Aerial conveyor system

Abstract

The invention relates to an aerial conveyor system for conveying suspended transport devices which are capable of transporting items to be treated, the system comprising a main conveyor in a first zone, on which moving carriages travel, from which the transport devices are suspended, and a second conveyor (6B) extending the main conveyor in the second zone and passing through the zone for specific treatment of products, characterised in that the second conveyor (6B) comprises a rolling track (64) on which the moving carriages move, the rolling track (64) comprising a plurality of sections (641) attached and secured in a reversible manner to a carrier element (68), each section (641) being able to be replaced independently of the other sections of the track (64).

Description

OVERHEAD CONVEYOR SYSTEM Technical field of the invention

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of aerial conveyance of loads. More particularly, it relates to a conveyor system of transport devices capable of transporting articles to be treated in a treatment area. State of the art

[0002] In this field, usually the conveying of the transport devices carrying the articles to be treated is done using floor conveyors which causes problems among others of wear of the electronic and electromechanical components on board which are exposed to radiation during repeated passages in the treatment zone. The solution found for this problem is to use an overhead conveying system in which the article transport devices are suspended and moved along a circuit passing through the treatment zone. Such a system has the advantage that only mechanical trolleys to which the transport devices are suspended pass through the treatment zone. The absence of floor conveyors also provides a gain in irradiation performance, leaving space for the product to be treated in front of the treatment beam.

[0003] However, known overhead conveyor systems, made of ordinary steel profiles, are not suitable for installations in which products require aggressive treatment for conveyors that are continuously exposed. In fact, such radiation generates highly corrosive chemical compounds, such as ozone, which can cause wear of the running track by corrosion or accelerate its wear caused by the rolling of the trolleys. Maintenance operations on worn parts can be complicated.

[0004] The invention therefore aims to propose a solution to this problem by reducing wear due to corrosion and facilitating maintenance.

[0005] To this end, the invention relates to an overhead conveying system for suspended transport devices capable of transporting articles to be processed, the system comprising: a main conveyor (6A) on which circulate mobile carriages (8) capable of moving the transport devices (7) from a first non-sensitive zone (I) to a second sensitive zone (II) and vice versa, and a second conveyor (6B) extending the main conveyor (6A) at least in a specific treatment zone (5) of products of said second zone (II),

[0006] wherein said second conveyor comprises a rolling track on which the mobile carriages move, said rolling track comprising a plurality of sections attached and reversibly fixed to a carrier element, each section being capable of being replaced independently of the other sections of the track.

[0007] Further, the plurality of sections may be made of stainless steel.

[0008] When a section is worn and needs to be replaced, it can simply be dismantled and replaced, without having to change the entire conveyor. The fact that the sections are reversibly fixed makes it easy to replace worn sections; there is no need to weld or unweld sections, nor to cut parts of a profile.

[0009] A non-sensitive area means an area that does not require special protection, because the operations carried out in this area are ordinary operations, including the storage / removal of items and their movement.

[0010] A sensitive area is an area in which certain operations carried out there may require special protections to avoid exposing operators to elements used to process products in a part of this area. For example, the protections may include walls of thicknesses adapted to the radiation used, the area may be partially or totally closed and means of evacuation and / or suction may also be provided for chemical elements which may result from the treatments.

[0011] Advantageously, the sections are fixed by screwing. Thus, it is sufficient to unscrew the worn section and replace it with a new one.

[0012] Advantageously, the second conveyor is made of stainless steel to prevent or limit wear due to corrosion. Other radiation-resistant materials can also be used.

[0013] The invention further relates to an article processing installation comprising a conveying system as described above.

[0014] Advantageously, the installation comprises means for generating a beam of X or Gamma radiation or an electron beam, intended for the treatment zone.

[0015] The invention also relates to a method for treating articles using an installation as described above. Brief description of the figures

[0016] Other features and advantages of the invention will appear in the description below in relation to the appended drawings, given as non-limiting examples, in which:

[0017] represents a partial view of an installation comprising an overhead conveying system in accordance with the invention;

[0018] is a view of part of the conveyor system showing a conveyor and an overhead transport device;

[0019] is a partial view of the second conveyor with a zoom showing a section of the running track;

[0020] This is a partial view of the second conveyor.

[0021] In the remainder of the description, elements having an identical structure or similar functions will be designated by the same references. Detailed description

[0022] The figure represents a schematic top view of a product processing installation 1 comprising a non-sensitive part I, partially represented on the right of the figure, and a sensitive part II, on the left.

[0023] In Part I, the installation includes generally known storage and handling means, such means are not the subject of the invention and are therefore not detailed in this description.

[0024] In Part II, the installation comprises protective walls 2 enclosing an emission zone comprising means 3 for generating radiation 4, used for the treatment of products. The means 3 for generating radiation may be means for generating any type of radiation usable in the treatment of products, for example sterilizing radiation. Such radiation may be, for example, ionizing radiation by X-rays, Gamma rays or an electron beam.

[0025] In other embodiments not shown, the treatment may be different, such as a surface treatment, paint spraying or any other reactive or aesthetic agent.

[0026] The beam 4 produced by the means 3 arrives at a treatment zone 5, the products which are in this zone at the time of impact receive a dose from the beam.

[0027] To circulate the products to be treated with the beam 4, the installation comprises an overhead conveyor system 6 forming a circuit which goes from part I to part II. It comprises a main conveyor 6A, going from part I to part II, and a second conveyor 6B which extends the first conveyor 6A and passes through the treatment zone 5.

[0028] The products are loaded into transport devices 7 upstream of the inlet 60 and carried by the conveyor 6A to part II, then the conveyor 6B passes them through the treatment zone 5 to receive one or more doses of the beam, for example by rotating in the internal loop 61. At the end of treatment, the products exit through the outlet 62 to go to other stations of the installation in part I, for example to be unloaded and stored.

[0029] The protective walls are known per se and may comprise external walls 2 and an internal wall 21 to stop the beam if it exceeds between two articles or between two transport devices 7. It is not necessary here to give more details of such walls which are known per se for such applications.

[0030] To move the products to be processed, the conveyor system comprises loading devices 7, an example of which is shown in, such devices may comprise several stages into which the articles to be processed are loaded.

[0031] The conveyor 6A may comprise a lower part formed from a steel profile comprising the rolling / guide track on which the carriages 8 move. This type of conveyor is known to those skilled in the art and is not detailed here.

[0032] The example of Figure 2 shows the second conveyor 6B passing through the treatment zone 5. In the illustrated example, the conveyor 6B is a dual-rail conveyor, the upper rail 63 of which comprises rolling means carrying a traction chain, not shown. The traction chain rotates continuously and comprises drive devices. When a drive device encounters the attachment device of a carriage 8, the latter is driven along a path predefined by the control system to pass through the treatment zone 5. The carriages 8 roll on a rolling track 64 in the lower part of the conveyor 6B.

[0033] Lamontre an example of a second conveyor 6B according to the invention. In this conveyor, the running track 64 is formed of a set of sections 641, as shown in the enlarged part. Such sections may be made of stainless steel or another material resistant to the beam 4. As shown in Figures 2 to 4, each section 641 is fixed by a plurality of bolts 67 to a supporting element 66 which is itself fixed by stirrups 68 to the upper rail 63.

[0034] When one or more sections 641 need to be replaced, they simply need to be dismantled and replaced, without having to change the entire conveyor. In addition, there is no need to weld or unweld the sections since they are reversibly fixed by the bolts 67.

[0035] In other embodiments not shown, the conveyor may be monorail or of another type used in overhead conveyor systems, comprising reversibly fixed sections.

Claims

An overhead conveyor system for suspended transport devices (7) capable of transporting articles to be processed, the system comprising: a main conveyor (6A) on which circulate mobile carriages (8) capable of moving the transport devices (7) from a first non-sensitive zone (I) to a second sensitive zone (II) and vice versa, and a second conveyor (6B) extending the main conveyor (6A) at least in a specific product processing zone (5), of said second zone (II), characterized in that said second conveyor (6B) comprises a rolling track (64) on which the mobile carriages (8) move, said rolling track (64) comprising a plurality of sections (641) attached and reversibly fixed to a carrier element (66), each section (641) being capable of being replaced independently of the other sections of the track (64), and in that the plurality of sections is made of stainless steel. System according to claim 1, in which the sections (641) are fixed by screwing. Installation (1) for processing articles, comprising a conveying system according to one of the preceding claims. Installation (1) according to the preceding claim, comprising means (3) for generating a beam (4) of X or Gamma radiation or an electron beam, intended for the treatment zone (5). Method for treating articles, implementing an installation (1) according to one of claims 3 or 4.

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