Conveyor system for the conveying of goods items

#The present invention relates to a conveyor system for the conveying and/or sorting of goods items.

#Conventional conveying and sorting systems make possible the conveying of goods items on track-bound or freely controllable carriages. From DE 602 06062 T2 a conveyor system is known, in which transport containers are employed for the conveying and sorting of goods items.

#The transport containers may in that case be detachably connected to carriages for the purpose of being conveyed by these. The transport containers may be X-ray permeable, for use at airports, for example, so that the contents of the transport containers are identifiable by X-ray equipment.

#The invention will now be described on the basis of various embodiments with reference to a Drawing.

#FIG. 1 shows a transport unit with a transport container;

#FIG. 2 shows a further embodiment of the transport unit;

#FIG. 1 illustrates a first embodiment of a transport unit 12. The transport unit 12 possesses wheels or rollers 28, two of which can be seen in the Figure. The transport unit also possesses a discharge device 30 with a hinge 24. A transport container 10 is detachably fixed to the discharge device 30 of the transport unit 12. On a bearing surface (not visible) of the transport container 10 lies a goods item 16. In the embodiment illustrated here, the discharge device 30 is designed as a tipping device. In the operational state represented here, the transport container 10 is in tipped condition, in which the goods item 16 slides from the bearing surface of the transport container 10. To achieve this, the upper leg of the tipping device 30 has been pivoted upwards about the hinge 24 from a starting position which is approximately parallel to an illustrated floor level 26, so that the goods item 16 is able to slide from the transport container 10. The transport container 10 is in this case detachably retained on the transport unit 12 by a retaining mechanism (not shown in FIG. 1).

#The wheels 28 are pivotally mounted about a rolling axis D, so that the transport unit can travel in at least one direction. When the transport unit 12 is travelling in a straight line, preferably two wheels or rollers 28 each lie on a rolling axis D and at least one of the wheels or rollers is drivable. By preference, at least two wheels are drivable. At the same time, two wheels are steerable about an axis of rotation S, in order to facilitate travel of the transport unit around curves.

#FIG. 2 shows a further possible embodiment of a transport unit 12. In the embodiment illustrated here, the tipping device has a lifting element 52 on one side, which pushes the transport container 10 upwards at one end, so that the transport container is pivoted about a hinge 24, which is formed by means of the retaining mechanism 50 on the opposite end of the transport container 10. In the case illustrated, second retaining means 20 are identifiable on the upper side of the travel unit 12. The second retaining means 20 also form part of the retaining mechanism 50 and engage with first retaining means 18 on the underside of the transport container 10, which are not however shown in FIG. 2.