Device for conveying and separating workpieces

Abstract

The invention relates to a device (1) for conveying and separating substantially cylindrical workpieces along a handling path, wherein workpieces can be fed in bulk to the handling path on a feed means (2) and wherein the separated workpieces can be discharged from the handling path on a removal means (9). A first vibratory conveyor (3), which makes it possible to convey cylindrical workpieces and has a plurality of parallel slots (31) for accommodating and conveying the cylindrical workpieces, and the width of which is selected to be slightly smaller than the diameter of the cylindrical workpieces, and which is open at the bottom at least in part over its length, is arranged downstream of the feed means (2). A first separation unit (4) for the cylindrical workpieces and, downstream thereof, a deflection unit (5) for deflecting from the vertical orientation of the first separation unit (4) into a horizontal orientation of the workpieces are arranged downstream of the first vibratory conveyor (3). Downstream thereof follows a second vibratory conveyor (6), which makes it possible to convey cylindrical workpieces and has a plurality of parallel slots (61) for accommodating and conveying the workpieces and has a width of the slots (61) which is selected to be slightly larger than the diameter of the cylindrical workpieces. A stand-up unit (7) and a second separation unit (8) follow the second vibratory conveyor (6) as far as the removal means (9). This device (1) is highly efficient.

Description

[0001] Device for conveying and separating workpieces

[0002] TECHNICAL FIELD

[0003] The invention relates to a device for conveying and separating essentially cylindrical workpieces.

[0004] STATE OF THE ART

[0005] German patent DE 100 51 217 C2 discloses a conveyor system for transporting workpieces that are at least partially circular and cylindrical. This conveyor system features multiple roller tracks for these workpieces and clearly demonstrates that the transport of essentially cylindrical workpieces is very specialized and differs significantly from the transport of general bulk materials.

[0006] Furthermore, the international patent application

[0007] WO 2021 / 008646 A1 discloses a conveyor pot for a vibratory conveyor device for moving the components to be conveyed by oscillations or vibrations which act on a conveyor structure in which the components are arranged.

[0008] A similar system for handling bulk material along a handling section is known from the German utility model DE 20 2022 103096U1. In this system too, the bulk material is conveyed by means of a vibratory conveyor. Vibration conveyors of this type are also known for a variety of applications, for example in the timber, feed and food industries. The vibration excitation is generated, for example, by unbalanced masses or thrust ball drives, which, through their rotational and translational movement, cause differently shaped conveyor units to vibrate linearly or circularly. This form of vibration excitation results in a relative movement between the material being conveyed and the geometrically shaped conveyor unit. This relative movement is often referred to as micro-throw movement.The bulk material to be conveyed can be fed into the handling section in bulk form at an inlet by means of a tilting device and can be discharged individually or essentially individually at an outlet of the system.

[0009] The vibratory conveyor for conveying the workpieces is arranged downstream of the system's inlet, which is designed as a tilting device. The system shown is not suitable for the targeted handling of essentially cylindrical workpieces, particularly for conveying and, if necessary, for separating them.

[0010] DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] The object of the invention is to provide a device for conveying and separating essentially cylindrical workpieces which is improved compared to the prior art. This device is intended to be particularly suitable for cylindrical filter elements made of fiber material, textile material, sintered material, composite material or the like, which tend to change their shape due to protrusions or adhesions or the like and thus form a non-homogeneous quantity of workpieces. Such protrusions or adhesions are regularly referred to as flash. These cylindrical filter elements are used, for example, in the manufacture of medical test equipment.

[0012] The object is achieved according to the invention with a device which has the features specified in claim 1.

[0013] Advantageous embodiments of the invention are the subject of the dependent claims.

[0014] The devices according to the invention are suitable for conveying and separating essentially cylindrical workpieces along a handling section, which has a feed for the essentially cylindrical workpieces at its beginning, to which the workpieces can be fed in bulk. At the end of the handling section, a removal point is provided, from which the essentially cylindrical workpieces can be removed, in particular individually.

[0015] Downstream of the feeder is a first vibrating conveyor which enables the conveying of essentially cylindrical workpieces, the first vibrating conveyor having a plurality of parallel slots for receiving and conveying the essentially cylindrical workpieces. The width of the slots, i.e. the free width of the slots, is selected to be slightly smaller than the diameter of the essentially cylindrical workpieces. The slots of the first vibrating conveyor have openings in the lower area so that cylindrical workpieces with a smaller diameter than the width of the slots can fall through these openings and are thereby removed from the handling section. By selecting the width of the slots, the cylindrical workpieces with the desired diameter are held back and are conveyed forwards in the slot by means of micro-throwing movements along the slot.In particular, the slots can have a rectangular cross-section or a trapezoidal or tapered cross-section.

[0016] A first separating unit for separating the essentially cylindrical workpieces is arranged directly or indirectly downstream of the first vibrating conveyor, and a second vibrating conveyor is arranged downstream of the first separating unit.

[0017] The second vibratory conveyor has a plurality of parallel slots for receiving and conveying the substantially cylindrical workpieces, wherein the width, i.e. the free width, of the slots of the second vibratory conveyor is selected to be substantially slightly larger than or equal to the diameter of the substantially cylindrical workpieces. The slots of the second vibratory conveyor are designed such that they are formed as slots closed at the bottom for receiving and conveying the substantially cylindrical workpieces, whereby the receiving and conveying along the length of the slots and thus of the second vibratory conveyor is very reliable.Furthermore, the second vibratory conveyor, similar to the first vibratory conveyor, is suitable and intended for conveying essentially cylindrical workpieces, receiving the individualized essentially cylindrical workpieces at one end and conveying them to the other end by means of micro-throwing movements. The second vibratory conveyor is followed by the removal device, in which the essentially cylindrical workpieces, arranged one behind the other in a row and thus individually, are made available for removal.

[0018] This design of the device according to the invention for conveying and separating essentially cylindrical workpieces along a handling section makes it possible to maintain a particularly high quality of the conveyed and separated workpieces, particularly with regard to dimensional accuracy. The provision of two vibrating conveyors with their long, differentiated slots and the design of the separating unit with these dimensions ensures advantageous conveying reliability and, on the other hand, high quality and therefore particularly pronounced dimensional accuracy of the conveyed, essentially cylindrical workpieces. This is of particular importance since even small deviations in size or, in particular, in shape, for example due to appendages on the workpieces, can particularly disrupt conveying and subsequent processing downstream of the device.These deviations occur particularly in cylindrical filter elements made of fiber material, such as those used, for example, in the manufacture of medical test equipment. Thus, the proposed device enables particularly reliable conveyance of these cylindrical filter elements made of fiber material, which act as filters.

[0019] Preferably, the slots of the two vibratory conveyors are straight or largely straight and oriented so that they are horizontal or largely horizontal. This ensures particularly efficient and reliable conveying in the slots, which, in conjunction with the design of the two vibratory conveyors, leads to very efficient and reliable conveying in the device for the essentially cylindrical workpieces.

[0020] It has proven particularly useful to design the device according to the invention in such a way that an erecting unit for deflecting the essentially cylindrical workpieces into an essentially upright position is arranged downstream of the second vibration conveyor and the removal unit is arranged downstream of the erecting unit, the uprighting unit making the erected workpieces arranged in a row available for removal in the removal unit.This deflection is ensured, for example, by conveying the essentially cylindrical workpieces fed in by the upstream second vibrating conveyor into closed and thus covered slots in the erecting unit. These slots are provided with a transition from the horizontal to the vertical and are oriented such that the transition from the slots of the second vibrating conveyor to the slots in the erecting unit is as smooth as possible, i.e. in particular without offset. By erecting, it is possible to remove the upright, cylindrical workpieces arranged in a row particularly efficiently and safely, thus preventing disruptions.

[0021] In addition, it has also proven useful to further develop the device for conveying and separating workpieces so that a second separating unit for separating the essentially cylindrical workpieces is provided between the erection unit and the removal unit. By providing an additional, second separating unit, the safety of the system can be made particularly safe and reliable, particularly with regard to the handling quality on the handling line and thus the provision of the selected, conveyed, and separated cylindrical workpieces in the removal area.

[0022] Alternatively or additionally, it has proven particularly useful to develop the first separation unit in such a way that it has a plurality of essentially vertically running tubes whose diameter is selected to be the same as or only slightly larger than the diameter of the essentially cylindrical workpieces, and the tubes are intended to hold the essentially cylindrical workpieces. This achieves very effective separation and, on the other hand, the dimensions ensure very reliable selection of undesirable workpieces that are too large, in particular those that are too large in diameter. This makes it possible to guarantee the quality of the conveyed and separated workpieces, particularly with regard to dimensional accuracy.

[0023] The diameter of the tubes is preferably selected so that it is a maximum of 10 % larger , in particular a maximum of 5 % larger than the nominal diameter of the desired cylindrical workpieces . The same applies to the width of the slots , which is a maximum of 10 % smaller , in particular a maximum of

[0024] 5% smaller than the target diameter of the desired cylindrical workpiece. The maximum deviation from the target diameter can be adjusted and selected depending on the quality of the workpiece. This makes it possible to maintain particularly high efficiency.

[0025] A particularly preferred embodiment of the invention shows the possibility of providing the second separating unit with a plurality of essentially vertically running tubes, the diameter of which is selected to be the same as or only slightly larger than the diameter of the essentially cylindrical workpieces, which have a fall-through guard and which are provided for receiving the essentially cylindrical workpieces. The length of these tubes is preferably selected such that one or a maximum of two of the cylindrical workpieces can be received without overhang and thus transported in an isolated manner and fed to a discharge in the removal region. By providing the second separating unit, it is possible to increase the quality of the discharge in the removal region and thus to make the device for conveying and separating the workpieces particularly reliable.

[0026] It has also proven useful to further develop the device for conveying and separating workpieces in such a way that a deflection unit for deflecting the workpieces from the essentially vertically running tubes into an essentially horizontal position is arranged downstream of the first separating unit, and the second vibrating conveyor is arranged downstream of this deflection unit. The smooth transition from the vertical orientation of the essentially cylindrical workpieces to a horizontal orientation, which corresponds to the horizontal orientation of the subsequent horizontal slots of the second vibrating conveyor and thus enables a smooth transition, ensures smooth and therefore very safe transport and therefore conveying.

[0027] Furthermore, it has proven to be advantageous, alternatively or additionally, to further develop the device for conveying and separating workpieces in such a way that at least one cleaning unit is provided for cleaning at least one separating unit, a deflection unit, a setting-up unit, and / or at least one vibrating conveyor. Furthermore, it has proven particularly advantageous to carry out the cleaning using compressed air.In particular, contamination in the area of ​​the slots or tubes of a separation unit, a deflection unit, an erection unit and / or a vibration conveyor can lead to cylindrical workpieces, particularly those made of fiber material, getting stuck in the slots or tubes and therefore not only being unable to be conveyed any further, but also the cylindrical workpieces arranged upstream of the workpiece can no longer be conveyed in the direction of and to the removal point or can no longer be separated. This leads to a blockage of the device, which can be efficiently remedied by cleaning, for example by blowing the affected tubes or slots clear using compressed air.Cleaning, particularly blowing, makes it possible not only to remove elements from the affected tube or slot, thus making the affected slot or tube functional again for conveying or separating, but also to remove the obstructing cylindrical workpiece, particularly from the handling section. This achieves a particularly high level of quality for conveying or separating by the device.

[0028] It has also proven useful to further develop the device for conveying and separating workpieces in such a way that at least one cleaning unit has at least one compressed air nozzle which is assigned to one or a few tubes and / or one or at least slots and is suitable for cleaning these. This makes it possible to limit the blowing out and thus the cleaning of the affected tubes to a few tubes, in particular specifically to a single affected tube, and in this way to keep the remaining tubes with the cylindrical workpieces contained therein unaffected and in particular not disrupted and functional. This makes it possible to keep the throughput of the device high and thus the quality of the conveying or separating high. The same applies to blowing out or cleaning blocked slots in a vibrating conveyor, in the erecting unit or the deflection unit.Combining adjacent tubes with three or fewer tubes has proven particularly effective. Alternatively, it is also possible to blow out or clean all the tubes or slots in a unit at the same time, or alternatively, in half or in a similar manner. Depending on the requirements, the throughput of the device is weighed against the complexity of the control system or the device, and thus the costs.

[0029] According to a preferred development of the invention, this device for conveying and separating workpieces is provided with at least one sensor for detecting blockages in at least one separating unit, a deflection unit, a set-up unit, and / or at least one vibrating conveyor. This at least one sensor is connected, in particular, to a control unit for controlling at least one cleaning unit.Using one or more of these sensors and the corresponding control, it is possible to determine the need for cleaning, in particular the need to blow out using compressed air, by detecting a blockage, for example by determining suction resistance in a tube or in a slot due to the blockage, and to initiate the appropriate measures for cleaning the tube or slot, which can be done, for example, by blowing out or by instructing a machine operator to remove the blockage in a targeted manner, or something similar. Using this sensor technology and control, it is possible to limit possible faults in terms of time and their effect, thereby increasing the productivity of the device and thus the quality of conveying or separation.

[0030] According to a particularly preferred embodiment of the device according to the invention for conveying and separating workpieces, a control system for at least one cleaning unit is provided, which enables sensor-controlled and / or time-controlled cleaning. The alternative or additional provision of time-controlled cleaning makes it possible to keep the risk of a slot or tube becoming blocked particularly low, which is possible with minimal design and control effort for the device for conveying or separating cylindrical workpieces. This allows the efficiency of the device to be increased very efficiently.

[0031] It has proven particularly effective to further develop the device for conveying and separating workpieces in such a way that the number of slots in the vibratory conveyors and / or the tubes in the separating units is selected to be equal to or a multiple of each other. This makes it possible to maintain the throughput and thus the productivity of the device particularly high.

[0032] In addition, it has proven particularly advantageous to further develop the device for conveying and separating workpieces in such a way that the slots of the vibrating conveyors and the tubes of the separating unit or units merge into one another. This makes it possible to design the transition from one unit to another on the handling section with particularly low disruption, since in particular there are no projections or edges on which the essentially cylindrical workpieces could collide or catch and thus hinder or block the conveying process. It is therefore possible to create a largely or completely continuous channel made up of slots and tubes which enables largely disruption-free conveying through the continuous channel when units of the handling section abut one another - and this applies in particular to the units from the first separating unit onwards.This makes it particularly easy to prevent malfunctions and thus to maintain the productivity of the device and the quality of the conveyance at a high level.

[0033] According to a particularly preferred development of the device according to the invention for conveying and singulating workpieces, at least one return conveyor is provided for feeding essentially cylindrical workpieces removed from the handling section. Since, especially during singulation, in the first singulation unit in particular, not every cylindrical workpiece can penetrate into the provided tubes of the first singulation unit and is therefore possibly rejected during singulation, which can happen due to the diameter being too large or simply by chance, the non-separated cylindrical workpieces are fed via a return conveyor to the feeder, so that these non-separated cylindrical workpieces are fed back via the first vibratory conveyor and then to the first singulation unit in a type of circulatory process until singulation has been successfully carried out.This proves particularly advantageous when the workpieces lose their protruding sections, which would otherwise result in an excessively large diameter, during conveying, thus achieving the desired size, for example, the desired diameter. This makes it possible to convey a given bulk material quantity very efficiently.

[0034] A preferred development of the device according to the invention features a spiral conveyor provided as part of the feed system. This makes it possible to ensure an advantageous, continuous feed of essentially cylindrical workpieces, in particular cylindrical filters, without the space required for the feed system being particularly large. This applies particularly when a return of cylindrical workpieces rejected during separation is provided. This continuous feed, particularly when space is limited, enables very efficient conveying and separation.

[0035] According to another preferred development of the device according to the invention with a spiral conveyor, a hopper for the cylindrical workpieces to be conveyed is arranged upstream of the latter. The essentially cylindrical workpieces stored therein are fed from this hopper to the spiral conveyor as required, i.e. in a discontinuous process, which then conveys the essentially cylindrical workpieces to the first vibrating conveyor in a continuous process, if necessary with return. The dimensions of the hopper are adapted to the desired or planned throughput through the device. This makes it possible to maintain a particularly high level of efficiency and the degree of protection of the essentially cylindrical workpieces during conveying, particularly during return.In addition, it has proven particularly advantageous to provide the device for conveying and separating workpieces with a common structural frame for the static reception of the units of the handling section arranged at least between the first vibrating conveyor and the second vibrating conveyor or between the first vibrating conveyor and the erecting unit. The common structural frame is firmly connected to the individual units and, in particular, is designed so that its position can be adjusted. The common structural frame makes it possible to define the spatially precise allocation of the individual units on the structural frame in a uniform and fixed manner and thus to firmly define the arrangement, in particular the orientation of the units to one another and thus the precise transition between the units, in particular their slots or tubes to one another.This creates an increased level of reliability for the functionality and thus performance of the device for conveying and separating essentially cylindrical workpieces, especially during transport or when changing over the device. The option of joint spatial adjustment makes it possible to set the inclination of the units precisely and jointly, which is of particular importance for vibratory conveyors. The vibratory conveyors of the device are particularly efficient when they are aligned so that their essentially straight slots are horizontal or largely horizontal and thus have no incline or at most a slight incline.

[0036] Furthermore, it has proven particularly advantageous to further develop the device according to the invention for conveying and singling workpieces in such a way that the second singling unit is designed to be laterally movable and, in particular, to be laterally separable from the unit upstream of the handling section in the conveying direction. The bilateral mobility of the singling unit makes it possible to move it from an active state to an inactive state and vice versa and thus to control the singling in a targeted manner, which proves to be advantageous with regard to the removal of the separated, essentially cylindrical workpieces in the area of ​​subsequent removal. It has proven useful to carry out the removal from the singling unit in the inactive state.

[0037] In a particularly preferred embodiment of the device for conveying and separating workpieces, whose second separating unit has one or more rows of tubes for separating, the number of tubes in the row(s) is equal to the number of slots in the upstream erecting unit. Preferably, the spatial arrangement and dimensions of the tubes in the individual rows are selected such that they correspond to the slots of the upstream unit on the handling line and that conveying into the individual tubes from the individual slots is possible without disruption.By forming multiple rows of tubes of this type and thus offsetting the rows, it is possible to multiply the number of cylindrical workpieces picked up by the singling unit by laterally shifting the structure with the rows of corresponding tubes, thereby reducing the time interruptions required for removal and thereby increasing the efficiency of the device and thus the quality of the conveying and singling. The invention is explained below using a preferred embodiment with reference to the figures. The invention is not limited to this preferred embodiment.

[0038] Fig. 1 shows a schematic representation of an exemplary device for conveying and separating cylindrical workpieces,

[0039] Fig. 2 shows a schematic representation of a

[0040] Partial view of an exemplary device for conveying and separating cylindrical workpieces

[0041] Fig. 3 shows a schematic representation of a further partial view of an exemplary device for conveying and separating cylindrical workpieces and

[0042] Fig. 4 shows a schematic representation of a further partial view of an exemplary device for conveying and separating cylindrical workpieces.

[0043] Fig. 1 shows a schematic representation of a device for conveying and separating essentially cylindrical workpieces 1 along a handling section. The cylindrical workpieces can be fed to the handling section in bulk form via a feeder 2. After passing through the handling section, these cylindrical, conveyed and separated workpieces can be removed and thus discharged at a removal point 9. Following the feeder 2 along the handling section is a first vibrating conveyor 3 which enables the conveying of essentially cylindrical workpieces. The first vibrating conveyor 3 has a plurality of parallel slots 31 for receiving and conveying the essentially cylindrical workpieces, the width of the slots 31 being selected such that it is slightly smaller than the diameter of the essentially cylindrical workpieces.The slots 31 are open at the top and at least partially open at the bottom, so that the cylindrical workpieces fall downward through the slots if their diameter is smaller than the nominal diameter of the essentially cylindrical workpieces. This is often the case, especially with essentially cylindrical workpieces made of fiber material for filters, due to manufacturing reasons.

[0044] The cylindrical workpieces which are too small in diameter and which have fallen through the openings of the slots 31 are collected in a reject container 21 below the first vibrating conveyor 3 and are thus removed from the production or conveying process.

[0045] The first vibration conveyor 3 is followed by a first separation unit 4 for separating the essentially cylindrical workpieces. The first separation unit 4 is designed to sort out cylindrical workpieces with a diameter that is too large and to convey them back towards the feeder 2 via a return line 20, thereby subjecting them to repeated or multiple passages through the first vibration conveyor 3 or the first separation unit 4. This is particularly important when the essentially cylindrical workpieces are made of fiber material, as is used, for example, in the production of filters.With these cylindrical workpieces made of fiber material, it is very common for individual fiber protrusions to exceed the diameter of the structure of the cylindrical workpieces and are therefore unsuitable for further processing as part of the conveying process or the singling process or even for subsequent production. Such protrusions can even lead to a blockage of the conveying process or the singling process or even the subsequent production process, which should be avoided if possible because these disruptions lead to considerable losses in efficiency of the device. It has been shown that when the workpiece is repeatedly passed through the first vibration conveyor 3 or the first singling unit 4, these protrusions are lost and this results in sufficiently accurate, essentially cylindrical workpieces, which can increase the efficiency of the device.

[0046] Following the first singling unit 4 along the handling section is a deflection unit 5 for deflecting the upright, i.e. vertically oriented, cylindrical workpieces transferred from the first singling unit 4 into a substantially horizontal position, which enables a smooth transition or transfer to the subsequent second vibratory conveyor 6. The second vibratory conveyor 6 has a plurality of parallel slots 61, closed at the bottom, for receiving and conveying the essentially cylindrical workpieces. The width of the slots 61 is essentially slightly larger than or equal to the diameter of the essentially cylindrical workpieces. This size of the slots 61 makes it possible to convey the essentially cylindrical workpieces in or along the slots 61 particularly efficiently and reliably by means of the micro-throwing movements generated by the second vibratory conveyor 6.This can be made even safer by applying a cover that covers the slots 61.

[0047] The second vibration conveyor 6 is followed by an erecting unit 7 for deflecting the essentially cylindrical workpieces into a substantially upright position. This deflection of the essentially cylindrical workpieces is achieved by means of the slots 71 provided in the erecting unit 7, which run parallel to one another and are provided with a cover and thus exhibit a curved, channel-like shape. With the upright position at the end of the erecting unit 7, the downstream second separating unit 8 can be filled particularly efficiently and reliably.

[0048] The erection unit 7 is followed along the handling line by the second separation unit 8, which in turn is followed by the removal unit 9 along the handling line. In the removal area 9, the essentially cylindrical workpieces separated by the second separation unit 8 and conveyed along the handling line are made available for collection or removal. This defined position of the conveyed and separated workpieces allows for particularly effective and safe handling in the further production process, for example of medical test equipment with such filters that have a cylindrical shape.

[0049] The first singling unit 4 as well as the second singling unit 8 have a plurality of essentially vertically running tubes 41, 81. The tubes 41 arranged in the first singling unit 4 have a diameter which is selected to be the same as or only slightly larger than the diameter of the desired, essentially cylindrical workpieces. This desired diameter therefore corresponds to the target diameter of the usual, desired, essentially cylindrical workpieces. In contrast, the second singling unit 8 has a plurality of tubes 81 whose diameter is selected to be the same as or only slightly larger than the diameter of the desired workpieces. These tubes 81 are provided with a fall-through protection 82 so that these tubes 81 can receive and store the essentially cylindrical workpieces. The fall-through protection 82 can be designed as a constriction of the tubes 81 or as a cover or base of the tubes 81.In contrast, the tubes 41 of the first separation unit 4 are uniformly formed, so that the picked up, cylindrical workpieces are oriented vertically, slide along the vertically running tubes 41 due to their weight and are transferred to the subsequent unit for deflection 5.

[0050] The design of the essentially vertically extending tubes 41, 81 ensures that essentially cylindrical workpieces with an excessively large diameter cannot be picked up by the first separating unit 4 or the second separating unit 8 and conveyed further. Rather, in the first separating unit 4, these workpieces that are too large, i.e., those with an excessively large diameter, are conveyed back to the feeder 2 by means of the return conveyor 20.

[0051] The diameter of the tubes 41, 81 is typically selected such that it is a maximum of 10% larger, in particular a maximum of 5% larger, than the target diameter of the desired cylindrical workpieces. The same applies to the width of the slots 31, which is selected to be a maximum of 10% smaller, in particular a maximum of 5% smaller, than the target diameter of the desired cylindrical workpieces. The deviation from the target diameter can be adjusted depending on the quality of the workpieces.

[0052] The separation units 4, 8 are each assigned cleaning units 10, which are suitable for blowing the tubes 41, 81 located therein free by means of compressed air and thereby cleaning them from possible contamination or also for blowing these tubes 41, 81 free in the event of blockages and thus cleaning them and thereby preventing or eliminating a blockage or significant impairment of the efficiency of the device 1.

[0053] The device 1 is provided with a structural frame 30 for the static support of the units 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 arranged between the first vibratory conveyor 3 and the erecting unit 7 along the handling path. By means of this common structural frame 30, it is possible to

[0054] 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 in a fixed connection, i.e. statically relative to one another, thus ensuring a safe transition of the essentially cylindrical workpieces along the handling section. In order to achieve optimal conveying, in particular along the vibratory conveyors 3, 6, the common structural frame 30 is provided with an adjustment option that enables a horizontal or essentially horizontal alignment of the vibratory conveyors 3, 6. This ensures particularly safe conveying by means of micro-throwing movements.

[0055] Figure 2 shows a schematic view of part of the device 1, viewed obliquely from above. The part begins with the feeder 2 and is formed by an indicated cylindrical spiral conveyor 22 with a subsequent chute. The chute of the feeder 2 ensures that the essentially cylindrical workpieces fall from above onto the first vibrating front 3 and, as a result of the vibration of the vibrating conveyor 3, find themselves in the parallel slots 31 in a longitudinal orientation and move in these slots 31 away from the feeder 2 in the direction of the first separating unit 3. The first separating unit 4 with the tubes 41 is connected to the front end of the slots 31 of the first vibrating conveyor 3, facing away from the feeder 2.

[0056] The tubes 41 are arranged directly below the slots 31 and thus enable the cylindrical workpieces falling out at the end of the slots 31 to fall directly onto or into the tubes 41 of the first separating unit 4 and thus, if necessary, to be separated in these and conveyed vertically downwards in the direction of the deflection unit 5.

[0057] The number of tubes 41 of the first separation unit 4 corresponds to the number of slots 31 of the first vibration unit 3. The same applies to their spacing and thus their relative position to one another.

[0058] After the cylindrical workpieces have been conveyed downward through the individual tubes 41, they slide in channels through the deflection unit 5 such that they are deflected from the vertical orientation to the horizontal orientation and are then conveyed directly into the slots 61 of the second vibratory conveyor 6 and, with the aid of the micro-throwing movements of the second vibratory conveyor 6, are conveyed in the direction of the subsequent units 7, 8, 9. The second vibratory conveyor 6 is provided with a cover so that the slots 61 have the shape of a channel in which the essentially cylindrical workpieces are conveyed evenly.

[0059] Figure 3 schematically shows a part of the device 1 in a view obliquely from below. The part shown shows, in the center, the deflection unit 5, the first separating unit 4 arranged above it, which is shown essentially from below or from the side, and the indicated second vibrating conveyor 6 following the deflection unit 5. These units are arranged on a common structural frame 30, which statically defines these units and firmly connects them to one another and enables common adjustment.

[0060] On the underside of the first separating unit 4, a number of cleaning units 10 are arranged on the edge, each of which is assigned to a tube 41 (not shown in Figure 3) of the first separating unit 4 and is suitable for blowing the tubes 41 free using compressed air from a nozzle 11 and thereby cleaning them of dirt or blockages. The cleaning units 10 are controlled in such a way that they cyclically emit a burst of compressed air after a predetermined time to clean the assigned tubes 41. In addition, cleaning units 10 are provided with a sensor 12 which determines by means of a negative pressure measurement whether the assigned tube 41 is partially or completely blocked.If a blockage or contamination is detected by the sensor 12 of the cleaning unit 10, then in addition to or as an alternative to the time-based control, the nozzle 11 can be controlled so that the contaminated or blocked tube 41 is blown free and thus cleaned by compressed air. By providing the cleaning units 10, each of which is assigned to a tube 41, it is possible to keep the separation unit 4 functional to a very large extent, so that separation is successful and therefore efficient even with lower-quality, essentially cylindrical workpieces.

[0061] The combination of the first vibration conveyor 3 with the slots dimensioned in this way and the subsequent tubes 41 dimensioned in this way of the first separation unit 4 makes it possible to achieve a very effective selection of the essentially cylindrical workpieces, so that disturbing or unsuitable cylindrical workpieces can be excluded from further conveying or separation.

[0062] The deflection unit 5 is provided with a plurality of parallel slots 51 such that, with the interaction of a cover, they form a type of channel in which the cylindrical workpieces fed from the first separating unit 4 are reliably and efficiently deflected and can be fed to the downstream second vibration unit 6 with its slots 61. The number of tubes 41 and their spacing and positioning are selected such that they not only correspond to the slots 51 of the deflection unit 5 in terms of their number, but are designed to merge into one another in such a way that there is no mechanical obstruction due to impact on an edge or the like. The same applies to the transition from the slots 51 of the deflection unit 5 to the slots 61 of the second vibration conveyor 6.

[0063] Above the first separating unit 4 and the upstream first vibrating conveyor 3, the cylindrical structure of the spiral conveyor 22 is shown, which receives cylindrical workpieces rejected by the separating unit 4 via the return line (not shown in Figure 3) and then feeds them back to the first vibrating conveyor 3 via the chute of the feed 2.

[0064] Figure 4 schematically shows a part of the device 1 in a view obliquely from above, showing the second vibration conveyor 6, followed by the erecting unit 7 and the subsequent second separating unit 8.

[0065] The slots 61 of the second vibratory conveyor 6 are aligned horizontally and thus enable very effective transport and thus very effective conveying of the essentially cylindrical workpieces by means of micro-throwing movements in the direction of the downstream erecting unit 7, which is provided with slots 71 corresponding to the slots 61 and which is suitable for transferring the horizontally fed cylindrical workpieces from a horizontal orientation to a vertical or essentially vertical orientation. This is achieved by appropriately curved slots 71, which, in conjunction with a cover, form a type of channel and reliably guide the fed cylindrical workpieces in order to subsequently deliver them to the second separating unit 8.

[0066] The second vibration conveyor 6 and the erection unit 7 are connected to a common structural frame 30, which defines a secure assignment of these units 6, 7 to one another and enables a common adjustment, in particular with regard to the horizontal orientation of the second vibration conveyor 6 but also of the first vibration conveyor 3.

[0067] The second singulation unit 8 has as its essential component a horizontally arranged, essentially rectangular metal plate which can be moved laterally both in the longitudinal direction 83 and in the transverse direction 83 as required. The rectangular metal plate has two rows of spaced tubes 81 which run parallel to one another and are spaced from one another. The position of the tubes 81 in a row corresponds to the vertical ends of the slots 71 of the erecting unit 7. This correspondence occurs both in the number and in the spacing and also in the orientation or positioning. By moving in the lateral direction it is possible to position the individual rows under the vertical ends of the slots 71 of the erecting unit 7 as required in such a way that the cylindrical workpieces located therein are conveyed into the tubes 81, which occurs under their own weight.The tubes 81 have a fall-through guard 82 which is formed by a cuboid arranged beneath the rectangular plate. This limits the passage of the tubes 81 at the bottom so that the cylindrical workpieces introduced into the tubes 81 cannot fall through. This enables the cylindrical workpieces to be separated. In order to make this as efficient as possible, the two rows are filled one behind the other using the cylindrical workpieces, which is accompanied by a corresponding separation, and then moved out of the region of the vertical ends of the slots 71 by displacement in a lateral direction of movement 83 so that these are closed on the one hand and the filled tubes 81 are brought into a removal position 9 on the other.In this position and thus during removal, the separated, selected and conveyed essentially cylindrical workpieces are removed from the device 1 and fed to a further production process. The two-stage design of the device 1 for conveying, separating and also selecting the essentially cylindrical workpieces makes it possible to maintain particularly high production reliability and conveying quality. This is because, on the one hand, the quality of the cylindrical workpieces conveyed to the end is ensured in a first step and, on the other hand, the quantity of conveyed, separated and selected workpieces is enabled to remain uniformly high in a second process.As a result, the device 1 shown proves to be particularly advantageous and particularly very robust with regard to possible interference caused by contamination or by deviations in shape or size, particularly by lint adhering to cylindrical workpieces made of fiber material, such as are very frequently used in the medical field, especially for test equipment.

[0068] Reference symbol list

[0069] Device for conveying and separating essentially cylindrical workpieces

[0070] Feeding

[0071] First vibratory conveyor

[0072] First separation unit

[0073] deflection unit

[0074] Second vibratory conveyor

[0075] On the right unit

[0076] Second separation unit

[0077] Withdrawal

[0078] cleaning unit

[0079] nozzle

[0080] sensor

[0081] Repatriation

[0082] Reject container

[0083] Wendei sponsor

[0084] Structure frame

[0085] slots

[0086] tubes

[0087] slots

[0088] slots

[0089] slots

[0090] tubes

[0091] Diarrhea protection

[0092] Lateral movement direction

Claims

Claims Device for conveying and separating workpieces (1) along a handling section, wherein workpieces can be fed to the handling section in bulk form at a feed (2), wherein the separated workpieces can be removed from the handling section at a removal (9), and wherein a vibration conveyor (3) is provided which enables the conveyance of workpieces, characterized in that a first vibration conveyor (3) which enables the conveyance of substantially cylindrical workpieces is arranged downstream of the feed (2), that the first vibration conveyor (3) has a plurality of parallel slots (31) for receiving and conveying the substantially cylindrical workpieces, wherein the width of said slots is selected to be slightly smaller than the diameter of the substantially cylindrical workpieces and which are designed to be open at the bottom at least partially over the length,that the first vibration conveyor (3) is followed by a first separating unit (4) for separating the essentially cylindrical workpieces, that a second vibration conveyor (6) is arranged downstream of the first separating unit (4), which enables the conveying of substantially cylindrical workpieces, that the second vibration conveyor (6) has a plurality of parallel slots (61) closed at the bottom for receiving and conveying the substantially cylindrical workpieces, and the width of the slots (61) is selected to be substantially slightly greater than or equal to the diameter of the substantially cylindrical workpieces, and that the removal unit (9) is arranged downstream of the second vibration conveyor (6). Device for conveying and separating workpieces according to claim 1, wherein an erecting unit (7) for deflecting the substantially cylindrical workpieces into a substantially upright position is arranged downstream of the second vibration conveyor (6), and that the removal unit (9) is arranged downstream of the erecting unit (7).Device for conveying and separating workpieces according to claim 2, wherein a second separating unit (8) for separating the substantially cylindrical workpieces is provided between the erecting unit (7) and the removal unit (9). Device for conveying and separating workpieces according to claim 3, wherein the second separating unit (8) has a plurality of substantially vertically extending tubes (81), the diameter of which is selected to be equal to or only slightly larger than the diameter of the substantially cylindrical workpieces, which have a fall-through protection (82) and which are provided for receiving the substantially cylindrical workpieces. Device for conveying and separating workpieces according to one of claims 1 or 4, wherein the first separating unit (4) has a plurality of substantially vertically extending tubes (41), the diameter of which is selected to be equal to or only slightly larger than the diameter of the substantially cylindrical workpieces and which are provided for receiving the substantially cylindrical workpieces. Device for conveying and separating workpieces according to claim 5, wherein a deflection unit (5) for deflecting the workpieces from the substantially vertically extending tubes (41) into a substantially horizontal position is arranged downstream of the first separating unit (4), and wherein the second vibration conveyor (6) is arranged downstream of the first separating unit (4). Device for conveying and separating workpieces according to one of claims 1 to 6, wherein at least one cleaning unit (10) is provided, which is intended for cleaning at least one separating unit (4, 8), a deflection unit (5), an erecting unit (7) and / or at least one vibratory conveyor (3, 6), in particular by means of compressed air. Device for conveying and separating workpieces according to claim 7, wherein at least one cleaning unit (10) has at least one compressed air nozzle (11) which is assigned to one or a few tubes (41, 81) and / or one or a few slots (31, 61, 51, 71) and is suitable for cleaning them.Device for conveying and separating workpieces according to one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that at least one sensor (12) is provided for detecting blockages in at least one separating unit (4, 8), a deflection unit (5), an erecting unit (7) and / or at least one vibration conveyor (3, 6) and that this at least one sensor (12) is connected in particular to a control for controlling at least one cleaning unit (10). Device for conveying and separating workpieces according to one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the number of slots (31, 61) of the vibratory conveyors (3, 6) and / or the number of tubes (41, 81) of the separating units (4, 8) are selected to be the same or a multiple of one another. Device for conveying and separating workpieces according to one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the slots (31, 61) of the vibratory conveyors (3, 6) and the tubes (41, 81) of the separating unit (4, 8) or the separating units (4, 8) are designed to merge directly or indirectly into one another. Device for conveying and separating workpieces according to one of claims 1 to 11, further comprising at least one return line (20) for essentially cylindrical workpieces removed from the handling section to the feed line (2).Device for conveying and separating workpieces according to one of claims 1 to 12, wherein a structural frame (30) is provided for the static reception of the units of the handling section arranged at least between the first vibration conveyor (3) and the second vibration conveyor (6) or the erecting unit (7), wherein the structural frame (30) is firmly connected to the individual units (3, 4, 5, 6, 7) and is designed in particular to be adjustable in its position. Device for conveying and separating Workpieces according to one of claims 1 to 13, wherein the second separating unit (8) is laterally movable and, in particular, can be separated laterally from the unit (7) arranged upstream of the handling section in the conveying direction. Device for conveying and separating workpieces according to one of claims 1 to 14, wherein the second separating unit (8) has one or more rows of tubes (81) for separating, the number of tubes (81) of which is equal to the number of slots (71) of the upstream erecting unit (7).

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