Apparatus for lifting arrays of paving stones and the like
OwnerReinhard Gopfertinventor
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Abstract
A self-propelled apparatus for lifting arrays of paving stones has a mobile arm one end of which carries a support for a polygonal assembly of suction cups having axially and angularly movable bellows which attract the paving stones of an array during transport. The support further carries directional jaws which are adjacent to the sides of the polygonal assembly of suction cups and are movable relative to the support to rearrange the paving stones of an array if the distribution of paving stones departs from an optimum distribution. The jaws are moved out of the way before the suction cups deposit the paving stones of an array so that a freshly deposited array can be placed into immediate or close proximity of the previously deposited array or arrays.
Claims22
Self-propelled apparatus for manipulating liftable commodities such as arrays of concrete, clinker brick and natural stone components of paving sets, comprising a mobile arm;
- means for moving said arm;
- a suction lifter including a support carried by said arm and a polygonal assembly of suction cups which depend from said support and each of which includes a bellows elastically deformable angularly and axially independently of the bellows of each other suction cup to engage a component of a set, said assembly having a plurality of lateral sides;
- directional jaws movably mounted on said support adjacent to all sides of the assembly of suction cups;
- and means for moving said jaws against the components of a set which is about to be lifted by said suction cups so that the jaws rearrange the components of an array wherein the distribution of components deviates from a desired distribution and the jaws move away from the rearranged components before the suction cups release the rearranged components of the set.
The apparatus of claim 38, wherein the sealing lips of each of said sealing rings include an outer lip and at least one inner lip surrounded by the respective outer lip, the height of said outer lips exceeding the height of the respective inner lips.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.