Workpiece-carrier changeover arrangement and the method for changing over workpiece carriers
OwnerLothar Mueller, Dietmar Schuetz +2inventors
InventorsLothar Mueller, Dietmar Schuetz, Holger Schulz, Uwe Waeckerle
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A workpiece-carrier changeover apparatus removes a workpiece carrier from a storage unit and moves it in a first direction into a buffer storage position. Any workpiece carrier in a supply position is then moved back toward the storage unit either simultaneously with that movement or thereafter so that the workpiece carrier in the buffer storage position can be moved into the supply position.
Claims15
A workpiece-carrier changeover apparatus for transporting workpiece carriers which are provided in a storage unit having a plurality of storage positions and transporting them to a supply position outside the storage unit in order to be processed by a handling arrangement, said changeover arrangement comprising a first transporting apparatus for moving a workpiece carrier in a first transporting direction between a storage position in the storage unit and a buffer storage position in the vicinity of the supply position, the first transporting apparatus being movable in a counter direction to the first transporting direction between the supply position and a storage position in the storage unit and a second transporting apparatus for transporting a workpiece carrier out of the buffer storage position in a second transporting direction at an angle to the first transporting direction into the supply position.
A method of changing workpiece carriers between a storage unit having a plurality of storage positions and a supply position in order to be processed by a handing arrangement, said method comprising moving a workpiece carrier by a first transporting apparatus in a first transporting direction from a storage position of the storage unit to a buffer storage position adjacent the supply position, moving a workpiece carrier in a second transporting direction from the buffer storage position to the supply position and moving a workpiece carrier from the supply position back to a storage position of the storage unit in said first transporting direction.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.