Transport system for wires or metal sheets and method for delivering wires or metal sheets - Patents.com

Abstract

To create a transport system which makes it possible to transport a wire or metal sheet of any length and with the required quality to the location of the use of the wire or the metal sheet.SOLUTION: A transport system (1) for a wire (18) or a metal sheet comprises: a transport platform (3); a receptacle (14) for the wire or the metal sheet, the receptacle (14) being configured in such a manner that the wire (18) or the metal sheet may be received coiled on the receptacle (14); a drive (20), the drive (20) being configured in such a manner that the wire (18) or the metal sheet may be conveyed by the drive (20) in a transport direction; and a straightening device (24), the straightening device (24) being configured in such a manner that the wire (18) or the metal sheet can be straightened with the straightening device (24).SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a wire or sheet metal transport system and a method for transporting wire or sheet metal.

[0002] Additionally, the present disclosure relates to a method of delivering the wire or metal plate. Summary of the Invention

[0003] It is difficult to further process wires or metal sheets, especially cold-formed wires or metal sheets made of stainless steel, after the actual production of the wires or metal sheets without changing the material properties of the wires or metal sheets. Today, such wires or metal sheets are delivered as wire or metal sheet sections to customers for further processing there. In this case, the wires or metal sheets are delivered in a maximum length that allows them to be transported in a truck in an unrolled state. A typical maximum length of the individual delivered wire or metal sheet sections is about 12 m.

[0004] In accordance with one aspect of the present disclosure, it is necessary to create a transportation system that allows any length of wire or metal sheet with the required quality to be transported to the location where the wire or metal sheet will be used.

[0005] Thus, a transport system for wires or metal sheets, comprising: A transportation platform; a receiving section for a wire or a metal plate, the receiving section being configured so that the wire or the metal plate can be received in the receiving section in a coiled state; a drive unit configured so that the wire or metal plate can be conveyed in a conveying direction by the drive unit; An orthodontic device configured so that the wire or metal plate can be corrected by the orthodontic device; Equipped with A transport system for wires or metal plates is proposed, in which a storage unit, a drive unit and a straightening device are arranged on a transport platform such that the wire or metal plate can be automatically pulled out of the storage unit by the drive unit and fed to the straightening device.

[0006] The idea behind the present transport system is to provide a transport system for coiled wire or coiled metal sheets of almost any length, limited only by the volume of the coil, which, however, does not typically correspond to the customer's requirements, at least in terms of its straightness. The transport system therefore allows an automatic final processing of the wire or sheet metal at the site where the wire or sheet metal is used, i.e. at the customer's site. This allows the transport system for the wire or sheet metal to be provided by the wire or sheet metal manufacturer, who is then responsible for the final processing, for example at the customer's site, and the customer only has to remove the finished wire or sheet metal portion of the desired length and with the desired quality from the transport platform. In one embodiment, the final processing is performed fully automated.

[0007] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the transport system further comprises a cutting device configured and arranged such that the wire or metal plate can be cut by the cutting device, thereby allowing portions of the wire or metal plate to be produced in selectable lengths, and the container, the drive unit, the straightening device and the cutting device are arranged on the transport platform such that the wire or metal plate can be automatically pulled from the container by the drive unit and fed to the straightening device and the cutting device.

[0008] The transport platform is a support with sufficient stability for accommodating further elements of the transport system, said stability being provided even during transport from one location to another, for example by truck.

[0009] Importantly, in one embodiment, the transport platform is itself liftable and / or transportable or is connected to the bottom of a device which is itself liftable or transportable, e.g. a roll-off container or a transport container. In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the transport platform is transportable, e.g. by a floor conveyor or a container handling device, and can be accommodated in a means of transport, e.g. a truck or a rail car. In one embodiment, the transport platform or the device connected to the transport platform has the necessary equipment for lifting and transporting. In one embodiment, the transport platform or the device connected to the transport platform has lifting eyes for fixing the lifting equipment and / or recesses for accommodating the forks of a floor conveyor.

[0010] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the transport system further comprises four side walls and a roof, where in one embodiment, the four side walls and the roof are joined to a transport platform to form together a transport container, the transport platform forming the bottom of the transport container. In yet another embodiment, the transport container is formed by four side walls, a roof and an additional bottom, where the transport platform is housed on the bottom inside the transport container and is preferably joined to said bottom. The side walls and roof allow the wires or metal sheets to be transported protected from environmental influences. Similarly, the side walls and roof also protect the remaining equipment of the transport platform.

[0011] Such a solution also makes it possible to completely protect the coiled wire or coiled sheet metal and the equipment inside the shipping container from any intervention by the customer. In one scenario, the manufacturer delivers the coiled wire or coiled sheet metal in a closed shipping container of the shipping system according to the present disclosure, and the customer automatically removes the coiled wire or coiled sheet metal from the shipping container, or in one embodiment, automatically removes each required length of the coiled wire or coiled sheet metal portion.

[0012] In one embodiment, one of the side walls or the roof is provided with a closable loading port for feeding coiled wire or metal sheets into the transport system.

[0013] In another embodiment of the disclosure, one of the side walls or the roof is provided with a closable outlet through which the wire or sheet or parts of the wire or sheet can be removed from the transport system, and the container, the drive, the straightening device and optionally the cutting device are arranged in such a way that the wire or sheet or parts of the wire or sheet can be discharged through the outlet, which outlet is of course arranged behind the last device on the transport platform in the conveying direction of the wire or sheet.

[0014] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the transport system includes a roll-off container for storage on a truck, and the transport platform is the bottom of the roll-off container or the transport platform is stored on the bottom of the roll-off container. Such roll-off containers are known as components of the load-bearing systems of rescue agencies, e.g., fire engines and technical support units, and are easily transported by corresponding trucks and essentially precisely set up. In one embodiment, the roll-off container has holes for gripping the roll-off container and, optionally, at least one roller below the bottom of the roll-off container.

[0015] In an alternative embodiment of the present disclosure, the transport system comprises a transport container, for example a 40-foot container, in particular a 40-foot ISO container, where the transport platform is the bottom of the transport container or the transport platform is housed on the bottom of the transport container. It is to be understood that in one embodiment of the present disclosure, a roll-off platform can be further provided below the bottom of the transport container. The roll-off platform allows a conventional transport container to be transported as a roll-off container by a correspondingly equipped truck and to be installed or housed. Furthermore, in one embodiment, the roll-off platform has a hole for gripping the roll-off container and, optionally, at least one roller below the bottom of the roll-off container.

[0016] By coiled wire or coiled wire is meant in the sense of the present application a wound wire, i.e. a wire bent into a substantially arc-shaped shape by one or more turns. By coiled metal sheet or coiled metal sheet is meant in the sense of the present application a wound metal sheet, i.e. a metal sheet bent into a substantially arc-shaped shape by one or more turns.

[0017] A receptacle for such a coiled wire or such a coiled metal sheet can in one embodiment be configured such that a drum, for example made of wood, can be accommodated on the receptacle, where the wire or metal sheet itself is wound on the drum. A wire or metal sheet of almost any length can be wound on the drum.

[0018] When looking at cold-formed stainless steel wire or sheet metal, the length of said wire or sheet metal is initially limited by the length and mass of the base material (raw material for the cold forming process, such as cold pilger rolling or cold drawing) from which it is made, however, the transport system according to the present disclosure, in one embodiment, can provide lengths that can no longer be produced as a single piece by cold forming.

[0019] Thus, in one embodiment, the wires or metal sheets produced by cold forming are connected together to form a single long wire or metal sheet before being wound onto a drum, which has the advantage that a continuous, uninterrupted wire or metal sheet material can be fed to the devices on the transport platform, in particular the drive, the straightening device and optionally the cutting device, without the need for user intervention.

[0020] Thus, the transport system comprises a coiled wire or a coiled sheet metal in one embodiment of the present disclosure, where the wire or sheet metal is received in a receiving portion. In one embodiment, the wire or sheet metal consists of a number of cold-formed stainless steel wire or sheet metal sections, the end faces of which are joined together. In this way, coiled wire or sheet metal lengths of up to 17,000 m are delivered, which are then cut on-site into wire or sheet metal sections of the required length. In one embodiment of the present disclosure, a drum on which the wire or sheet metal is coiled is part of the transport system.

[0021] In this case, the connection of the end faces of the wires or metal sheets into one long wire or metal sheet and then coiling can be done in various ways. In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the individual wires or metal sheets are joined together by orbital welding. By welding the individual cold-formed wire or metal sheet sections, the properties of the wire or metal sheet in the area of ​​the weld are changed, which can be cut off when removing the wire or metal sheet section from the transport system and reused as scrap. Alternatively, the ends of the two wires to be joined together can be crimped together.

[0022] In one embodiment according to the present disclosure, the transport system includes a weld seam detection device, possibly arranged in the material flow direction before the cutting device. In this case, the weld seam detection device is configured and arranged to detect a weld seam between two wire or metal sheet parts welded together. Such detection of the weld seam can be performed, for example, by means of a camera and suitable image evaluation software or also by means of an eddy current sensor. In one embodiment, a control unit is connected to the weld seam detection device and configured to control the cutting device so that the cutting device cuts off the weld seam from the wire or metal sheet.

[0023] In an alternative embodiment of the present disclosure, the housing for the wire or metal sheet includes a reel capable of housing a wire or metal sheet loosely wound without a core or drum. Such wire or metal sheet wound in a coil without a core or drum is also referred to as a "loose coil." Such a loose coil can be placed anew on the reel again and again, for example by a customer, when the material runs out.

[0024] In one embodiment of the disclosure, the receiving section for the wire or metal sheet comprises, besides a reel for placing the loose coil, an adjustment device allowing the wire or metal sheet to be unwound from the reel at the height of the entrance to the rest of the transport system. Besides such a height adjustment, the receiving section may also have a pivoting device allowing the winding axis of the reel to be pivoted, where in a preferred embodiment the winding axis is substantially horizontal for placing the coiled wire or metal sheet by the user and substantially vertical for unwinding the coiled wire or metal sheet.

[0025] Although the transport system according to the present disclosure is suitable for essentially any form of wire or metal sheet, the wire or metal sheet in one embodiment is made of metal, preferably steel, in particular stainless steel. In yet another embodiment, the wire or metal sheet is a work-hardened wire or metal sheet that has not been subjected to any further heat treatment after cold forming. In one embodiment, the wire or metal sheet comprises or consists of cold-formed, i.e. work-hardened, stainless steel. Needless to say, in one embodiment of the present invention, the wire or metal sheet is part of the transport system.

[0026] A drive in the sense of the present disclosure may be a drive integrated into one of the other elements, in particular the receiving part, the straightening device or the cutting device, which brings about the required advancement of the wire or metal plate, or it may be a separate driver provided for bringing about the advancement.

[0027] Now, in one embodiment of the present disclosure, the straightening device, in particular the straightening set, can be designed to be actively driven in order to provide the advance required to feed the individual devices and also to pull the wire or metal plate out of the receiving part.

[0028] In other embodiments of the present disclosure, the actuator is part of the housing, in which case the actuator removes the wire or metal plate from the housing and feeds it to yet another device.

[0029] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the driver is a roller conveyor, in which the transported wire or metal plate is guided between at least two rollers, whereby the rollers are automatically driven and frictionally engage the wire or metal plate, whereby rotation of the rollers causes the advancement of the wire or metal plate.

[0030] In another embodiment of the present disclosure, the straightening device comprises a straightening set including at least two profile rollers or a tilt roll type straightener.

[0031] The straightening device serves to bring the coiled wire or coiled metal sheet back into a straight shape with the required straightness.

[0032] In another embodiment of the present disclosure, the cutting device comprises a saw or cutting head that allows cutting of the wire or metal sheet. In this way, the customer can remove a section of wire or metal sheet of almost any length from the transport system. In another embodiment, the cutting device includes a punch or laser cutting device to punch or cut any shape from the metal sheet.

[0033] In another embodiment of the present disclosure, the cutting device includes a cooling section for cooling the cut surface of the wire or metal sheet with CO. Such a cooling section advantageously provides a high quality cut surface.

[0034] It goes without saying that the transport system may comprise, apart from the necessary devices, i.e. drives, straightening devices and optionally cutting devices, any further separate devices for processing or treating the wire or metal sheet.

[0035] Therefore, the transport system, in one embodiment of the present disclosure, has a marking device, e.g. a printer, arranged on the transport platform for marking the wire or sheet metal parts. In this way, the wire or sheet metal parts taken out of the transport system can be uniquely marked. Possible information that can be marked on the wire or sheet metal parts is, for example, the material and length of the wire or sheet metal.

[0036] In another embodiment of the present disclosure, the transportation system has a bending device arranged on the transportation platform for bending the wire or sheet metal section in a predetermined manner. The bending device allows the straightened and cut short wire or sheet metal section to be brought into a required shape for further processing. This type of bending device is advantageous, for example, when the wire or sheet metal section removed from the transportation system is used in aircraft manufacturing, in which case the wire or sheet metal section needs to be in a bent shape with a predetermined radius of curvature before being assembled.

[0037] In another embodiment of the present disclosure, the transport system comprises a degreasing device arranged on the transport platform for degreasing the wire or metal sheet, in this way making it possible to remove oily residues that typically come from previous manufacturing steps of the wire or metal sheet.

[0038] In yet another embodiment, the transport system includes a grinding device constructed and arranged such that portions of the wire or metal plate can be abraded by the grinding device.

[0039] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the transport system comprises a device for deburring the ends of the wires or metal sheets cut by the cutting device.

[0040] The delivery system of the present disclosure provides an advantage to a wire or sheet metal customer in that the customer can remove straightened wire or sheet metal sections from the delivery system at a length and / or shape that is predefined by the customer, where the customer, in one embodiment, does not have to worry about shipping or final manufacturing steps such as straightening and cutting.

[0041] For manufacturers of wire or sheet metal, a transport system according to one embodiment of the present disclosure has the advantage that the manufacturer integrates the final manufacturing steps, such as straightening and shearing, into the customer's manufacturing process.

[0042] In one embodiment of the transport system, the transport system comprises an electronic controller operatively connected to the container and / or the drive and / or the cutting device, the controller being configured to receive data from and / or output control instructions to the container and / or the drive and / or the cutting device during operation of the transport system. It goes without saying that the electronic controller comprises a processor, in particular a computing device, in one embodiment.

[0043] In another embodiment of the present disclosure, the control unit has a communication interface connectable to a data network, the communication interface being configured such that data can be transmitted from the transportation system to the server and / or from the server to the transportation system by the communication interface, it being understood that in one embodiment the data network is the Internet.

[0044] The transport system according to the present disclosure allows the wire or sheet metal manufacturer to be connected, possibly directly, to the manufacturing process of his customer. By means of a control unit, data is collected from the individual devices of the transport system and also from the wire or sheet metal contained within the transport system and is provided to the manufacturer's manufacturing process and to the customer's manufacturing process via a communication interface.

[0045] In one embodiment, the controller detects how much of the coiled wire or sheet metal stored in the container is removed from the transport system by the customer, and the controller triggers a reorder via the interface once it finds that the wire or sheet metal stored on the container is exhausted.

[0046] Additionally, the control and communication interface can be used to account for the amount of wire or sheet metal a customer has removed from the transport system and trigger checkout.

[0047] On the other hand, the customer can communicate via the communication interface, for example, the length of the next wire or sheet metal portion to be provided to the control, so that the transport system prepares and dispenses a wire or sheet metal portion of the desired length. Furthermore, directly via the control and the communication interface, a certificate or approval regarding the quality and grade of the wire or sheet metal portion removed from the transport system can be transmitted directly to the customer, so that the customer can automatically generate his own documentation of the wire or sheet metal portion used.

[0048] The transport system according to the present disclosure thereby allows a direct interconnection between the production of the wire or sheet metal by the manufacturer and the further processing of the wire or sheet metal by the customer.

[0049] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the communication interface is understood to be a network interface for connecting to a LAN or a wireless LAN, in particular, the communication interface is a mobile radio interface in one embodiment, for example based on the LTE standard.

[0050] Furthermore, in one embodiment of the present disclosure, the control unit comprises an electronic reader for contactlessly reading the data carrier.

[0051] In the sense of the present application, the concept "data carrier" is to be understood broadly. Examples of such contactlessly readable data carriers are RFID tags or also bar codes. In one embodiment, such an electronic reading device allows automatic detection of the wire or sheet metal material accommodated on the accommodation part.

[0052] For this purpose, the transport system in one embodiment has a drum for coiled wire or coiled metal sheet, in particular a drum with a coiled wire or metal sheet, where the drum is received on a receiving part and is provided with a contactlessly readable data carrier, which can be read by a reading device of the control unit. After the transport system with the drum, preferably a transport system with a drum with a coiled wire or metal sheet, has been sent, the control unit automatically has available information about what type of wire or metal sheet the transport system can provide to the customer.

[0053] In yet another embodiment of the present disclosure, the transport system has a coiled wire or a coiled metal plate, where the wire or metal plate is accommodated in an accommodation section and the wire or metal plate is provided with a contactless readable data carrier, which can be read by a reading device. In such an embodiment, the determination of the type of wire or metal plate accommodated in the transport system and available to the customer is possible not indirectly or not only via a drum for the coiled wire or coiled metal plate, but also directly via marking the wire or metal plate itself. It is understood that the contactless readable data carrier can be integrated, for example, in the wire or metal plate. In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the contactless readable data carrier is attached on the outside, on the wire or metal plate. If the attachment of the contactless readable data carrier is made at the end portion of the wire or metal plate, this end portion is cut off at the start, so that the data carrier does not interfere with further processing.

[0054] Further, there is provided a method of delivering a wire or metal plate, comprising the steps of: winding a wire or metal sheet into a coil; receiving the wire or metal plate in a receiving portion disposed on a transportation platform; transporting a transport platform from a first location to a second location; - conveying the wire or metal plate in a transport direction by a drive arranged on the transport platform, whereby the wire or metal plate is automatically drawn out of the storage and fed to the straightening device; straightening the wire or metal plate by a straightening device disposed on the transport platform; A method of delivering a wire or metal plate is proposed, comprising:

[0055] In one embodiment, the step of transporting the wire or metal sheet further comprises feeding it to a cutting device, and the method further comprises cutting the wire or metal sheet in the cutting device disposed on the transport platform so as to produce portions of the wire or metal sheet of selected length.

[0056] Insofar as the above and below aspects of the disclosure are described with respect to a transport system, these also apply to the corresponding methods for delivering wires or metal sheets, and vice versa. Insofar as the methods are carried out using a transport system according to the disclosure, the methods have corresponding apparatus therefor. In particular, the embodiments of the transport system are suitable for carrying out the methods.

[0057] It should be noted that the process steps listed above do not necessarily have to be performed in the order shown. It is thus conceivable that the transport platform is transported first and then the coiled wire or the coiled metal sheet is received on the receiving part. However, it is equally possible to first receive the coiled wire or the coiled metal sheet on the receiving part and then transport the transport platform together with the wire or the metal sheet.

[0058] Additionally, in one embodiment, the straightening and cutting steps may be interchanged, especially when sections of wire or sheet metal of short length or dimension are produced.

[0059] In one embodiment, the conveying, straightening and, optionally, cutting steps are controlled by a common controller which collects data measuring the length of the wire or sheet pulled from the container and which transmits this data to a server via a communication interface and a data network.

[0060] Further advantages, features and applications of the present disclosure will become apparent from the following description of the embodiments and the corresponding drawings. The above general description and the following detailed description of the embodiments can be better understood when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that the illustrated embodiments are not limited to the precise arrangements and instrumentalities. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0061] [Figure 1] FIG. 13 is a partially cutaway perspective view of a transportation system according to one variation of the present disclosure. [Diagram 2] FIG. 13 is a partially cutaway perspective view of another variation of a transportation system according to the present disclosure. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a side view of the transportation system of FIG. 2 when housed in a truck. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a top perspective view of an apparatus inside a transport container, such as a component of a transport system according to one variation of the present disclosure. [Diagram 5] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of the transport system control shown in FIG. 2. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0062] In the drawings, like elements are numbered likewise.

[0063] The transport systems 1, 1', 1'' of Figures 1 to 4 are all based on a 40 foot ISO sea container 2, as shown partially in perspective in Figures 1 to 3.

[0064] Each container 2 has a transport platform in the form of a bottom 3 of the container 2, four side walls 4, 5, 6, 7 and a roof 8. One of the longitudinal walls 4 is provided with a door 37 closing a loading opening 9. Furthermore, an end wall 5 is provided in the form of a double-leaf door, as is common in sea containers. The end wall 5 is further provided with an outlet 10 allowing a portion of wire 11 to be removed from the container 2. Needless to say, the outlet 10 can be closed by a cover in order to completely protect the interior of the container 2 from environmental influences during transport.

[0065] In the embodiment shown, the container is further accommodated in a roll-off adapter so that it can be transported and accurately placed using a truck 12 equipped for this purpose, for example as illustrated in Figure 3. Such a roll-off adapter has the same accommodation hooks 13 and rollers (not shown) as are known for roll-off containers.

[0066] Besides the container 2, the transport systems 1, 1', 1'' each comprise an apparatus inside the container 2. The basis for the transport or delivery of the wire 18 is a receptacle 14 or 14' for the coiled wire 18. The variants of figures 1 and 2 differ in the configuration of the receptacle 14, 14' for the coiled wire.

[0067] In the transport system 1 of FIG. 1, the receiving section 14 is a reel 15 for placing so-called loose coils, i.e. coiled wire wound without a core. The reel 15 is a component of the receiving section 14 and is typically not replaced even when reloading the wire material. The receiving section 14 further comprises a pivoting device 16 that allows to calibrate both the height of the reel 15 and the orientation of the rotation axis 17. The height of the reel 15 is adjusted to the height of the inlet for the wire 18 to the other devices of the transport system 1. To place the loose coil on the reel 15, the rotation axis 17 can be pivoted (not shown) so that it is oriented substantially horizontally so that the user can easily hang the loose coil on the reel. After this, the reel is pivoted so that its rotation axis 17 is substantially vertical (as shown in FIGS. 1 and 4).

[0068] The coiled wire accommodation 14' of the variant of Fig. 2 has a two-part accommodation bobbin 27 for the drum 19 on which the wire 18 is wound in a coil. In the variant with such a drum 19, the transport system 1' allows almost any wire length to be offered to the customer. The length of the wire is ultimately limited only by the volume of the drum 19.

[0069] The illustrated variants of the transport system 1, 1' are each transport systems for stainless steel wire produced by cold forming. The long wire lengths on the drum 19 are formed by welding the end faces of several wires together. However, welding adversely changes the material properties of the work-hardened wire around the weld. This part must therefore be cut off from the wire 18 before the wire part is discharged for the customer, resulting in a scrap for recycling.

[0070] The wire 18, in both the variants of Figures 1 and 2, is introduced into a driver 20, which is a drive in the sense of the present disclosure. In particular in the case of long wire lengths, such as those provided on the drum 19 in Figure 2, the end of the wire 18 is already introduced into the driver 20 when the transport system 1, 1' is delivered to the customer's location. Finishing of the wire portion 11 can start immediately. In the variant shown, the driver 20 is a roller driver with two rollers 21, 22 driven by a motor and in frictional engagement with the wire 18, which propels the wire 18 towards the outlet 10 during operation.

[0071] Behind the driver 20 in the forward direction is a straightening device in the form of a straightening set 23, 24 comprising a number of profile rollers, where the straightening set has two pairs of rollers 23, 24, the axis of rotation of the first set of rollers 23 being perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the second set of rollers 24. The straightening device 24 serves to give the wire 18, the surface of which is curved due to the coiled winding, the necessary straightness.

[0072] After the straightening devices 23, 24 in the conveying direction there is a cutting device in the form of a cut-off head 25 which is driven by a motor and rotates around the wire 18 to cut it off. After the cut-off using the cut-off device 25, a wire portion 11 of the desired length and having the desired straightness can be removed from the conveying system 1, 1'.

[0073] Figure 4 shows yet another variant of the apparatus inside a container 2, which is not shown in Figure 4 for the sake of simplicity. Like the variant of Figure 1, the transport system of Figure 4 also has a storage for coiled wire, again in the form of a loose coil. In addition to the driver 20, the straightening sets 23, 24 and the parting-off device 25, the apparatus variant of the transport system 1'' of Figure 4 has a bending device 26 which bends the individual wire portions after cutting with the cutting device 25 so that they can be further processed immediately thereafter, i.e. inserted, for example, into an industrial machine.

[0074] The operation of the transport system 1' will now be briefly described using a variant of the transport system 1' of FIG. 2. At the production of the wire manufacturer, a container 2 is loaded with drums 19 on which the wire 18 is coiled. The sealed container 2 is then transported to the customer of the wire 18. The truck 12 of FIG. 3 can be used for the transport, but the container 2 can also be loaded onto a railroad or a ship. The container 2 is unloaded at the customer's production site, which can be a fabrication shop or a construction site, and the final delivery process can start immediately. A driver 21 then pulls off as much wire 18 from the drum 19 as is necessary for the wire portion 11 to be removed at that time. The customer receives the wire portion 11 with a length and quality according to his specifications.

[0075] Figure 5 shows in a schematic diagram how the transport system 1' bridges the gap between the production of the wire manufacturer and the further processing by the customer. For this purpose, the transport system 1' has a control 34 including a computing device 28. Said computing device 28 (not shown in Figures 1 to 3) is connected via corresponding data lines 29 with the individual devices of the container 2, namely the receptacle 14', the driver 21 and the cutting head 25. The computing device 28 now performs the control of all further delivery steps until the wire portion 11 has been cut and can be removed from the container 2 through the removal opening 10.

[0076] Furthermore, the computing device 28 also obtains information about the operating state of the individual devices 21, 24, 25 via a data line 29. From said information about the operating state, the computing device 28 is able to derive how many meters of wire 18 have already been pulled out from the drum 19 and removed in cut form from the container 2. Besides the computing device 28, the control also has a mobile radio interface 30 connected to said computing device 28, so that the computing device 28 can communicate via the Internet 31 with a server 32 of the wire manufacturer, which is itself connected via the Internet to a computing device 33 of the customer. In this way, the server 32 of the wire manufacturer can automatically generate an invoice for the length of wire 18 removed from the container 2. Furthermore, a certificate for each individual wire portion 11 can be automatically transmitted to the customer. If the computing device 28 has ascertained that the entire length of wire 18 accommodated on the drum 19 will be pulled out within a certain time, the computing device 28 triggers a reorder of the same type of wire 18 via the communication interface 30, the Internet 31 and the server 32 of the wire manufacturer. The reordered wire is then delivered in time to the customer in a new container 2. The delivery truck 12 can then exchange the empty container for a full one at the customer's location.

[0077] Furthermore, the computing device 28 of the control 34 is connected to an electronic reading device in the form of a contactless RFID reader 35. The RFID reader 35 serves to read an RFID tag 36 arranged on the drum 19. In this way, the transport system 1' is able to automatically detect the type of wire 18 prepared on the drum 19. Corresponding information is stored in the RFID tag 36.

[0078] It is pointed out that, for the sake of inherent disclosure, all features, even if they are specifically described only in connection with certain other features, can be combined with other features or groups of features disclosed herein, both individually and in any combination with others, as will be clear to one skilled in the art from the description, drawings and claims of this specification, unless expressly excluded or technical conditions make such combination impossible or invalid. A comprehensive and explicit presentation of all possible combinations of features is not made here for the sake of conciseness and readability of the description.

[0079] Although the present disclosure has been shown and described in detail in the drawings and the foregoing specification, the above illustrations and descriptions are merely exemplary and are not to be considered as limiting the scope of protection defined by the claims. The present disclosure is not limited to the illustrated embodiments.

[0080] Modifications of the disclosed embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the drawings, the description herein and the appended claims. In the claims, the term "comprises" does not exclude other elements or steps, and the indefinite article "eine" or "ein" does not exclude a plurality. The mere fact that certain features are claimed in different claims does not exclude their combination. Reference signs in the claims are not intended to limit the scope of protection. [Explanation of symbols]

[0081] 1,1',1'' Transport System 2. Container 3 Bottom of Container 2 4, 5, 6, 7 Side walls of container 2 8 Roof 9 Loading port 10 Outlet 11 Wire section 12 Tracks 13. Hook 14, 14' Coiled wire housing 15 Reels 16 Swivel 17 Rotation axis 18 Wire 19 Drums 20 Drivers 21, 22 Driver 20 roller 23 First Part Correction Set 24 Second Part Correction Set 25 Cutting device 26 Bending device 27 Bobbin Storage 28 Computing equipment 29 Data Line 30 Wireless Mobile Interface 31 Internet 32 Wire manufacturer's server 33 Customer Computing Device 34 Control section 35 RFID Reader 36 RFID tags 37 Doors

Claims

1. A transport system (1, 1', 1'') for a wire (18) or a metal plate, comprising: A transport platform (3); a receiving portion (14, 14') for the wire (18) or the metal plate, the receiving portion (14, 14') being configured so that the wire (18) or the metal plate can be received in a coiled form in the receiving portion (14, 14'); a drive unit (20) configured to be capable of conveying the wire (18) or the metal plate in a conveying direction by the drive unit (20); a straightening device (24) configured so that the wire (18) or the metal plate can be straightened by the straightening device (24); Equipped with the receiving section (14, 14'), the driving section (20) and the straightening device (24) are arranged on the transport platform (3) such that the wire (18) or the metal plate can be automatically withdrawn from the receiving section (14, 14') by the driving section (20) and fed to the straightening device (24); the transport system (1, 1', 1'') comprises a transport container, the transport platform (3) being the bottom of the transport container or the transport platform (3) being housed on the bottom of the transport container, said transport system (1,1',1'') has four side walls (4,5,6,7) and a roof (8), one of said side walls (4,5,6,7) or said roof (8) is provided with a closable outlet (10) through which said wire or said metal sheet part (11) can be removed from said transport system (1,1',1''); A transport system (1, 1', 1'') for a wire (18) or a metal sheet, characterized in that the storage part (14, 14'), the drive part (20) and the straightening device (24) are arranged such that the part (11) of the wire or the metal sheet can be discharged through the outlet (10).

2. The transportation system (1, 1', 1'') according to claim 1, characterized in that the transportation platform (3) is at least liftable, movable or transportable or the transportation platform (3) is connected to another device that is at least liftable, movable or transportable.

3. 3. The transportation system (1,1',1'') according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the transportation system (1,1',1'') comprises a cutting device (25) constructed and arranged such that the wire (18) or the metal sheet can be cut by the cutting device (25), whereby the wire or metal sheet portions (11) can be produced in selectable lengths, and the accommodation portion (14,14'), the drive unit (20), the straightening device (24) and the cutting device (25) are arranged on the transportation platform (3) such that the wire (18) or the metal sheet can be automatically withdrawn from the accommodation portion (14,14') by the drive unit (20) and fed to the straightening device (24) and to the cutting device (25).

4. 4. The transportation system (1,1',1'') according to claim 3, characterized in that the transportation system (1,1',1'') comprises an electronic control unit (34) operatively connected to at least the accommodation unit (14,14'), the drive unit (20) or the cutting device (25), the electronic control unit (34) being configured to receive data from and / or output control commands to at least the accommodation unit (14,14'), the drive unit (20) or the cutting device (25) during operation of the transportation system (1,1',1'').

5. The transportation system (1, 1', 1'') according to claim 4, characterized in that the electronic control unit (34) includes a communication interface (30) configured such that data can be transmitted from the transportation system (1, 1', 1'') via a data network (31) to a server (32).

6. Transport system (1, 1', 1'') according to claim 4 or 5, characterized in that the electronic control comprises an electronic reading device (35) for contactlessly reading the data carrier (36).

7. 7. The transport system (1, 1', 1'') according to claim 6, characterized in that the transport system (1, 1', 1'') has a drum (19) for the coiled wire (18) or the coiled metal sheet, the drum (19) being accommodated in the accommodation section (14, 14'), the drum (19) being provided with a contactless readable data carrier (36), the data carrier (36) being readable by the electronic reading device (35).

8. 8. The transport system (1, 1', 1'') according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that the transport system (1, 1', 1'') comprises a coiled wire (18) or a coiled metal plate, the wire (18) or the metal plate being accommodated in the accommodation portion (14, 14'), the wire (18) or the metal plate being provided with a contactless readable data carrier, the data carrier being readable by the electronic reading device.

9. 9. The transport system (1,1',1'') according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the transport system (1,1',1'') comprises a coiled wire (18) or a coiled metal plate, the wire (18) or the metal plate being accommodated in the accommodation portion (14,14'), and the wire (18) or the metal plate being made of a plurality of cold-formed stainless steel wire (18) or metal plate sections, the end faces of which are joined to one another.

10. The transportation system (1, 1', 1'') according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that it comprises a marking device arranged on the transportation platform (3) for marking the wire (18) or the metal plate portion (11).

11. The transport system (1, 1', 1'') according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that it comprises a bending device (26) arranged on the transport platform (3) for bending the wire (18) or the metal sheet portion (11) in a defined manner.

12. 12. The transportation system (1, 1', 1'') according to any one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that it comprises a degreasing device arranged on the transportation platform (3) for degreasing the wire (18) or the metal plate.

13. A method of operating a transport system (1, 1', 1'') for delivering a wire (18) or a metal plate, comprising the steps of: winding the wire (18) or metal plate into a coil; receiving said wire (18) or said metal plate in a receiving section (14, 14') arranged on a transport platform (3); transporting said transport platform (3) from a first location to a second location; - conveying the wire (18) or the metal plate in a transport direction by a drive (20) arranged on the transport platform (3), whereby the wire (18) or the metal plate is automatically drawn out of the accommodation (14, 14') and fed to a straightening device (24); straightening the wire (18) or the metal plate by the straightening device (24) arranged on the transport platform (3); Including, the transport system (1, 1', 1'') comprises a transport container, the transport platform (3) being the bottom of the transport container or the transport platform (3) being housed on the bottom of the transport container, said transport system (1,1',1'') has four side walls (4,5,6,7) and a roof (8), one of said side walls (4,5,6,7) or said roof (8) is provided with a closable outlet (10) through which said wire or said metal sheet part (11) can be removed from said transport system (1,1',1''); A method of operating a transport system for delivering a wire (18) or a metal plate, characterized in that the storage section (14, 14'), the drive section (20) and the straightening device (24) are arranged such that a portion (11) of the wire or the metal plate can be discharged through the outlet (10).

14. 14. The method according to claim 13, characterized in that the transport of the wire (18) or the metal plate feeds the wire (18) or the metal plate to a cutting device (25), the method further comprising the step of cutting the wire (18) or the metal plate by the cutting device (25) arranged on the transport platform so as to produce portions (11) of the wire (18) or the metal plate of a selected length.

15. 15. The method according to claim 13 or 14, characterized in that the conveying, the straightening and the cutting are controlled by a common control unit, which collects data measuring the length of the wire (18) or the metal sheet drawn from the receiving unit (14, 14'), and which transmits said data to a server via a communication interface and a data network.

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