Method and tool for palletizing mixed load products
원문보기
IPC분류정보
국가/구분
United States(US) Patent
등록
국제특허분류(IPC7판)
B66C-001/42
B65G-061/00
B65G-047/90
B65G-057/03
B25J-011/00
B65G-047/82
B25J-015/00
B65G-063/00
출원번호
US-0645840
(2017-07-10)
등록번호
US-9914601
(2018-03-13)
발명자
/ 주소
Morency, Sylvain-Paul
Ducharme, Marc
Jodoin, Robert
Metivier, Regis
Forget, Jean-François
Lamy-Poirier, Maxime
Lajoie, Eric
출원인 / 주소
Symbotic, Canada ULC.
대리인 / 주소
Perman & Green, LLP
인용정보
피인용 횟수 :
0인용 특허 :
13
초록▼
The problem of the lag time in picking and dropping mixed load products during a palletization process is solved by using a tool having i) a gripping member that can be partially closed in a first fast movement while it is moved by a robot towards a product and then closed onto the product in a seco
The problem of the lag time in picking and dropping mixed load products during a palletization process is solved by using a tool having i) a gripping member that can be partially closed in a first fast movement while it is moved by a robot towards a product and then closed onto the product in a second shorter movement and ii) a product abutting plate that is movable in unison with the tool in opposite direction thereof as the tool is moved by a robot towards and away the mixed load pallet.
대표청구항▼
1. A tool for palletizing mixed load products, the tool comprising: a frame for mounting the tool to a robot;a fork assembly including a plurality of side by side and distanced product-supporting members, each mounted to the frame;a gripping assembly having at least one gripping member movably mount
1. A tool for palletizing mixed load products, the tool comprising: a frame for mounting the tool to a robot;a fork assembly including a plurality of side by side and distanced product-supporting members, each mounted to the frame;a gripping assembly having at least one gripping member movably mounted to the frame and having an elongated shape aligned with the product-supporting members, the at least one gripping member being movable in opposing relation with respect to the product-supporting members, the at least one gripping member including a traction surface movable in a direction along the product-supporting members; wherein movement of the at least one gripping member in opposing relation with respect to the product-supporting members is both servo-driven and compliantly actuated; anda pusher assembly including a pusher movably mounted to the frame for longitudinal movement along the product-supporting members. 2. The tool as recited in claim 1, wherein the longitudinal movement of the pusher along the product-supporting members is synchronized with a translation of the tool in opposite direction thereof. 3. The tool as recited in claim 2, wherein the pusher assembly further includes a drive assembly coupled to a controller of the robot for causing and synchronizing the longitudinal movement of the pusher along the product-supporting member. 4. The tool as recited in claim 1, wherein the at least one gripping member includes first and second gripping members, both gripping members being slidably mounted to the frame, the second gripping member being coupled to the first gripping member for reciprocal movements in unison towards and away from the fork assembly. 5. The tool as recited in claim 4, wherein the first and second gripping members are both longer than the product-support members. 6. The tool as recited in claim 1, wherein the traction surface is a first traction surface, the gripping assembly further includes a drive assembly including a drive mounted to the frame and having an output shaft that is operatively coupled to the pusher assembly via a second traction surface, the first traction surface being operatively coupled to the second traction surface for movement in unison via the pusher assembly. 7. The tool as recited in claim 6, wherein the at least one gripping member includes a first gripping member and a second gripping member, both gripping members being slidably mounted to the frame, the first gripping member being operatively coupled to the drive assembly, the second gripping member being coupled to the first gripping member for sliding movements in unison. 8. The tool as recited in claim 1, wherein the at least one gripping member is slidably mounted to the frame via at least one track that extends between the frame and the fork assembly generally perpendicular from the at least one gripping member. 9. The tool as recited in claim 1, wherein the product-supporting members are secured to the frame via posts, at the distal end thereof, the posts being secured to the frame at their proximate end. 10. The tool as recited in claim 1, wherein the product-supporting members are bevelled. 11. The tool as recited in claim 1, wherein the product-supporting members are forks. 12. The tool as recited in claim 1, wherein the product-supporting members include a side product-supporting member at each lateral end side of the fork assembly, the tool further comprising a width-adjusting assembly mounted to the frame and being coupled to the fork assembly for modifying a distance between at least one of the side product-supporting members and other product-supporting members. 13. The tool as recited in claim 12, wherein the at least one gripping member includes a first gripping member and a second gripping member, each one of the first gripping member and the second gripping member being coupled to a respective side product-supporting member, the first gripping member being coupled to the at least one of the side product-supporting members for lateral movement in unison. 14. The tool as recited in claim 13, wherein the pusher includes a first pusher bar and a second pusher bar, each one of the first pusher bar and the second pusher bar being coupled to a respective one of the first gripping member and the second gripping member for the lateral movement in unison, the first pusher bar and the second pusher bar being further coupled to the first gripping member and the second gripping member respectively so as to allow a sliding movement of the first gripping member and the second gripping member along the first pusher bar and the second pusher bar. 15. The tool as recited in claim 14, wherein the first pusher bar and the second pusher bar are mounted to the frame via a pusher holder, the pusher holder being mounted to the frame for longitudinal movement along the product-supporting members, one of the first pusher bar and the second pusher bar being fixedly mounted to the pusher holder and the other of the first pusher bar and the second pusher bar being slidably mounted to the pusher holder for transversal movement relative to the first gripping member and the second gripping member. 16. The tool as recited in claim 14, wherein the width-adjusting assembly further including a pneumatic cylinder mounted to both posts therebetween. 17. The tool as recited in claim 13, wherein each pair of coupled side product-supporting member and gripping member is mounted to a respective post, the distance between the at least one of the side product-supporting member and the other product-supporting members is modified by moving one of the posts relative to the other post. 18. The tool as recited in claim 1, wherein the slidable movements of the at least one gripping member are sequentially servo driven and pneumatically actuated. 19. A palletizing cell comprising: an infeed conveyor for providing mixed products to be palletized;a pallet-receiving station; anda robot equipped with the tool as recited in claim 1, that is positioned within reach of both the infeed station and pallet-receiving station; the robot being for sequentially gripping the mixed products and for placing each gripped product on a pallet positioned at the pallet-receiving station. 20. The palletizing cell as recited in claim 19, wherein the infeed conveyor is a roller type conveyor. 21. The palletizing cell as recited in claim 20, wherein the robot is a four or six axis articulated robot arm. 22. A method for palletizing mixed load products using a tool mounted to a robot, the method comprising: adjusting a tool width in response to a width of a selected product among products to be palletized;moving the robot, coincident at least in part with adjusting the tool width, towards the selected product and opening a gripper assembly of the tool to a nominal height of the selected product plus an offset gap;with the tool positioned to overlap the selected product at least in part, closing the gripper assembly a distance sufficient to contact the selected product;contacting the selected product with a pusher within the gripper assembly of the tool;moving the pusher in a first direction synchronously with moving the tool in an opposite direction relative to the pusher moving in the first direction so that the selected product is gripped by the tool;moving the tool adjacent a mixed load pallet at a position selected to drop the selected product; andmoving the pusher in a second direction synchronously with moving the tool in an opposite direction relative to the pusher moving in the second direction so that the selected product is released by the tool at the selected position while the gripper assembly keeps contact with the selected product. 23. The method as recited in claim 22, wherein said adjusting the tool width is performed simultaneously to moving the robot towards the selected product and opening a gripper assembly of the tool to a nominal height of the selected product plus an offset gap. 24. The method as recited in claim 22, wherein two or more products are gripped and released in one sequence.
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이 특허에 인용된 특허 (13)
Ryf, Marc, Bundle gripper for a palletizing machine and method for the palletizing of bundles.
Liebheit, Stefan, Infeed station and stack gripper of a palletizing system and method for transferring stacks from an infeed station to a stack gripper.
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