US 7,107,752 B2Granted

System and a method for moving and diverting trains of articles in a conveying plant for such articles

AssigneeU.T.I.T. SpA.

InventorFranco Ognibene

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Abstract

A system for moving and diverting trains (5) of bobbins (7) in a spinning plant with more spinning mills (1) includes a pair of rails (40,41), along which a carriage (32) moves. The carriage (32) can be stopped at a point corresponding to one spinning mill (1) and carries, mounted thereon, a motor (39), which drives the trains (5), coming from a main feeding line (3) to terminal sections (10), situated beside the spinning mills (1). Activator means (29), situated also on the carriage (32), operate the switches (20,21,22) aimed at deviating the path of the trains from the main line (3) to union sections (15) joined to the terminal sections (10). The carriage (32) is moved by a motor (42) and its position along the rails (40,41) is determined by an encoder (43).

Claims26

Dependent claims

A system for moving and diverting trains of articles in a plant for conveying said articles to devices for processing or storing the articles, said plant including:

one or more devices (1) for processing or storing the articles, having each one an inlet head for the articles (2), through which the trains (5) of articles are introduced, said trains of articles being formed by a plurality of articles (7) conveyed by sliding support means (6);
at least one main conveying line (3), which extends near the inlet heads (2) of all the devices (1), and which is aimed at feeding said devices with trains (5) of articles (7), or at removing said trains from said devices;
a series of terminal conveying or dwelling sections (10), arranged in regions corresponding to said devices (1);
a series of union sections (15) to connect each terminal conveying or dwelling section (10) with the main conveying line (3) in a region corresponding to respective conjunction areas (11);
switch means (20,21,22) situated in each of the union sections (15) to deviate the trains (5) of articles from the main conveying line (3) to the union section (15) and to the terminal sections (10);
main driving means (30) for moving the trains of articles along said main conveying line (3), situated at predetermined distances along the main conveying line;
terminal driving means (31) for moving the trains (5) of articles along said terminal conveying or dwelling sections (10);
power means (25,26,27) for operating the switch means (20,21,22) to convey the trains of articles from the main conveying line (3) to the terminal section (10) selected each time, by means of a corresponding union section (15);
said system being characterized in that:
sliding and guiding means (40,41) extend close to said devices (1), in a region corresponding to their inlet heads (2);
at least one carriage (32) slides along said sliding and guiding means (40,41), moving with respect to said devices (1), said carriage being then stopped at a selected terminal section (10);
terminal driving means (31) for driving the trains of articles along the terminal sections (10) are mounted only on said carriage (32).

9 more elements

A method for moving and diverting of trains of articles in a plant for conveying said articles to devices for processing or storing the articles, said plant including:

one or more devices (1) for processing or storing the articles, having each one an inlet head for the articles (2), through which the trains (5) of articles are introduced, said trains of articles being formed by a plurality of articles (7) conveyed by sliding support means (6);
at least one main conveying line (3), which extends near the inlet heads (2) of all the devices (1), and which is aimed at feeding said devices with trains (5) of articles (7), or at removing said trains from said devices;
a series of terminal conveying or dwelling sections (10), arranged in regions corresponding to said devices (1);
a series of union sections (15) to connect each terminal conveying or dwelling section (10) with the main conveying line (3) at respective conjunction areas (11);
switch means (20,21,22) situated in each of the union sections (15) to deviate the trains (5) of articles from the main conveying line (3) to the union sections (15) and to the terminal sections (10);
main driving means (30) for moving the trains of articles along said main conveying line (3), situated at predetermined distances along the main conveying line;
terminal driving means (31) for moving the trains (5) of articles along said terminal conveying or dwelling sections (10);
power means (25,26,27) of the exchanging means (20,21,22) to convey the trains of articles from the main conveying line (3) to a selected terminal section (10), by means of a corresponding union section (15);
said method being characterized in that:
sliding and guiding means (40,41) extend close to said devices (1), in a region corresponding to their inlet heads (2);
at least one carriage (32) is made slide along said sliding and guiding means (40,41), displaced to points corresponding to the inlet heads (2) of said devices (1), and stopped at a selected terminal section (10), so as to arrange the terminal driving means (31) of the articles trains, mounted only on said carriage (32), along the selected terminal sections (10).

8 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.