US 11,745,953 B2
Conveyor device for the distanceless and pressureless, or low-pressure, accumulation of objects, and operating method therefor
Manuel Schoenbauer, Taufkirchen an der Trattnach (AT); Florian Georg Karer, Linz (AT); Richard Grimminger, Scharten (AT); Simon Kaltseis, Haibach ob der Donau (AT); and Martin Rausch, Gmunden (AT)
Assigned to TGW Mechanics GmbH, Wels (AT)
Appl. No. 17/422,995
Filed by TGW Mechanics GmbH, Wels (AT)
PCT Filed Feb. 13, 2020, PCT No. PCT/AT2020/060045
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Jul. 14, 2021,
PCT Pub. No. WO2020/163888, PCT Pub. Date Aug. 20, 2020.
Claims priority of application No. 50117/2019 (AT), filed on Feb. 15, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2022/0089378 A1, Mar. 24, 2022
Int. Cl. B65G 43/10 (2006.01); B65G 47/26 (2006.01); B65G 47/31 (2006.01)
CPC B65G 43/10 (2013.01) [B65G 47/261 (2013.01); B65G 47/31 (2013.01); B65G 2201/02 (2013.01); B65G 2203/0208 (2013.01)] 29 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method for accumulating objects (O, O1 . . . O3, Oa . . . Oj) in an accumulation area (SB) of a conveying device (1) in the form of object blocks (B, Ba, Bb), which comprise multiple objects (O, O1 . . . O3, Oa . . . Oj) moved at a common speed, comprising the steps:
detecting an object rear edge (KHO1) of a first object (O1) at a first measuring position (PMess1) by means of a first measuring device (L1), wherein the first object (O1) is moved past the first measuring position (PMess1) downstream in a conveying direction by driven conveyor elements (2, 2M, 2L) of the conveying device (1) and wherein the object rear edge (KHO1) of the first object (O1) is located upstream of an object front edge (KVO1) of the first object (O1),
detecting an object front edge (KVO2) of a second object (O2), which follows the first object (O1) upstream, at the first measuring position (PMess1) by means of the first measuring device (L1), wherein the second object (O2) is moved past the first measuring position (PMess1) downstream in the conveying direction by the driven conveyor elements (2, 2M, 2L) and wherein the object front edge (KVO2) of the second object (O2) is located downstream of an object rear edge (KHO2) of the second object (O2),
moving the first object (O1) to a stop position (PStop), which is located downstream of the first measuring position (PMess1) in the conveying direction, and stopping the first object (O1) with its object rear edge (KHO1) at its stop position (PStop) with the aid of the conveyor elements (2, 2M, 2L), wherein a current position of the first object (O1), between the first measuring position (PMess1) and its stop position (PStop), is determined with the aid of rotation signals from the drives (M) of the conveyor elements (2, 2M, 2L),
wherein
for the second object (O2), a continuous curve of a speed reduction of a target speed (vSolI) is calculated by a controller (5), wherein the calculated stop position (PStop) of the object front edge (KVO2) of the second object (O2) is located at the position of the object rear edge (KHO1) of the stopped first object (O1), or between the object front edge (KVO1) of the stopped first object (O1) and the object rear edge (KHO1) of the stopped first object (O1), and
the second object (O2) is moved and stopped with the aid of the conveyor elements (2, 2M, 2L) using the calculated speed reduction, wherein a current position of the second object (O2), between the first measuring position (PMess1) and its stop position (PStop), is determined with the aid of rotation signals from the drives (M) of the conveyor elements (2, 2M, 2L), and
the calculation of the speed reduction
a) is based on a virtual object rear edge (GHO1) of the first object (O1), which is located downstream of a physical object rear edge (KHO1) of the first object (O1), and/or
b) is based on a virtual object front edge (GVO2) of the second object (O2), which is located upstream of a physical object front edge (KVO2) of the second object O2, or
c) is based on a virtual object rear edge (GHO1) of the first object (O1), which is located upstream of a physical object rear edge (KHO1) of the first object (O1), and/or
d) is based on a virtual object front edge (GVO2) of the second object (O2), which is located downstream of a physical object front edge (KVO2) of the second object (O2).