JPH0753533B2 - Pneumatic tube station - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention has a connection port for a transfer tube and a tube member movable in a pneumatic tube station, and the position where the tube member is aligned with the transfer tube for sending or receiving an air carrier. Can be connected to the carrier tube in a compact manner, and the tube member can be moved to a position away from the carrier tube for requesting or taking out the pneumatic tube, and the pneumatic tube is requested inside the pneumatic tube station. The present invention relates to a pneumatic tube station adapted to move between a position or take-out position and a sending position or a receiving position in a direction perpendicular to a transport direction.

[0002]

A pneumatic tube station of the kind mentioned at the outset is known from DE 34 35 500.

In a known pneumatic tube station, a housing having two bushings connected from the top and one bushing connected from the bottom is provided, and the bushing connected from the bottom is aligned with one of the bushings connected from the top. . A horizontally movable slider disposed in the housing of the pneumatic tube station has a tubular member continuous in the bushing direction and a curved tubular member. When the slider is moved, the straight tube members allow the two aligned bushings to connect to each other on either the top or bottom surface of the station. In this way, for example, a passage can be realized between two carrier pipes. When one of the bushings is connected to the carrier tube and the slider is switched so that one end of the curved tube member is aligned with the carrier tube and the other end projects from the baffle plate, the air carrier is received from the carrier tube. You can On the other hand, adjustment of the slider causes the curved tube member to align with the bushing that serves to request the pneumatic carrier so that the other end of the curved tube member, when properly dimensioned, is either directly connected to the carrier tube or also above the baffle plate. You can contact them, so the airbrush you should ask for is first stored temporarily above the baffle,
Then, the slider is moved again so that the slider is supplied into the transfer pipe.

The known pneumatic tube station is suitable for a conventional pneumatic tube conveyor that pneumatically conveys lightweight articles such as paper underlayments, bills, and medicines.

However, recently, a new application field has been opened up in the so-called "heavy pneumatic transportation" with respect to pneumatic tube technology. This is a pneumatic tube technology that transports heavy parts, such as machine elements, assembly materials, tools, etc., from a central warehouse to various work or assembly sites in a factory facility. In the case of heavy air transportation, the weight of each air carrier may be 10 to 20 kg or more.

Although the known pneumatic tube station is not suitable for such an application, it prevents the risk of damage to the user of the pneumatic tube conveyor on the one hand when handling heavy pneumatic tubers and on the other hand. Special precautions must be taken to prevent the risk of damage to the components of the pipe conveyor. For example, it is necessary to create reproducible conditions when requesting or removing a heavy weight pneumatic carrier to reliably prevent human injury and equipment damage due to careless handling of such a pneumatic carrier.

[0007]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The invention is therefore based on the task of improving a pneumatic tube station of the type mentioned at the outset in such a way that it also meets the requirements of heavy pneumatic shipping.

[0008]

According to the present invention, the object is to move the pipe member in the conveying direction by at least the length of one pneumatic carrier, and carry it to the shipping position or the receiving position for the pneumatic carrier. The problem is solved by providing effective holding means in the direction.

The problem underlying the present invention is thus completely solved. In other words, if the movable pipe member is located away from the transfer pipe connection port, the air carrier can be reproduced between the request position and the shipping position in various ways when the air carrier is requested and then shipped. You can move as much as you can. This is because in this case the pneumatic carrier is not transferred into the tube member, but rather is transferred to the holding means in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction. The same applies when the received air carrier is moved to the take-out position. This is because in this case too, the movable tube member is in the retracted position, so that the pneumatic carrier can freely project from any lateral direction and can be moved to the removal position by suitable means.

[0010]

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the holding means are constructed as columns arranged in the transport direction, which terminate as a mounting plate in the shipping or receiving position.

As an advantage of this measure, the load applied to the holding means when the received pneumatic carrier collides can be captured particularly well. This is especially true when the tube member is movable towards and through the column. This means that in this case the mounting plate can be stopped together with the column and does not have to move by itself. Significant kinetic energy is generated when receiving heavy pneumatic carriers, especially when the conveyor is defective and the braking means, e.g. pneumatic braking of the pneumatic carriers, does not work, but the columns are firmly secured to capture them. This is possible in this case.

Therefore, it is particularly preferable to support the receiving position, ie in the case of the above-mentioned embodiment, the pillar, on the side remote from the mounting plate, by a spatially fixed foundation. In this way, the building itself accommodating the pneumatic tube conveyor can be used as a cradle.

It is further preferred, especially in these embodiments, that the receiving position comprises a buffer which is effective in the transport direction.

As an advantage of this procedure, an effective energy conversion is possible by converting the kinetic energy of the heavy weight air arriving at high speed into heat energy in the shock absorber. This is especially the case when the shock absorber is a hydraulic shock absorber.

In another embodiment of the present invention, as already suggested, the pipe member is movable in the conveying direction away from the connection port.

As an advantage of this procedure, the tube member can be of the same type as the carrier tube. Because, in this case, if the pipe member moves in the conveying direction away from the connection port,
This is because there is no need for the telescopic arrangement that is required when the pipe member moves in the direction toward the transfer pipe. Furthermore, this type of movability of the tubular member has the already mentioned advantage that the tubular member can slide through the column when the column is used as a cradle in the receiving position.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the air carrier to be shipped can be moved from the request position to the shipping position by the first slider.

The advantage of this procedure is that the transition from the requesting position to the shipping position is reproducible, and therefore with a precomputable force or load. Therefore, overloading of the components need not be so much of a concern, as is the damage to the user of the pneumatic tube station, which does not operate at all during the transfer operation from the request position to the shipping position. Further, as an advantage of the slider, by sequentially moving the slider to the request position, for example, the frontmost air carrier in each case, it becomes possible to sequentially ship a plurality of air carriers requested and buffered at the request position. .

The same applies in a further embodiment of the invention when the air carrier received is movable from the receiving position to the unloading position by means of a second slider.

The pneumatic tube station according to the invention can, of course, be configured as either a pure shipping station or a pure receiving station or a combined shipping and receiving station.

In the case of the last pointed out case, the request position and the first
It is especially preferred to position the slider above the receiving position, preferably above the second slider.

As an advantage of this procedure, gravity can be used to facilitate the transfer operation between the requesting position and the receiving position.

In the above-mentioned embodiment, it is particularly preferable that the first slider and the second slider are provided and both are arranged vertically.

As an advantage of this measure, it is possible to provide a densely structured mechanical element for driving the slider. Furthermore,
On the one hand, the transfer from the request position to the shipping position, and on the other hand, the transfer from the receiving position to the unloading position is generally advantageous for space reasons. In each case, the sliders can be used, that is, in the same direction.

In yet another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the upper edge of the tube member is movable to the height of the request position in order to move the air carrier to be shipped from the request position to the shipping position.

As an advantage of this procedure, not only is gravity assisted in delivering the pneumatic carrier from the request position to the shipping position, but additionally, the upper collar of the tube member serves as an aligning means whose upper edge is It is arranged above the holding means at the shipping position.

Further, in these gravity-assisted embodiments, the first
It is preferred that the slider has an effective guide in the transport direction.

As an advantage of this procedure, the pneumatic carrier is held by the guides effective in the transport direction until it is securely fitted in the shipping position, so that the pneumatic carrier is placed between the request position and the shipping position. The air carrier does not tilt when descending the step.

In another embodiment of the invention, the take-out position is located at the same height as the receive position. As an advantage of this treatment, the transfer from the receiving position to the taking-out position can be performed by a simple lateral movement.

Further, according to the present invention, when the request position and / or the receiving position is configured as a roll row that buffers a plurality of pneumatic feeders, a particularly good operation can be obtained.

The advantage of this procedure is that the user can carry out or receive a large number of pneumatic carriers without intervention, which allows a fully automatic operation of the pneumatic conduit station.

Other advantages will be apparent from the specification and the accompanying drawings.

The features mentioned above and those which are explained below can of course be applied not only in the respective combinations indicated, but also in other combinations or alone without departing from the scope of the invention.

One embodiment of the invention is shown in the drawings and will be explained in more detail below.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 10 denotes the entire pneumatic tube station of one embodiment according to the present invention. The pneumatic tube station 10 has a housing 11 to which a conveying tube 12 is preferably pressure-tightly connected from above. A blower can generate overpressure or negative pressure in the carrier tube 12 as is well known. The illustrated embodiment operates at negative pressure, for example, as suggested by arrow 13 in FIG. However, this should be regarded as a mere example, of course, and the same applies to the connection method and direction of the transfer tube 12.

The transfer pipe 12 is connected to the connection port 14 of the housing 11.
It leads to. A seal 16, for example, an O-ring seal, is fixedly arranged on the lower surface 15 of the cover plate of the housing 11.

The surface normal of the transfer tube 12 and the connection port 14 defines the first axis 17, or the transfer direction of the air carrier received or shipped.

The pipe member 20 can be moved in the direction of the first shaft 17 by the first moving unit 21 which has been roughly suggested. The annular flange 22 carried on the upper surface of the pipe member 20 has an enlarged cross section, and the seal 16 is at the position shown in FIG.
Through the contact with the lower surface 15 of the connection port 14 in a pressure-tight manner.

At the opposite end of the tube member 20, there is a communication hole 23 in the bottom 24 of the tube member 20. Directly above the bottom 24, a laterally branched nozzle 25 is equipped with a flap valve 26. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 in which the pneumatic tube station 10 operates under negative pressure (arrow 13), the flap valve 26 is designed to open when the inside of the pipe member 20 is negative pressure and close when it is overpressure.

A pillar 30 is arranged in the direction of the first shaft 17. The lower end of the pillar 30 is supported by a foundation 31, that is, a building in which the pneumatic tube station 10 is installed.

A column 30 has a sealing flange 32 just below the upper end.
Which, together with the bottom 24 when the tube member 20 is in the position shown in FIG. 1, provides a sealing of the communication hole 23. A seal is also actually provided between the sealing flange 32 and the bottom 24 for this purpose, but this is not shown in FIG. 1 for clarity.

The upper end of the column 30 terminates as a mounting plate 33, the cross section of which is considerably smaller than the inner cross section of the pipe member 20, and air passes through the side of the mounting plate 33 in the direction of the first axis 17. can do.

A shock absorber 34, preferably a hydraulic shock absorber, which is effective in the direction of the first shaft 17, is fitted in the mounting plate 33. In the unloaded state, the shock absorber 34 projects a little above the surface of the mounting plate 33, and can be pushed to the surface of the mounting plate 33 in the loaded state, that is, in the maximum compressed state.

In the following, the mounting plate 3 will be used depending on whether the pneumatic tube station 10 is used for shipping or receiving pneumatic carriers.
The position above 3 is called the shipping or receiving position 35.

The bottom 40 of the housing 11 provided on the left side of FIG. 1 also serves as a support 41 for the pneumatic carrier 42 to be shipped at the same time. In FIG. 1, the position where the pneumatic feeder 42 is located is hereinafter referred to as a request position 43. At this time, it is obvious that the other pneumatic feeders 42 can be buffered in the direction perpendicular to the plane of the drawing of FIG.

Inside the housing 11, the first slider 45 is arranged within the range of the requested position 43. The first slider 45 has a vertical side wall 46, a horizontal lid wall 47, and a wall portion 48 protruding downward from the lid wall 47. Therefore, the first slider 45 has a U structure that is substantially opened downward.
The right leg, that is, the wall 48, is the short leg.

In this case, the vertical distance h ₁ between the upper surface of the air carrier 42 and the lower end of the wall 48 is smaller than the vertical distance h ₂ between the support 41 and the upper surface of the mounting plate 33 or the shock absorber 34. It is dimensioned so that The meaning of this treatment will be further described later with reference to FIG.

The first slider 45 is movable along a second axis 50 by means of a second moving unit 49, also only roughly indicated, which axis is substantially perpendicular to the first axis 17. Therefore, if the first shaft 17 is vertical, the second shaft 50
Is horizontal.

Since the contour formed by the first slider 45 substantially conforms to the outer contour of the pneumatic feeder 42, the second moving unit 49 causes the pneumatic feeder 42 to be shipped to form the second shaft 50 by form fitting. Can be moved in the direction of.

The side wall 46 can be extended forward and perpendicularly to the plane of the drawing of FIG. 1 and then bent leftward so that the approach to the requested position 43 is blocked when the first slider 45 moves to the right.

A second slider 53 can be seen below the bottom 40, which is also movable in the direction of the second axis 50 by means of a third moving unit 54.

Roll row 55 which can be seen on the other side
Serves to receive the airborne particles received. Therefore, from the take-out position designated by the following reference numeral 56, the received pneumatic feeder can be grasped on the roll row 55 and taken out from the pneumatic feeding tube station 10.

The electronic control unit 57 controls the moving units 21, 4
Used to drive 9,54. Furthermore, a control output 5 which can be used, for example, to drive a blower or the like.
8 is provided. The control input 59 receives control signals from control calculators, proximity switches and the like as is well known.

The operation mode of the pneumatic tube station 10 will be described below with reference to FIGS.
The receiving operation will be described with reference to FIG.

Therefore, first of all, starting again from FIG.
There, the pneumatic carrier 42 is moved to a request position 43 in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the drawing of FIG.

By operating the first moving unit 21, first, the pipe member 20 is moved from the upper end position shown in FIG. 1 to the lower position where the upper edge of the annular flange 22 is aligned with the support 41. The height pointed out last in FIG.
₁ , the upper end position of the pipe member 20 is y ₂ , and the height of the mounting plate 33 is y ₃ .

Next, the first slider 45 moves to the right by driving the second moving unit 49. The first slider 45 carries the air carrier 42 in a form-fitting manner until it slides down from the right edge of the support 41 and the lower end thereof is mounted on the mounting plate 33 under the influence of gravity. At this time, the pneumatic carrier is provided with thick portions at the upper end and the lower end as well known, and this ensures the sealing in the conveying pipe, so that the annular flange 22 acts as an aligning means. However, since the sealing flange 32 has the inner width of the conveying tube 12, the air carrier 42 slides down in a form-fitting manner at the lower end, and also at the lower end's thick portion, and is thereby centered in the shipping position 35.

A wall 48 is provided as a vertical guide to prevent the upper end of the air carrier 42 from tilting to the right in FIG. 2 as the support 41 moves downwardly into the annular flange 22. This wall 48 prevents the upper end of the pneumatic carrier 42 from tilting to the right, thus allowing the pneumatic carrier 42 to slide smoothly down into the annular flange 22.

As already mentioned above, the vertical length of the wall portion 48 is such that when the air carrier 42 is in the shipping position 35, that is, the position shown in FIG. upper end are designed to have a vertical distance h ₂ -h ₁ from the lower end of the wall portion 48.

Based on this, the first slider 45 can be moved to the left again by operating the second moving unit 49 as shown in FIG.
Space above 2 is free.

FIG. 4 shows that the tube member 20 is again moved upward by the operation of the first moving unit 21 so that the upper edge of the annular flange 22 reaches the upper end position y ₂ . At this upper end position, the annular flange 22 closely contacts the lower surface 15 of the housing 11 because of the seal 16.

Next, when the electronic control unit 47 generates a negative pressure (arrow 13) in the transfer tube 12, the pneumatic feeder 42 is sucked. As indicated in FIG. 4 by the arrow 70, air can flow into the pipe member 20 via the flap valve 26 and the nozzle 25 to enable the air carrier 42 to be carried out.

The above-mentioned process can be repeated a plurality of times when a plurality of pneumatic feeders 42 are to be successively carried out from the request position 43.

On the other hand, FIG. 5 shows a starting position for receiving the pneumatic carrier 42 '.

In this starting position, the pipe member 20 is at the upper end position. The incoming air carrier 42 'enters through the carrier tube 12 as suggested by arrow 13'. Therefore, the carrier pipe 12
Overpressure is generated within. The air forced in front of the pneumatic carrier 42 'exits just above the housing 11 through a valve not shown in detail in FIG. As already mentioned, the flap valve 26 of the nozzle 25 is closed when the inside of the conveying pipe 12 or the pipe member 20 is overpressured, so that the incoming pneumatic carrier 42 'will have the air generated before it if it has passed this valve. Braked by cushions.

The incoming air carrier 42 is now in the receiving position 3
It is listed in 5. In that case, it first rests on the shock absorber 34, the latter being compressed by the residual kinetic energy of the pneumatic carrier 42 '. Only after all or at least a large part of the kinetic energy has been converted into thermal energy in the shock absorber 34, the pneumatic carrier 42 ′ rests on the mounting plate 33.

However, if the flap valve 26 fails and the inflator 42 'arrives too fast due to the lack of a braking air cushion in front of the inflator 42', the shock absorber 34 will normally Since it is only dimensioned so as to absorb the kinetic energy that appears during the operation of, the air carrier collides with the mounting plate 33 with high kinetic energy.

In such a defect case, a considerable load is applied to the column 3
0, from which it is transmitted to the foundation 31 as suggested by arrow 71 in FIG. Since the arrangement of the columns 30 is designed for such a high load, the pneumatic tube station 10 will not be damaged in the event of such a failure.

Next, considering the normal receiving process again,
The incoming air carrier 42 'rests on the mounting plate 33 as already touched.

Next, as shown in FIG. 6, the pipe member 20 moves downward, and the upper edge of the annular flange 22 is at the receiving position 3.
Move to a height of 5, or y ₃ . That is, the tube member 20 is now lower than in the stage of FIG. 3 (y ₁ ), and the lower end of the pneumatic carrier 42 ′ is not surrounded by the annular flange 22.

In the next step shown in FIG. 7, the second slider 53 is
Moves to the right in the direction of the second axis 50. Second slider 53
Grips the lower end of the pneumatic carrier 42 ', places it on the roll row 55, and slides it rightward into the take-out position 56.

FIG. 8 shows a state in which the second slider 53 is returned to the starting position again to reopen the path for the pipe member 20. Due to the effect of gravity, the pneumatic carrier 42 ′ rolls on the row of rolls 55 arranged at a slight inclination and moves to, for example, the second take-out position 56 ′, and a place for the pneumatic carrier to be received next is obtained. Vacate

Finally, FIG. 9 shows how the pipe member 20 continues to move to the upper end position again. This upper end position is also the rest position of the pneumatic tube station 10. The reason for this is that there is a situation in which an incorrectly guided air carrier arrives at the air transfer tube station 10 as a misdelivery and the tube member 20 is at the lower position, for example, the end position in FIG. This is to prevent it from appearing in. In such a situation, the accidentally arrived air carrier is discharged from above the carrier tube 12,
Unguided and unbraked, it may drop downwards and strike the mounting plate 33 or to the side of it, possibly destroying it. On the other hand, if the pneumatic tube station 10 is always held in the rest position in FIG. 9 when it is not functioning, the accidentally arriving pneumatic element is also braked as described above and gently rests on the mounting plate 33. You can't do this because you are forced to.

It is self-evident that numerous variants are possible within the framework of the invention without departing from the framework of the invention.
As a particularly relevant point, besides the above-mentioned mechanism of the pneumatic tube station 10 having a tube member 20 movable in the transport direction 17, further said elements alone or without departing from the scope of the invention. It can be used in combination. This is particularly applicable to the procedure of supporting the receiving position 35 on the building base 31, and further to the provision of the shock absorber 34 in the receiving position 35, and finally at 56 ', 56 "in FIG. As shown, request position 43 and / or take-out position 56
In addition, it is also applicable to a procedure using a roll row 55 or the like that cushions the pneumatic carrier 42 or 42 '.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view showing a partial cross-sectional view of an embodiment of a pneumatic tube station according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a shipping operation in a reduced scale as in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing a shipping operation in a reduced scale similar to FIG.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing a shipping operation in a reduced scale similar to FIG.

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIGS. 2 to 4 showing an operation of receiving a pneumatic child.

FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIGS. 2 to 4 showing an operation of receiving the pneumatic feeder.

FIG. 7 is a view similar to FIGS. 2 to 4 showing the operation of receiving the pneumatic feeder.

FIG. 8 is a view similar to FIGS. 2 to 4 showing the operation of receiving the pneumatic child.

FIG. 9 is a view similar to FIGS. 2 to 4 showing the operation of receiving a pneumatic child.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10 Pneumatic Pipe Station 11 Housing 12 Transport Pipe 14 Connection Port for Transport Pipe 15 Lower Surface of Cover Plate 16 Seal 17 Transport Direction 20 Pipe Member 21, 49, 54 Moving Unit 22 Annular Flange 23 Communication Hole 24 Bottom 25 Nozzle 26 Flap Valve 30, 33, 34 Retaining means 30 Pillar 31 Foundation 32 Sealing flange 33 Mounting plate 34 Shock absorber 35 Shipping position or receiving position 40 Bottom 41 Support 42 Air carrier 42 ', 42 "Air carrier 43 Request position 45 First slider 46 Side wall 47 lid wall 48 wall portion 49 second moving unit 50 second axis 50 vertical direction 53 second slider 55 second slider 56, 56 'take-out position 57 electronic control unit 58 control output end 59 control input end 59 control input end 70 , 70 'arrow ◆

Claims (14)

[Claims] 1. A pipe member (20) movable within a connection port (14) for a carrier pipe (12) and an air feeding station (10).
And the tube member is movable and compactly connectable to the carrier tube (12) in a position aligned with the carrier tube (12) for shipping or receiving the carrier tube (42) and the tube member ( 42)
Can be moved to a position away from the transfer pipe (12) for requesting or taking out the air, and the air carrier (42) can be connected to the request position (43) or the take-out position (56) inside the air transfer pipe station (10). In a pneumatic tube station adapted to move in a direction (50) perpendicular to the transport direction (17) between the shipping position and the receiving position (35), the pipe member (20) is at least in the transport direction (17). It can be moved by the length L of one air carrier (42), and can be moved to the delivery position or the receiving position (3
5) An air feeding tube station, characterized in that holding means (30, 33, 34) effective in the conveying direction (17) are provided for the air feeding element (42). 2. The holding means is constructed as a column (30) arranged in the conveying direction (17), which terminates as a mounting plate (33) in the shipping or receiving position (35). The pneumatic tube station according to claim 1, wherein: 3. The receiving position (35) is a mounting plate (33).
3. The pneumatic tube station according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that it is supported on the side remote from it by a spatially fixed foundation (31). 4. The receiving position (35) is in the transport direction (1
7. Pneumatic tube station according to one or more of claims 1-3, characterized in that it has a buffer (34) effective in 7). 5. Pneumatic tube station according to claim 4, characterized in that the shock absorber (34) is a hydraulic shock absorber. 6. The pipe member (20) according to claim 1, wherein the pipe member (20) is movable in the conveying direction (17) away from the connection port (14). Pneumatic tube station. 7. The air carrier (42) to be shipped is moved from the request position (43) to the shipping position (3) by the first slider (45).
5. The pneumatic tube station according to claim 1, wherein the pneumatic tube station is movable to 5). 8. The air carrier (42 ') received can be moved from the receiving position (35) to the taking-out position (56) by a second slider (55).
7. The pneumatic tube station according to any one or more of 7. 9. The request position (43) and the first slider (4)
9. Pneumatic tube station according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that 5) is arranged above the receiving position (35), preferably above the second slider (55). 10. The pneumatic tube station according to claim 9, wherein sliders (45, 55) are arranged one above the other. 11. The upper edge of the pipe member (20) for moving the pneumatic carrier (42) to be shipped from the requesting position (43) to the shipping position (35) is the height (y) of the requesting position (43). 11. The pneumatic tube station according to claim 9 or 10, wherein the pneumatic tube station is movable to ₁ ). 12. The pneumatic tube according to claim 9, wherein the first slider (45) has a guide (48) effective in the carrying direction (17). station. 13. The take-out position (56) is set to the receive position (3).
13. The pneumatic tube station according to claim 9, wherein the pneumatic tube station is arranged at the same height (y ₃ ) as 5). 14. The requesting position (43) and / or the receiving position (56) are especially configured as a row of rolls (55) for buffering a plurality of pneumatic carriers (42 ', 42 "). The pneumatic tube station according to any one or a plurality of claims 1 to 13.