US 5,676,514 A · Trolley car for material handling train

Abstract

An automated material handling system utilizing one or more train-type guided vehicles moving along a rail with each train including a locomotive pulling a plurality of trolleys. Each trolley includes a tiltable tray, an onboard CPU, and onboard sensors for sensing information with respect to the product being carried by the tray. The sensed information is transmitted to the CPU of the trolley where it is stored and also transmitted to a CPU in the locomotive. The locomotive CPU is in radio frequency contact with an off-track dispatch computer controlling the overall operation of the material handling system. The CPU of each trolley is also in infrared communication with local CPU's positioned at unloading stations so that the CPU on each car may receive information by infrared transmission from local CPU's, information generated onboard by the onboard sensors, and command information from the locomotive CPU. The information sensed onboard may include the disposition of the tray, the presence or absence of a product load on the tray, and the size, position, orientation, weight, identification, and temperature of the product load. The system includes a shift mechanism for moving the tray between a left tilt position and a right tilt position to facilitate loading, transport and unloading of a product from the trolleys.

Claims32

Dependent claims

A material handling system including:

a rail;
a locomotive mounted for powered movement along the rail;
one or more trolley cars arranged to be pulled along the rail by the locomotive and each including an upper load support surface for use in selectively receiving, transporting, and discharging discrete products with respect to various stations along the rail;
a CPU;
and
sensor means on each car operative to sense information with respect to the products on the load support surface of that car and transmit the sensed information to the CPU for storage and utilization by the CPU in controlling the load support surface in a manner to facilitate the receipt, transport and discharge of the products.

3 more elements

A material handling system including a rail;

a trolley car including a trolley adapted to move along the rail and a tray mounted on the trolley;
and shift means operative to move the tray between a generally level transport position, a first inclined unloading position for discharge to one side of the rail, and a second oppositely inclined unloading position for discharge to the other side of the rail, characterized in that:
the shift means includes first and second cam tracks defined along the rail, first and second cam followers carried by the trolley car, and means operative in response to engagement of the first cam follower with the first track to move the tray to the first inclined unloading position and operative in response to engagement of the second cam follower with the second track to move the tray to the second inclined unloading position.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Trolley car for material handling train

Life of this patent

Trolley car for material handling train

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims32