US 2009/0255778 A1Published application

Apparatus for, and method of, transporting articles via crossing transporting paths

AssigneeSiemens Aktiengesellschaft

InventorPETER BERDELLE-HILGE

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Abstract

An apparatus and a method are provided for transporting articles via crossing transporting paths. The apparatus contains two processing configurations, a pre-handling configuration, a connecting system, for each processing configuration a respective exit transporting path, for each pre-handling configuration a respective entry transporting path, and for each entry transporting path a respective return path with a start and an end. The return-path start is connected to the associated entry transporting path. The return-path end is connected to at least one of the entry transporting paths. These connections are configured such that the return-path start is disposed downstream of the connecting system and the return-path end is disposed upstream of the connecting system.

Claims11

Dependent claims

An apparatus for processing physical articles, the apparatus comprising:

at least two processing arrangements for processing the physical articles;
at least one pre-handling arrangement for pre-handling the physical articles;
a connecting system;
exit transportation paths, a respective one of said exit transportation paths provided for each of said processing arrangement, each of said exit transportation paths transporting the physical articles from said connecting system to a respective one of said processing arrangements;
entry transporting paths, a respective one of said entry transporting paths provided for each of said pre-handling arrangement, said respective entry transporting path being configured for transporting the physical articles from a respective one of said pre-handling arrangements to said connecting system;
said connecting system connecting each of said entry transporting paths to each of said exit transportation paths such that an article can be transported from said pre-handling arrangement to each of said processing arrangements;
and
return transportation paths each having a start and an end, a respective one of said return transportation paths provided for each of said entry transporting paths, said start of said respective return transportation path connected to said respective entry transporting path, and said end of said respective return transportation path connected to at least one of said entry transporting paths, such that said start of said respective return transportation path is disposed downstream of said connecting system and said end of said respective return transportation path is disposed upstream of said connecting system.

5 more elements

A method of processing physical articles with an aid of an apparatus containing at least two processing arrangements for processing the physical articles, pre-handling arrangements for pre-handling the articles, a connecting system, a respective exit transportation path for each of the processing arrangements, and a respective entry transporting path for each of the pre-handling arrangements, which method comprises the steps of:

selecting one of the processing arrangements for each of the physical articles;
pre-handling each of the physical articles by one of the pre-handling arrangements;
transporting each of the physical articles to a selected processing arrangement via the respective entry transporting path, which is assigned to a respective one of the pre-handling arrangements, the connecting system and the respective exit transportation path assigned to the selected processing arrangement, the connecting system introducing each of the physical articles into the respective exit transportation path from the respective entry transporting path;
providing the respective entry transporting path with a respective return transportation path;
and
when it is established that it is currently not possible for an article to be introduced into the respective exit transportation path from the respective entry transporting path, transporting the article into the respective return transportation path and bypassing the connecting system assigned to the respective entry transporting path and in the respective return transportation path, the article is transported to the respective entry transporting path.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.