Rotating console for a rail-guided transport system

Abstract

Rotary console for a rail-guided transport system, comprising a turntable having a first rail section for a first transport direction and a second rail section for a second transport direction, and being rotatable such that the first rail section or the second rail section enables a corresponding connection with connecting rail sections outside the rotary console, wherein the turntable is designed in a hollow chamber construction.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the invention

[0001] The invention relates to a rotary console or rotary switch for a rail-guided transport system. 2. Description of the state of the art

[0002] In intralogistics, rail-guided transport systems are used in warehouses and production areas to automatically convey goods or workpieces. These systems can include, for example, two-track floor-mounted conveyors or overhead monorail systems. To move the conveyed goods to different destinations within a transport system, rail switches are used. These switches typically consist of a movable rail segment that can be rotated, folded, or shifted, connecting corresponding sections of a main track to a secondary track.

[0003] A common concept in floor-based conveyor systems is the sliding switch. In this design, a sliding table with, for example, two rail sections is moved laterally relative to the conveying direction. This allows conveyance – coming, for instance, from a main track – either via the first rail section into a first connecting rail section of the main track, or via the second rail section into another connecting rail section, for example, of a secondary track. Reliable switches can be implemented in this way; however, this design has certain disadvantages for specific requirements: Due to the inherent construction of a sliding switch, it requires lateral space for the movement of the sliding table and the associated drive components. This space is often limited in production and storage facilities.

[0004] Sliding switches are designed according to the expected loads in both sliding positions and are therefore usually constructed with massive steel components to safely bear the required loads. This entails high material and assembly costs.

[0005] To keep manufacturing, assembly and operating costs low, low weight and low height combined with high payload are of great interest.

[0006] Against this background, there is a need for a compact and lightweight switch design for rail-bound transport systems that is also inexpensive to manufacture and can withstand the high loads permanently. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0007] This problem is solved by a rotating console according to independent claim 1. Further embodiments of the invention are specified in the dependent claims.

[0008] The rotary console according to the invention for a rail-guided transport system comprises a turntable that includes a first rail section for a first transport direction – for example, the main track – and a second rail section for a second transport direction – for example, a secondary track – and is rotatable such that either the first or the second rail section can be selectively connected to connecting rail sections outside the turntable, wherein the turntable is designed in a hollow chamber construction. This construction significantly reduces the overall weight of the rotary console and simultaneously maintains or improves its structural stability. The hollow chamber construction, through the appropriate arrangement of stiffeners, allows the forces to be selectively introduced into the corresponding structures, thus achieving significant weight advantages while simultaneously enabling high rigidity.This allows the rotating console to be designed to be compact and lightweight, and to be easily integrated into existing logistics environments.

[0009] In one embodiment, the turntable may include a disc to which the rail sections are attached. This disc can be made, for example, of a metal / sheet of appropriate thickness, making it simple and cost-effective to manufacture and providing an ideal mounting platform for all other components of the turntable. Furthermore, with a suitable material selection, it exhibits high tensile strength and can reliably absorb the applied forces.

[0010] In another embodiment, the turntable may comprise a plurality of cassettes arranged in a circle around the center of the turntable. The cassettes may also be made of a metal / sheet of suitable thickness and have an internal cavity. For example, the cassettes may have a U-shaped cross-section in one direction and / or be open in another. Their ring-shaped arrangement allows for a uniform distribution of the loads introduced into the turntable from above via the rail sections and increases the overall rigidity of the turntable.

[0011] In another embodiment, the cassettes can be connected to the base plate in such a way as to form a hollow chamber structure. Specifically, the cassettes can initially be connected to the base plate via a simple plug-in assembly. This simplifies the assembly of the swivel base, thus reducing manufacturing time and ultimately costs. In a second step, the cassettes can be adjusted so that manufacturing tolerances can be easily compensated for. Subsequently, the cassettes can be connected to each other and / or to the base plate, for example by welding, riveting, screwing, etc., thereby forming hollow structures.For the process of permanently connecting the cassettes to each other and / or to the blank, the cassettes to be joined are already fixed relative to each other and relative to the blank by means of the plug connection, and a dimensionally accurate connection can be created in a simple way that reliably withstands the stresses of conveyor operation. In particular, it can be provided that the cassettes are connected to each other at their outer circumference in the sense of a "drum hoop", for example by welding.

[0012] This increases the stability of the hollow chamber or sandwich arrangement and contributes to improving the stiffness of the swivel base.

[0013] In a particular embodiment, the cassettes can also be designed so that they can be permanently connected to each other after plug-in assembly. It can be provided that the cassettes are initially adjustable after plug-in assembly and only then permanently joined together, for example by welding. This increases ease of assembly and allows for flexible production, as the individual parts can first be provisionally positioned before the final, stable connection is made.

[0014] According to a further embodiment, the turntable can be provided with a slewing ring or a rotary mechanism. The rotational forces required for switch operation can be introduced into the turntable via such a slewing ring. The slewing ring absorbs not only the rotational forces required for the rotary motion, but also axial and tilting moments. This integrated bearing arrangement ensures precise, uniform rotation and minimizes the required installation space.

[0015] In one embodiment of this design, the slewing ring can additionally be provided with internal teeth. This design offers several advantages: Because the teeth are located inside the turntable, the associated components are easily protected against contamination or unauthorized access. In particular, the internal teeth allow for the arrangement of a drive unit—for example, a motor with a gearbox—also inside the turntable, so that the external dimensions of the turntable do not exceed those necessary for the rotational movement. This enables a very compact design in the lateral direction—i.e., in the plane of the rails—and in the horizontal direction.

[0016] In a further embodiment, the slewing ring can also be connected to a drive unit located on the turntable. Advantageously, the drive unit is positioned in the area of ​​the turntable in such a way that it does not protrude into the clearance profile of the rail sections. This allows for a particularly compact design, both perpendicular to the rail plane and vertically.

[0017] According to one embodiment, the drive can be connected to the slewing ring via a gearbox. A suitable gearbox helps to transmit the required rotational speed and torque to the turntable. It is important to note that the gearbox, together with the drive, must transfer the rotational forces of the turntable to the substructure and must be designed accordingly.

[0018] In one embodiment, the disc can be clamped to the slewing ring using compression clamping. This compression clamping creates a rigid connection that transfers the load forces from above to the slewing ring and ultimately to the substructure. Furthermore, the clamping allows for the compensation of manufacturing tolerances, such as those resulting from welding, and / or enables leveling of the slewing base with regard to flatness.

[0019] In one embodiment, support or pressure screws can be provided to adjust the flatness of the turntable. Using these screws, compensation can be individually adjusted for each pressure screw, allowing the disc and thus the entire turntable to be optimally leveled with regard to flatness, analogous to the spokes of a bicycle. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] An embodiment of the invention will now be explained in more detail with reference to the drawings. These show: Fig. 1 a first side view, Fig. 2 a top view, Fig. 3 a second side view, Fig. 4 a bottom view and Fig. 5 a perspective view of an embodiment of a rotary console according to the invention, and Fig. 6 a perspective detail view of a sheet metal cassette of the rotary console. DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EXAMPLES

[0021] The Figures 1-5Figure 10 shows a schematic representation of a rotating console 10 for a two-track, rail-guided ground-based transport system in various views. The rotating console 10 comprises a turntable 12. The turntable 12 has a first straight, two-track rail section 14, formed by a first rail 16 and a second rail 18, and a second, two-track curved rail section 20, formed by two curved rails 22 and 24. The rail sections 14 and 20 are designed to allow connection of connecting rail sections (not shown) to either the first rail section 14 or the second rail section 20. The illustrated two-track ground-based rotating console is merely an example. The invention can also be implemented in a single-track ground-based system or in a suspended monorail system according to the principles shown.

[0022] The turntable 12 is essentially annular in shape, although the outer boundary of the ring does not necessarily have to conform to a geometric circle. Depending on the manufacturing process, other geometric configurations are also conceivable. The turntable 12 has a sheet metal disc 26 as its upper termination on the top surface to which the aforementioned rail sections 14 and 20 are attached. This disc is also annular in shape – the same considerations regarding the geometric configuration apply here as for the turntable 12 itself.

[0023] The sheet metal disc 26 carries on its upper surface 27 the said rails 16, 18, 22, 24, which are connected to the upper surface 27 of the sheet metal disc 26 by suitable fastening means, such as the angle brackets 29 shown.

[0024] On the underside 28 of the sheet metal disc 26, which is in Figure 4As can be clearly seen, a series of sheet metal cassettes 30 are arranged in a circle around the center of the sheet metal disc 26. One such sheet metal cassette 30 is shown in more detail in the Figure 6 illustrated. In the Figure 4 In the illustrated embodiment, 24 sheet metal cassettes 30 are arranged in a circle around the center of the sheet metal disc 26. The number of sheet metal cassettes 30 and their dimensions are determined by the desired stability and the associated material requirements, and can vary significantly depending on the application. The sheet metal cassettes 30, as shown in Figure 6A trapezoidal basic structure can be seen. From a base surface 32, which is aligned parallel to the plane of the sheet metal disc 26, webs 34, 36 extend on three sides. The two opposing, non-parallel webs 36 have plug-in lugs 38 on the side facing the sheet metal disc 26. These can be inserted into corresponding recesses, i.e., elongated holes, slots, or grooves 40, for assembly in order to fix the sheet metal cassettes 30 relative to the sheet metal disc 26. Figure 2 Two such elongated holes are shown as examples, each marked with a reference symbol 40.

[0025] After inserting the sheet metal cassettes 30 into the elongated holes 40 of the blank 26, the cassettes 30 can be aligned during the manufacturing process, for example, wedged in place, and connected to each other and / or to the sheet metal blank 26 at selected points – for example, welded – to achieve the required stability of the turntable 10 through the resulting hollow chamber or sandwich structure. The hollow chambers created within the cassettes 30 serve to introduce and ultimately transmit forces to the substructure of the rotary console 10 without significant deformation of the turntable 12, since the flatness can be adjusted by means of the required setting of the pressure screws.

[0026] The sheet metal disc 26 can be manufactured in one piece or in multiple pieces. As shown in Figure 2As can be seen in the embodiment shown in the figures, the disc 26 is made in two parts and has a first half 26.1 and a second half 26.2, which are connected by suitable connecting means 26.3 (see for example Figure 4 ) are connected to each other. This can be advantageous, for example, during transport and assembly of the swivel base.

[0027] Inside the turntable 12, a central recess 42 is provided in which a slewing ring 44 is arranged (see in particular ). Figure 2 The slewing ring 44 has a fixed toothed ring 46. This is, for example, as in Figure 4 shown - connected to the fixed substructure via a suitable fastening structure. In the case of the Figures 1-5In the illustrated embodiment, this is a suitable perforated disc 47 which, via bearing feet 48, enables a rotationally and tilt-resistant connection to the ground in order to transfer the forces occurring into the substructure. The toothed ring is rotatably mounted relative to the rest of the turntable 44, for example via a ball bearing. A drive pinion 50 of a gearbox 52, which is connected to a drive motor 54, engages in the toothed ring 46. The gearbox 52 is connected to the turntable 12 in a torsionally and rotationally rigid manner and is thus arranged between the rail sections 22 and 18 in such a way that it does not interfere with the clearance gauge and uninterrupted train operation is possible on the track sections 14 and 20.

[0028] During operation, the motor 54 is controlled such that a torque is transmitted via the gearbox 52 to the drive pinion 50, which is then transmitted via the gear-ring connection to the ring gear 46, thus setting the entire rotary table 12 into a rotational movement relative to the ring gear 46 and ultimately relative to the support structure 47 and the base. The support structure 47 has a clearance 56 for this purpose, which allows the necessary angular rotation of the rotary table 12.

[0029] To increase the rigidity of the turntable 12, particularly under forces introduced from above into the sheet metal disc 46 via the rails 16, 18, 22, 24, radial bracing of the sheet metal disc 26 relative to the slewing ring 44 is provided. For this purpose, screw connections 60 are provided at regular intervals along the inner circumference in the area of ​​the slewing ring 44 on the underside 28 of the sheet metal disc 26. These screw connections have mounting blocks that are fixedly connected to the underside 28 of the sheet metal disc 26 and allow pressure to be exerted on the slewing ring 44 by means of an inserted screw. This enables, on the one hand, adjustment of the sheet metal disc 26 relative to the slewing ring 44 and, on the other hand, the transfer of axial and tilting moments exerted on the slewing ring 44 into the sheet metal disc 26 and thus into the hollow chamber structure. This increases the overall stability of the turntable 12.

[0030] For the operation of the rotary console 10, electrical connections are required, for example for current-carrying rail sections and for controlling the drive 54 and the associated sensors. These are not explicitly shown.

[0031] The illustrated embodiment, with its hollow chamber structure, allows for a low overall height of, for example, only 300 mm when using 180 mm high guide rails, with only 120 mm effectively required for the actual turntable construction. The use of the slewing ring design also contributes to this. Positioning the drive 54 inside the turntable 10 reduces the overall installation space required by the turntable, thus enabling a compact design even in the vertical direction. Suitable material thicknesses for the sheet metal cassettes are, for example, 2–3 mm. The sheet metal disc 12 can, for example, be made from sheet metal between 3 and 5 mm thick. The resulting very high rigidity requires minimal material.

[0032] At the transitions between rail sections 16, 18, 22, and 24 and the surrounding connecting rail sections, support blocks can be provided on the underside of the turntable 12. These blocks only come into contact with the turntable 12 when the rail sections are traversed, but remain free during any adjustment process. This allows the rotation to proceed without friction.

[0033] The rotation angle of the into the Figures 1 to 5 In the illustrated embodiment, the rotation angle is 32.6°, but other angles of rotation are also possible, for example from 20° to 60°, and possibly even up to 90°. In the illustrated embodiment, adjustment times of less than two seconds can be achieved.

Claims

1. Rotary console (10) for a rail-guided transport system, comprising: a) a turntable (12) having a first rail section (14) for a first transport direction and a second rail section (20) for a second transport direction and being rotatable such that the first rail section (14) or the second rail section (15) enables a corresponding connection with connecting rail sections outside the rotary console (10), b) wherein the turntable (12) is constructed in a hollow chamber design.

2. Rotating console according to claim 1, wherein the turntable (12) comprises a disc (26) to which the rail sections (14, 20) are attached.

3. Rotating console according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the rotating platform (12) comprises a plurality of cassettes (30) arranged in a circle around the center point of the rotating console (10).

4. Rotating console according to claim 3, wherein the cassettes (30) are connected to the disc (26) in such a way that they form a hollow chamber structure.

5. Swivel console according to one of claims 3-4, wherein the cassettes (30) are designed such that they can be permanently connected to each other and / or to the disc (26) after plug-in assembly.

6. Swivel console according to claim 1, characterized by the fact that the turntable (12) has a rotating ring (44).

7. Rotary console according to claim 6, wherein the slewing ring (44) has an internal toothing (46).

8. Rotary console according to one of claims 6 or 7, wherein the slewing ring (44) is connected to a drive (52) which is arranged on the turntable (12).

9. Rotary console according to claim 8, wherein the drive (52) is connected to the slewing ring (44) by means of a gearbox (50).

10. Swivel base according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the disc (26) is compression-tensioned to the swivel ring (44).

11. Swivel base according to one of the preceding claims, wherein support screws are provided to adjust the flatness of the swivel plate.

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