threaded nut (19) connected to the displaceable wedge (12) is mounted on this threaded spindle (17). The wedge (12) is preferably displaceable along a slide rail (16) arranged parallel to this threaded spindle (17). In Fig. 2b the wedge (12) of this wedge slide (4) is in a second position, respectively.Clamping position (B), in which the wedge (12) is decoupled from the vibratable armature plate assembly (25), i.e., lies completely in the wedge assembly (24) decoupled from the drive (3). The displacement of the wedge (12) takes place in a similar manner with the aid of the threaded spindle (17) and by means of the stepper motor (18) controlled by the electronic control unit (not shown). To control the stepper motor (18), the coil tightening device has a first proximity switch (20) arranged near the mounting position (A) of the wedge (12) and a second proximity switch (21) arranged near the clamping position (B) of the wedge (12), which are electronically connected to the electronic control unit (not shown).

[0038] From Figs. 2a and 2b, it can be seen that the armature plate assembly (25) coupled to the drive (3) comprises an armature plate (26) connected to a spaced-apart and displaceable plunger support plate (27). A plunger (14) is attached to this plunger support plate (27), which is guided in a plunger guide plate (28) in a substantially vertically displaceable manner and is firmly connected to the tie rod (7), such that the plunger (14), the plunger guide plate (28), and the plunger support plate (27) are coupled to the armature plate (26) in a vibration-transmitting manner.

[0039] Preferably, a spring element (13) with a predefined spring force is fitted between the plunger support plate (27) and the plunger guide plate (28), by means of which, in particular also upon displacement of the wedge (12), a plurality of guide rollers (22) firmly connected to the plunger support plate (27) resiliently bear against a beveled surface of the wedge (12). In the assembly position (A) of the wedge (12), the plunger support plate (27) with the plunger (14) is offset in the direction of the spiral tower (1) against the predetermined spring force of the spring element (13), iethe spring element (13) is additionally compressed and the tie rod (7) can be easily connected to or detached from an inlet tie rod (5); in the clamping position (B) of the wedge (12), the tappet carrier plate (27) is offset by a stroke AI in a direction opposite to the spiral tower (1) with the aid of the spring force of the spring element (13), wherein the inlet tie rod (5) coupled to the tie rod (7) and the other tie rod modules (9, 11) attached to it rest tautly against the vibratable anchor plate assembly (25) with a predetermined tensile stress.

[0040] In this preferred embodiment of the spiral tightening device according to the invention, in the assembly position (A), as shown in Fig. 2a, the spring element (13) fitted between the ram support plate (27) and the ram guide plate (28) is compressed, and the ram (14) is offset toward the spiral tower (1) such that the inlet tie rod (5) can be manually fastened to the tie rod (7). In contrast, the wedge slide (4), as shown in Fig. 2b, is in a second position, or clamping position (B), in which the wedge (12) is no longer located between the support rollers (22') and the guide rollers (22), and the spring element (13) transfers its intended spring force to the tie rod (7).

[0041] The wedge (12) preferably has a bevel of 2.8° and moves along a slide rail (16). By means of the threaded spindle (17), which is driven by a stepper motor (18) and drives a threaded nut (19) attached to the wedge (12), the wedge (12) can be moved from the assembly position (A) to the clamping position (B). As a result, the spring element (13) is relaxed in a predetermined manner and the tie rod (7) with the plunger (14) is pulled by this spring element (13) with a defined stroke AI in the direction of the anchor plate (26). In this way, the spiral tower (1) can be automatically clamped with the predetermined clamping force within 10 seconds. This always occurs before the vibratory conveyor is started and the anchor plate (26) begins to vibrate. The stepper motor (18) for the threaded spindle (17) is controlled by a motor controller and specially developed software. The position monitoring of the assembly position (A), ieThe correct positioning of the wedge (12) in this position (A) is ensured by a first proximity switch (20), while the position monitoring of the clamping position (B), or the correct positioning of the wedge (12) in this position (B), is ensured by a second proximity switch (21); the guide rollers (22) and support rollers (22') on the top and bottom of the wedge ensure optimal guidance of the electronically controlled displaceable wedge (12) when changing position. The wedge slide (4) is advantageously protected by a cover (23, not shown). Fig. 3 shows the wedge assembly (24) at rest in the uncoupled state from the drive (3, not shown), which is connected to a stepper motor controlled by an electronic control unit (not shown) for the displacement of the wedge (not shown). In this case, this wedge assembly is also called a decoupled wedge assembly.

[0042] The side view of the wedge gate valve (4) according to the invention shown in Fig. 4 shows the armature plate assembly (25) coupled to the drive, which comprises the armature plate (26, not shown) and which is firmly connected to a tappet support plate spaced therefrom. The tappet provided for coupling the inlet tie rod (5) is attached to this tappet support plate with the tie rod (7), wherein the tappet is displaceably guided in a tappet guide plate. This tappet guide plate with the spaced-apart tappet support plate and the armature plate firmly connected thereto are coupled to one another in a vibration-transmitting manner.The spring element (13) with a predefined spring force is fitted between the ram support plate and at least one ram guide plate. This spring element interacts with the ram support plate. This ram support plate is firmly connected to a plurality of guide rollers (22). These guide rollers (22) resiliently bear against the beveled surface of the wedge (12) when it is displaced. The wedge (12) moves between the support rollers (22') and the guide rollers (22) when displaced.

[0043] When the wedge (12) is in the assembly position (A), the plunger support plate with the plunger (14) is displaced in the direction of the spiral tower (1) against the spring force of the spring element (13), and the tie rod (7) can be easily connected to an inlet tie rod (5). When the wedge (12) is in the clamping position (B), the plunger support plate is displaced in the direction opposite to the spiral tower (1) with the aid of the spring force of the spring element (13), in order to fasten the inlet tie rod (5) provided with the tie rod (7) and the tie rod modules (9) attached to it to the vibratable anchor plate assembly (25) with a predetermined tensile stress.

[0044] The control process when switching on the vibratory conveyor according to the invention is shown in Fig. 5. As already described, a) the following steps are carried out before manual spiral assembly. First, the responsible operator switches on the main switch of the vibratory conveyor (S) in step a1) in order to start the switch-on software. This switch-on software operates while the anchor plate of the spiral tightening device is not yet activated, i.e., is not vibrating. Step a2) automatically checks whether the wedge (12) of the spiral tightening device is in its assembly position (A), and a decision is made that if the wedge is in the affirmative, step a3) is carried out, and if the wedge is not, step a4) is carried out.In step a3), a displacement of the wedge (12) in the direction of the assembly position (A) is initialized and carried out until a first proximity switch indicates the value = 0 and then a displacement of the wedge (12) is carried out in the opposite direction until this first proximity switch indicates the value = 1. In the negative case, ie for step a4), a displacement of the wedge in the direction of the assembly position is initialized and carried out until the first proximity switch indicates a value = 1. After step a3) or step a4), step a5) can be started, ie the manual assembly of the spiral tower can be carried out.

[0045] Fig. 6 shows a schematic of the process for starting the vibratory conveyor according to the invention, where b) to enable the drive, the drive of the vibratory conveyor can be started with the help of the control unit as follows. In a first step b1), a start button displayed on the control unit by means of a graphical user interface (GUI) is pressed to activate the release software. This triggers step b2), with which a displacement of the wedge into a clamping position is initialized and carried out until a second proximity switch indicates the value = 1. In a step b3), a check is carried out to determine whether the wedge of the spiral tightening device is in its clamping position, and a decision is made that, if so, step b4) is carried out, or, if not, step b5). With step b4), the drive of the spiral tower of the vibratory conveyor is started and it begins to vibrate.In step b5), an error message ("Turntable not tightened") is displayed on the GUI and manual error correction must be carried out in the next step b6) before step b2) can be carried out again.

[0046] Fig. 7 shows the sequence for stopping the vibratory conveyor (S) according to the invention, in which c) before the turning disassembly in step c1), a GUI stop button displayed on a display of the control unit is pressed in order to stop the vibration of the spiral tower (1) of the vibratory conveyor (S), and software for the spiral disassembly is activated. This software activates a movement of the wedge into the assembly position (A) in step c2) until the first proximity switch indicates the value » 1. In step c3), a check is carried out to determine whether the wedge is in its assembly position (A). If the condition is positive, the spiral tower (1) of the vibratory conveyor (S) can be disassembled manually in step c4. If the condition is negative, an error message ("Spiral tower still tightened") is displayed on a GUI button in step c5. Manual error correction must be carried out in step c6, and then step c2) must be repeated.

[0047] It is understood that the use of the spiral tightening device according to the invention and the associated method for controlling the operation of the same enables the construction of vibratory conveyors with conveying heights of more than approximately 2.5 m, in particular from approximately 2.5 m up to approximately 5 m, but is not limited to these.

Claims

AMENDED CLAIMS received by the International Bureau on 02 August 2023 (02.08.2023) 1. Spiral tightening device for a tie rod (2) of a spiral tower (1) of a vertical vibrating conveyor, said spiral tower comprising several spiral modules (8) and secured with a screw cap (15), comprising a) an anchor plate (26) which can be set into vibration by means of an electromagnetic drive (3) and b) a tie rod (7) for fastening an inlet tie rod (5), characterized in that the spiral tightening device has a wedge slide (24, 25) arranged between the spiral tower (1) and the drive (3), which wedge slide (24, 25) for assembling or disassembling the spiral tower (1) has a wedge assembly (24) which is decoupled from the drive (3) and for vibrating the spiral tower (1) has a wedge assembly coupled to the drive (3), ievibratable anchor plate assembly (25); and the spiral tightening device comprises a displaceable wedge (12) which is displaceable substantially horizontally between an assembly position (A) and a clamping position (B), by means of which the tie rod (7) connectable to the inlet tie rod (5) is displaceable substantially vertically for clamping the tie rod (2).

2. Spiral tightening device according to claim 1, characterized in that the wedge assembly (24) decoupled from the drive (3) for the displacement of the wedge (12) has a stepper motor (18) which can be controlled by means of an electronic control unit (not shown), which is coupled to a threaded spindle (17) on which a threaded nut (19) connected to the displaceable wedge (12) is applied.

3. Spiral tightening device according to claim 2, characterized in that the wedge (12) is displaceable along a slide bar (16) with the aid of this threaded spindle (17).

4. Spiral tightening device according to one of claims 2 or 3, characterized in that it has a first proximity switch (20) arranged near the mounting position (A) of the wedge (12) and a second proximity switch (21) arranged near the clamping position (B) of the wedge (12) for controlling the stepper motor (18), which proximity switches are electronically connected to the electronic control unit (not shown).

5. Spiral tightening device according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the armature plate assembly (25) coupled to the drive (3) comprises an armature plate (26) which is connected to a spaced-apart and displaceable plunger support plate (27), to which plunger support plate (27) a plunger (14) is fastened, which is guided vertically displaceably in a plunger guide plate (28) and is firmly connected to the tension rod (7), such that this plunger (14), the plunger guide plate (28) and the plunger support plate (27) are coupled to the armature plate (26) in a vibration-transmitting manner.

6. Spiral tightening device according to claim 5, characterized in that a spring element (13) with a predefined spring force is fitted between the plunger carrier plate (27) and the plunger guide plate (28).

7. Spiral tightening device according to claim 6, characterized in that a plurality of guide rollers (22) are firmly connected to this tappet carrier plate (27), which guide rollers rest resiliently on a beveled surface of the wedge (12) when it is displaced.

8. Spiral tightening device according to claim 7, characterized in that, in the assembly position (A) of the wedge (12), the plunger support plate (27) with the plunger (14) is offset against the predetermined spring force of the spring element (13) in the direction of the spiral tower (1), ie the spring element (13) is additionally compressed and the tie rod (7) can be connected or detached in a simple manner to an inlet tie rod (5).

9. Spiral tightening device according to claim 7, characterized in that in the clamping position (B) of the wedge (12) the plunger carrier plate (27) is the spring force of the spring element (13) is offset by a stroke AI in a direction opposite to the spiral tower (1), wherein the inlet tie rod (5) coupled to the tie rod (7) and the tie rod module (9) attached thereto are held firmly in place with a predetermined tensile stress on the vibratable anchor plate assembly (25).

10. Spiral tightening device according to one of the preceding claims 7 to 9, characterized in that the beveled surface of the wedge (12) has an inclination of 2° - 4°.

11. Spiral tightening device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the electronic control unit has assembly preparation software (a), release software (b) and disassembly preparation software (c).

12. Spiral tightening device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the wedge assembly (24) has a cover (not shown).

13. A method for controlling the semi-automatic operation of a spiral tightening device according to one of claims 1 to 12, which method comprises the following steps after the manual spiral assembly a): Step a1): manually switching on a main switch of the vibrating conveyor to start a switch-on software, which runs when the anchor plate of the spiral tightening device is not yet activated, ie not vibrating; Step a2): Check whether the wedge of the spiral tightening device is in its mounting position (A), and if so, then: Step a3): Initializing a displacement of the wedge (12) until a first proximity switch indicates the value = 0 and then displacement of the same in the opposite direction until this first proximity switch indicates the value = 1, and if not, then: Step a4): Initializing a displacement of the wedge (12) until the first proximity switch indicates a value = 1; Step a5): after step a3) or step a4) manual assembly of the spiral tower.

14. A method for controlling the semi-automatic operation of a spiral tightening device according to one of claims 1 to 12, which method for drive release b) comprises the following steps: Step b1): Pressing a GUI start button, which activates a release software; Step b2): Initializing a displacement of the wedge (12) into a clamping position (B) until a second proximity switch indicates the value = 1; Step b3): Check whether the wedge of the spiral tightening device is in its clamping position (B), and if so, then: Step b4): Enable the drive for vibrating the spiral tower of the vibrating conveyor; and if not, then: Step b5): Display an error message (“spiral tower not tightened”) on the GUI start button; Step b6): manual troubleshooting and repeating step b2).

15. A method for controlling the semi-automatic operation of a spiral tightening device according to one of claims 1 to 12, which method comprises the following steps before the spiral disassembly c): Step c1): Pressing a GUI stop button, which stops the vibration of the spiral tower of the vibrating conveyor and activates a software for spiral disassembly; Step c2): Initializing a displacement of the wedge (12) into the mounting position (A) until the first proximity switch indicates the value = 1; Step c3): Check whether the wedge (12) is in its mounting position (A), and if so, then: Step c4): manual dismantling of the spiral tower of the vibratory conveyor; and if no, then: Step c5): Display an error message (“spiral tower still pulled”) on the GUI stop button; Step c6): manual troubleshooting and repeating step c2).

16. Combination of a spiral tightening device according to one of claims 1 to 13, with a vertical vibrating conveyor comprising several spiral modules (8), which (i) secured with a screw cap (15; and (ii) a drawbar (2), characterized in that the vibratory conveyor has a conveying height of more than 2.5 m, in particular from 2.5 m to 5 m 17. Combination according to claim 16, characterized in that the screw cap (15) is a manually operable rotary handle.

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