IT202100003740U1 - MAGNETIC SUPPORT AND GUIDE STRUCTURE - Google Patents

Description

Description of a utility model patent?

DESCRIPTION

The subject of the present invention is a magnetic support and guide structure, able to keep integral with said support and guide structure a conveyor member with articulated links movable along said support and guide structure, according to the pre-characterizing part of the main claim.

Magnetic support and guide structures according to the precharacterizing part have been known for some time, these structures have a plurality of of different connection members of the containment elements of one or more? magnets, in the relative seats for these coupling elements, provided in the magnetic support and guide structure itself. ? it is also known, to provide the seats for the containment elements in a plurality? of different positions and/or parts of the structure itself: for example under the sliding guides for the conveyor unit.

Purpose of the present invention ? that of realizing a magnetic support and guide structure which simplifies and speeds up the connection of the containment elements in the relative seats of the structure itself and which at the same time also optimizes the processes necessary for the realization of these seats.

These and other objects which will appear evident to an expert in the art are achieved by a magnetic support and guide structure in accordance with the characterizing part of the main claim.

For a better understanding of the present invention, drawings are attached by way of non-limiting example in which:

figs. 1, 2, 3, 4 show, respectively, a schematic top view (fig. 1), a partial and simplified sectional view (fig. 2) (taken along line VII/VII of fig. 1 and in which the magnet containment elements have not been shown), a schematic view from below (fig. 3) and an enlarged schematic view from above of the detail indicated by the arrow W in fig. 1, of a support and guide structure with six tracks and curved shape according to the invention; the fig. 5 shows a schematic perspective view of a seat for housing a containment element,

the fig. 6 shows an enlarged schematic sectional view of a detail of the seat of fig. 5 when it also houses a containment element, fig. 7 shows an enlarged schematic sectional view of a detail of the seat in fig. 5 fig. 8 shows an enlarged schematic sectional view of a detail of the containment element of fig. 10 according to a first embodiment,

the fig. 9 shows an enlarged schematic sectional view of a detail of the containment element of fig. 1 according to a second embodiment,

figs. 10 and 11 show, respectively, a top and bottom perspective view of an embodiment of a magnet containment element;

figs. 12A, 12B show, respectively, a schematic top view (fig. 12A), and an enlarged schematic perspective view from above of the detail indicated by the arrow W? of fig. 12A, of a support and guide structure with a single track and curved shape according to the invention.

With reference to Figures 1-11, they show a magnetic support and guide structure 30 (Fig. 1), able to keep an articulated link conveyor member 28 (schematically and partially represented in Fig. 1) integral with said support and guide structure. ) movable along said support and guide structure 20; wherein said support and guide structure 30 comprises at least one pair of guides (in the example of fig. 1 the structure has six pairs of guides) 21A, 22A; 22A, 22B; 22B, 22C; 22C, 22D; 22D 22E; 22E, 21B distinct and arranged at a predefined distance Z (fig. 2) from each other, in which each pair of guides ? oriented according to a respective axis of development, and defines a respective sliding track F1-F6, in which said guides have sliding surfaces 21A', 22A? (fig.2) for the conveyor member 28 with articulated links.

The support and guide structure 30 also comprises at least one support component 23 (fig. 2) for the guides 21A-B, 22A-E, comprising at least a first surface 24 and at least a second surface 25 opposite each other, in which said guides 21, 22 protrude from said first surface 24 to define at least one sliding channel 26 delimited by side surfaces 21B? 22B? of contiguous pairs of said guides 21A-B, 22A-E and from at least one portion 24B of said first surface 24, said at least one sliding channel 26 allowing to accommodate at least a portion of the articulated links of the conveyor member 28. At the second surface 25 of the support component 23 are provided a plurality of hollow seats 40 (fig. 2, 4, 5) suitable for each housing at least one containment element 1 (fig.

10) for at least one magnet 2, 3. These containment elements 1 each comprise: a body 4 having at least one seat for housing said at least one magnet 2, 3 and side walls 9A-E, 10 suitable for delimiting said at least a seat for the magnet 2, 3.

According to the invention at least one of the outer surfaces of the side walls 9A-D of the body 4 of each containment element 1 comprises members 50 (fig. 6, 8, 10, 11) for connecting the? containment element 1 with respective counter members 51 (fig. 5, 7) provided in at least one side wall 40 A-D of each of said seats 40 of said support and guide structure 20, in which said connecting members and counter members are male-female type and are suitable for snap-connecting the coupling element 1 when this is? forcibly pushed into said seat 40. Again according to the invention, the seats 40 extend at least in part below the at least one sliding channel 26 of said magnetic support and guide structure 30 (figs. 2 and 4).

Thanks to the conformation of the magnetic support and guide structure comprising the combination of the above technical characteristics, the magnetic effect of the magnets present in the containment elements 1? particularly effective as the magnets are found very close to the parts made of ferromagnetic material of the conveying member, and in particular to the pin which connects one link with the other of this member. There? ? particularly advantageous especially in the case in which the links are made of plastic material and the only part in ferromagnetic material? the pin connecting the links to each other. The positioning of the seats 40 for the containment elements 1 at least partly below the at least one sliding channel 26 of said magnetic support and guide structure 30 also makes the construction of the seats themselves particularly simple and rapid.

Preferably the seats 40 for the coupling elements 1 extend only below the at least one sliding channel 26 of said magnetic support and guide structure 30, so to maximize the effect of the magnets.

Preferably the connecting member 50 comprises a projection 50A (fig. 8) protruding from an external surface D of at least one of the side walls 9A-D of the body 4 of the containment element 1. Preferably the projection 50A has a cross section rounded: Preferably the counter member 51 (fig.7) ? provided along at least one corresponding side wall 40A-D of the seat 40, so to allow a snap engagement of the 50 A protrusion; also the counter member 51 has a shape and section corresponding to that of said protrusion 50A.

Preferably, to ensure a better connection, the connection member 50 and the corresponding member member 51 are continuous and extend along all the respective side walls 9A-D of the body 4 of the containment element 1 and along all the respective walls 40 A-D of seat 40.

Preferably, to favor the snapping in the respective counter member 51, the connection member 50 protrudes with respect to the external surface D of the side walls 9A-D of the body 4 of the containment element 1 of a section T1 having dimensions between 0.3 mm and 0,7mm and more? preferably equal to about 0.5 mm and the counter member 51 has a cavity? having depth similar or slightly greater than those of the T1 segment. Preferably, to guarantee a better connection, the connection member 50 is provided at a height H1 (fig.8) from a bottom wall 10 of the body 4 of the containment element 1 comprised between about 30% and 50% of the total height H2 of the coupling element 1 and more? preferably equal to about 40% of this height,

Preferably, to facilitate the insertion of the coupling element 1, at least one side wall 40 A-D of the seat 40 (in the example shown all these side walls) in correspondence with one edge 40G (fig. 7) which delimits an opening for the The insertion of the coupling element 1 into the seat itself, has an inclined part 40H, able to form a flaring, which extends up to the counter connecting member 51, and in particular up to a counter member having the shape of a recess 51A , what? to facilitate the snapping of the connection member 50 of the containment element 1, and in particular of a connecting member 50 having the shape of a protrusion 50A, in said counter member 51 and the consequent snap connection of the coupling element 1 at seat 40.

Preferably, to improve the insertion of the coupling element 1 in the seat 40, the inclined part 40H is? inclined with respect to a vertical by an angle E1 between 5? and 9? and more preferably equal to about 7.5?.

Preferably, to improve the insertion and connection of the coupling element 1 in the seat 40, the side walls 40 A-D which delimit the seat 40 of the support structure 30 comprise a first inclined part 40H, which joins with a coupling part recess 51 which in turn joins with a substantially vertical final part 40J.

Preferably, to facilitate the construction of the seats 40 for the coupling elements 1, these seats are provided in correspondence with said second surface 25 of the support component 23 and below the sliding channels 26.

Preferably to improve the effect of the magnets, the seats 40 for the coupling elements 1 are provided in correspondence with said second surface 25 of the support component 23 and are uniformly spaced from each other along the entire development of each of said pairs of guides ( 21A, 22A; 22A, 22B; 22B, 22C; 22C, 22D; 22D 22E; 22E, 21B).

It should be noted that the embodiment described up to now ? been provided purely by way of example and that numerous variants are possible, all falling within the same innovative concept, so? for example the shape of the containment elements 1 could be different from that shown in the figures, however conventional for the person skilled in the art.

The same also applies to the conformation of the magnetic support and guide structure which can be of any conventional type and pu? be both straight and curved, and pu? supporting the articulated link conveyor member both along a forward path and along a return path of the member itself. The guide structures can also be single-track, or capable of supporting and guiding a single conveyor member, or several? tracks to guide and support a plurality? of conveyor members placed side by side (as shown in fig. 1). Furthermore, as usual for the person skilled in the art, the guides 21A-B, 22A-E and the support component 23 can be in one piece as shown in fig. 7 or be made in pieces separate from each other and coupled in the usual way, both the guides 21A-B, 22A-E and the support component 23 can also in turn be made in a single piece or in a plurality? of pieces connected to each other in the usual way.

Figures 12 A and B show an alternative embodiment of the guide structure 30 of figures 1-5, (the parts in common with the embodiment of figures 1-5 will be indicated in the embodiment of figures

12A-B with the same numbering used in figures 1-5 but increased by 100). In this second embodiment, the seats 140 for housing are always provided in the support component 123 from which the pairs of guides 121 A and B depart and between the guides themselves, but these seats are open in correspondence with the upper surface 124 ( Fig. 12B) of this support element and not at the other surface 125 (as in Fig. 2). This location of the offices makes it more? the positioning of the containment elements in the dedicated seats is simple.

Preferably when the seats 140 are open at the top as in figs. 12A and B the containment elements are of the type in which the magnets are the most? close as possible to the upper surface 124 of the sliding channel 126 delimited by the internal faces 121A? and 121B? of the guides and by the surface 124. The containment elements are connected to the seats 140 with the previously described male-female coupling members and counter members 150-151, and which will therefore not be further illustrated here. Preferably, the containment elements also include a sealing member 160 of the same type as the member 60 previously described.

Finally, it should be stressed that the containment element could provide for numerous variations with respect to the illustrated embodiment, for example the containment element could provide for a single side wall and have, for example, a flattened cylindrical shape with a regular or irregular circular cross-section . The containment element could also contain a single magnet, in this case coupling elements with polarity would be alternated in the seats of the guide structure positive and negative.