Search

EP-4585541-B1 - VIBRATORY SPIRAL CONVEYOR

EP4585541B1EP 4585541 B1EP4585541 B1EP 4585541B1EP-4585541-B1

Inventors

  • PINCK, Uwe

Dates

Publication Date
20260513
Application Date
20241127

Claims (14)

  1. A vibratory bowl feeder (10), comprising a sorting bowl (12) which can be caused to vibrate and which has a shoulder (18) on its inside that spirally winds to the upper edge (14) of the sorting bowl (12), and comprising at least one add-on element (22) on the sorting bowl (12), characterized in that the sorting bowl (12) and the add-on element (22) each include at least one magnet (24) which, in the state in which the add-on element (22) is attached to the sorting bowl (12), face each other with opposite polarity and by means of which the add-on element (22) is detachably attached to the sorting bowl (12).
  2. The vibratory bowl feeder (10) according to claim 1, characterized in that the magnets (24) of the add-on element (22) and of the sorting bowl (12) are magnetic disks.
  3. The vibratory bowl feeder (10) according to either of claims 1 or 2, characterized in that the magnetic disks are screwed or bolted to the add-on element (22) or the sorting bowl (12) and have a central fastening opening (26).
  4. The vibratory bowl feeder (10) according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the at least one add-on element (22) is attached to the sorting bowl (12) by at least two pairs of opposing magnets (24).
  5. The vibratory bowl feeder (10) according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that a recess (20) for receiving the add-on element (22) is provided on the sorting bowl (12).
  6. The vibratory bowl feeder (10) according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that an add-on element (22) defines a section of a feed track (30) for objects to be singulated.
  7. The vibratory bowl feeder (10) according to claim 6, characterized in that a first add-on element (22) defines a final section of a shoulder (18) constituting the feed track (30) upstream of a drop chute (32) at the highest point of the feed track (30).
  8. The vibratory bowl feeder (10) according to claim 7, characterized in that the sorting bowl (12) includes a circumferential wall (34) having an upper edge (14) and a cutout (35) that starts from the upper edge (14) and is closed by a plate-shaped extension (36) on the first add-on element (22) and from which an arcuate section (38) starts that forms the final section of the shoulder (18).
  9. The vibratory bowl feeder (10) according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that the sorting bowl (12) has, on its inside at the end of a shoulder (18) shaped on it, a depression recessed downwards and having a widened contact shoulder (40) to which magnets (24) are mounted, and wherein an arcuate section (38) of the first add-on element (22) has counter-magnets on its lower side.
  10. The vibratory bowl feeder (10) according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that an add-on element (22) constitutes a height deflector (42) upstream of a drop chute (32) and has an upper shoulder (44) that faces laterally outwards and on the lower side of which at least one magnet (24) is provided and which rests on an upper edge (14) of the sorting bowl (12), the sorting bowl (12) including a counter-magnet.
  11. The vibratory bowl feeder (10) according to any of claims 7 to 9 and additionally according to claim 10, characterized in that the height deflector (42) is seated in that area of the shoulder (18) that is defined by the first add-on element (22).
  12. The vibratory bowl feeder (10) according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that one add-on element (22) is a drop chute unit (46) which is provided on the outside of the sorting bowl (12), with magnets (24) and counter-magnets being mounted to the outside of the sorting bowl (12) and to an inside, facing the outside of the sorting bowl, of the drop chute unit (46).
  13. The vibratory bowl feeder (10) according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the vibratory bowl feeder (10) is a modular vibratory bowl feeder (10) having a plurality of different add-on elements (22) which are adapted to be mounted at the same location on the sorting bowl (12) and are designed for objects of different dimensions to be sorted.
  14. The vibratory bowl feeder (10) according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the add-on elements (22) are formed from a plastic material, in particular from a mixture of nylon or polycaprolactam (PA6) and crushed carbon fibers.

Description

The invention relates to a vibrating spiral conveyor with a sorting bowl that can be set into vibration and which has a shoulder on its inside that spirals towards the upper edge of the sorting bowl. Vibratory bowl conveyors are a type of vibratory conveyor and are used for the vertical conveying of dusty to coarse-grained bulk materials as well as lumpy goods. Additionally, vibratory bowl conveyors can be used to sort bulk items such as seals, screws, or electronic components and position them correctly for automated further processing. Vibratory bowl conveyors incorporate an actuator that generates vibrations. These vibrations, transmitted from the actuator to the sorting bowl, create so-called micro-throws, which transport the bulk material. To further sort the bulk material, the vibratory bowl conveyor typically includes sorting elements, also known as baffles, which sort or align the bulk material according to size (length, width, and height) and position. To allow the vibratory bowl conveyor to be used for other items, the sorting elements are interchangeable, enabling them to be adapted to the sizes of different objects. These sorting elements or baffles are securely attached to the sorting bowl with screws and can be quickly replaced as needed. Alternatively, the sorting elements or baffles are welded and shaped by hand onto the steel or aluminum sorting pots according to conventional construction methods. US 3 655 028 A describes a vibratory spiral conveyor according to the preamble of claim 1. One objective of the invention is to provide a vibratory bowl feeder in which sorting elements can be exchanged even faster and more easily. This problem is solved according to the invention by a vibratory spiral conveyor comprising a sorting bowl that can be set into vibration and has a shoulder on its inner side that spirals in a helical fashion towards the upper edge of the sorting bowl. Furthermore, the vibratory spiral conveyor has at least one attachment element on the sorting bowl, wherein the sorting bowl and the attachment element each have at least one magnet. In the state attached to the sorting bowl, the magnets are oppositely polarized. The attachment element is thus detachably attached to the sorting bowl via the magnets. In other words, the attachment element is reversibly attached to the sorting bowl by means of oppositely polarized magnets. Thus, the attachment element can be attached or detached without tools, enabling faster exchange of the various attachment elements. To detach the attachment element, only slight pressure against the acting magnetic force needs to be applied before the attachment element can be removed from the sorting bowl. Furthermore, the magnets help to center the attachments or, optionally, are even responsible for this, so that the attachments center themselves through magnetic force when inserted, thus ensuring the required accuracy of the arrangement of the attachments. The attachment is preferably a sorting element that ensures the precise singulation of the bulk material, allowing the vibratory bowl feeder to operate reliably in continuous operation. When using a different bulk material, such as sealing rings with different dimensions than previously singulated sealing rings, it is necessary to change the attachments accordingly. The bulk material consists of items such as seals, screws, electronic components, or similar items. The parts are separated, precisely aligned, and correctly oriented before being individually removed and transported to the next step in the work process. The magnet can be a permanent magnet made of a metallic alloy based on iron, nickel, or aluminum. Alternatively, the magnet on the sorting pot can also be an electromagnet, which makes replacing the attachment easier, since after When the electromagnet is switched off, no magnetic forces act between the attachment element and the sorting pot. Preferably, the magnets of the mounting element and the sorting bowl are magnetic plates. The use of magnetic plates allows for precise attachment and alignment of the mounting element to the sorting bowl. Furthermore, magnetic plates are typically compact, durable, and robust components available in various, coordinated sizes. Accordingly, the size of the magnetic plate can be adapted to the mounting element being attached. Preferably, each attachment element has the same size of magnets. The magnetic plates can be screwed to the base or the sorting container. For this purpose, the magnetic plates may have a central mounting hole. Alternatively, the magnetic plates can also be glued or welded to the base or the sorting container. The only important thing is that the magnetic plates do not detach from the attachment or the sorting container when the attachment is replaced. According to a preferred embodiment, the at least one attachment element is fastened to the sorting pot by at least two pairs of opposing magnets, i.e., the attachment element h