Siemens Electrocom, L.p.

Dominik Graefer

Richard Herrin

Michele Vitalini

A passive discharge mechanism for discharging articles from a trolley at selected locations is disclosed. The trolley may be equipped with on-board intelligence for communicating with an external controller, monitoring the trolley's location, and signaling actuation of a moveable member for engaging the passive discharge mechanism as the trolley reaches a selected destination for an article conveyed by the trolley. In one aspect the passive discharge mechanism comprises a transverse conveyor; in another aspect the passive discharge mechanism includes a tilt-type tray. A trolley for conveying articles along a monorail having arcuate portions includes a rigid frame having a longitudinal axis and opposed ends is also disclosed. A pair of rotatable yokes are coupled to the frame adjacent to the opposed ends of the frame for rotational movement around an axis perpendicular to the longitudinal axis as the trolley car travels along an arcuate portion of the monorail, each of the yokes having a pair of opposed arms extending from the mainframe, a pair of guide wheels mounted on each of the opposed arms for rotational contact with a guide surface of the monorail, and a load bearing wheel mounted adjacent to each of the opposed ends of the rigid frame, each of the load bearing wheels being rotatable around an axis perpendicular to the longitudinal axis for rotational movement around the axis as the trolley car travels along an arcuate portion of the monorail, the load bearing wheels extending through an uppermost portion of the rigid frame and contacting an upper load bearing surface of the monorail.

Trolley with passive discharge mechanism

A trolley car for conveying articles along a monorail having arcuate portions includes a rigid frame having a longitudinal axis and opposed ends. A pair of rotatable yokes are coupled to the frame adjacent to the opposed ends of the frame for rotational movement around an axis perpendicular to the longitudinal axis as the trolley car travels along an arcuate portion of the monorail, each of the yokes having a pair of opposed arms extending from the mainframe, a pair of guide wheels mounted on each of the opposed arms for rotational contact with a guide surface of the monorail, and a load bearing wheel mounted adjacent to each of the opposed ends of the rigid frame, each of the load bearing wheels being rotatable around an axis perpendicular to the longitudinal axis for rotational movement around the axis as the trolley car travels along an arcuate portion of the monorail, the load bearing wheels extending through an uppermost portion of the rigid frame and contacting an upper load bearing surface of the monorail. An improved truck includes a carriage, a yoke connected to the carriage by a rotatable support, such that the yoke can rotate in a horizontal plane relative to the carriage, a plurality of guide wheels, fixtures that mount each wheel to the yoke at horizontally offset positions with predetermined spacing to conform to the rail structure, such that rotation of the yoke relative to the carriage causes the wheels to move in unison to conform to a curve in the rail structure. The articulated yoke of the invention is specially adapted for supporting two or more wheels on opposite sides of a monorail, wheels mounted to the yoke using a fixture that does not substantially swivel. The yoke uniting the wheels is mounted to the carriage in such a manner that the yoke and wheels can swivel in unison relative to the carriage about a &ldquo;virtual axle&rdquo; which is offset from the actual vertical axes of the individual wheels providing a rail-borne car which moves smoothly around curves yet is securely mounted in its associated rail or rails.

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Nuremberg, Germany

Dominik Graefer