| 摘要 |
The delivery and retrieval device comprises a frame for mounting above a conveyor 30 and a first cone pick up 10 device to engage a cone A at a first level X and raise the cone to a second level Y or visa-versa. A second cone pick up device 20 may engage a cone at the second level while the cone is supported by the first pick up device and raise the cone to a third level Z or visa-versa, with the distance between the second and third level being substantially the distance between the bases of two stacked cones. Any cone that is supported at the second level is supported by either the first and/or second pick up device at any one time such that in use cones can be retrieved to create a stack of cones at the third level by sequentially taking cones to the third level and inserting the further cone underneath the previous cone and raising it to the third level or alternatively cones can be delivered from the stack to a conveyor by sequentially lowering the bottom cone from the stack to the first level while supporting the remainder of the cones at the third level. The first pick up device preferably comprises a pair of reciprocating jaws that can engage opposite sides of the square base of a cone and which are mounted on a first carriage so they can move between the first and second levels. The jaws are preferably in the form of opposing L-shaped plates and the jaws and carriage are preferably hydraulically operated. The second pick up device is preferably similar to the first pick up device except that in use it engages the second pair of opposite sides of the square base of the cone and can move between the second and third level. The device may be computer controlled with sensors to detect the presence of cones and adjustable rates of delivery and retrieval. A transfer device may be provided to transfer stacks of cones from a storage compartment to the third level adjacent the second pick up device or visa-versa. |
