Stacking apparatus
AssigneeThe British Mathews Limited
InventorsJohn H. Pantin, Allan J. Hartley
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Apparatus for stacking layers of loads, e.g. on a pallet, comprises a stacking carriage and a transfer carriage each independently movable vertically on a main frame, so that the transfer carriage can receive each layer of loads at a low level and raise the layer to the level of the stacking carriage, the layer being then transferred to a stripping apron on the stacking carriage and deposited onto the stack of loads. The apparatus can be modified to act as a de-stacker for removing layers of loads successively from a stack, or to enable the apparatus to be operated selectively as a stacker or de-stacker.
Claims11
Apparatus for stacking layers of loads, comprising a main frame, a stacking carriage and a transfer carriage each independently vertically movable on the main frame, the stacking carriage including a horizontally movable apron onto which a layer of loads can be transferred from the transfer carriage and which can be withdrawn from beneath the layer to deposit it at a loading position beneath the stacking carriage or onto a previously deposited layer of loads, first drive means for effecting vertical movement of the stacking carriage whereby the carriage can be raised after depositing one layer of loads to a position in which the apron can be returned to receive a further layer of loads, second drive means for effecting vertical movement of the transfer carriage whereby the transfer carriage can be raised from a lowered position in which a layer of loads can be loaded onto the transfer carriage to the level of the stacking carriage, and transfer means for transferring a layer of loads from the transfer carriage to the stacking carriage, said transfer means comprising a flexible platform movable in a closed path including a horizontal run in which the platform can support a layer of loads and a return run, and means for driving the platform so that platform moves to transfer a layer of loads to the stacking carriage, the platform of the stacking carriage moving synchronously with movement of the apron of the transfer carriage to receive the layer of loads.
Apparatus for stacking layers of loads, comprising a main frame, a stacking carriage and a transfer carriage each independently vertically movable on the main frame, the stacking carriage including a horizontally movable apron onto which a layer of loads can be transferred from the transfer carriage and which can be withdrawn from beneath the layer to deposit it at a loading position beneath the stacking carriage or onto a previously deposited layer of loads, first drive means for effecting vertical movement of the stacking carriage whereby the carriage can be raised after depositing one layer of loads to a position in which the apron can be returned to receive a further layer of loads, second drive means for effecting vertical movement of the transfer carriage whereby the transfer carriage can be raised from a lowered position in which a layer of loads can be loaded onto the transfer carriage to the level of the stacking carriage, and means for transferring a layer of loads from the transfer carriage to the stacking carriage, in which the apparatus is operable selectively as a stacking apparatus or a de-stacking apparatus, there being provided on the stacking carriage gripping means adapted to grip the uppermost layer of loads in a stack so that the layer can be separated vertically from the layer beneath by an amount sufficient to allow the said apron to be moved beneath the separated layer and subsequently transfer it to the transfer carriage.
Apparatus for removing layers of loads from a stack, for example of loads stacked in layers on a pallet, the apparatus comprising a main frame, a load-supporting carriage and a transfer carriage each independently vertically movable on the main frame, the load-supporting carriage having gripping means adapted to grip the uppermost layer of loads in the stack so that the layer can be separated vertically from the layer beneath or from a pallet, means for transferring a layer of loads thus gripped to transfer carriage, first drive means for effecting vertical movement of the load-supporting carriage whereby the carriage can be lowered after one layer of loads has been transferred to the transfer carriage to enable the next layer of loads to be gripped, and second drive means for effecting vertical movement of the transfer carriage whereby the transfer carriage can be raised to a position to receive a layer of loads gripped by the load-supporting carriage and subsequently lowered to a position at which the layer of loads can be discharged from the transfer carriage, in which the means for transferring each layer of loads from the load-supporting carriage to the transfer carriage comprises a flexible platform mounted on the load-supporting carriage and supported between a pair of driven endless chains spaced apart by a distance greater than the overall width of the layers to be removed and having a horizontal run in which the platform is horizontal and positioned beneath the gripping means so that it can support the layer of loads on release of the gripping means, and means for driving the chains to cause the platform to be moved beneath a layer of loads gripped by the gripping means and separated vertically from the layer beneath or from a pallet and to move further after the layer has been released by the gripping means to transfer the layer to the transfer carriage.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.