Handling: hand and hoist-line implements – Miscellaneous compound implement – Plier or tong type
Reexamination Certificate
2000-02-24
2001-10-23
Kramer, Dean J. (Department: 2167)
Handling: hand and hoist-line implements
Miscellaneous compound implement
Plier or tong type
C294S081200, C294S081520, C294S067320, C414S789500, C901S039000, C053S157000, C053S540000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06305728
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to the field of grasping, transporting and palletizing objects such containers for packaged goods and specifically to a device that is capable of loading and palletizing empty, partially filled or completely filled open-topped or unsealed containers. Open-topped or unsealed containers, and especially those that are empty or partially filled, are difficult to pick up, hold and transport, due to their relatively thin flexible walls and lack of structural integrity.
At the end of a conveyor line, manufactured products often arrive packaged in containers. While the container serves the primary purpose of protecting the product during shipping, the container may also serve the function of identifying the product. On more elaborately printed containers, there may appear indicia advertising the product, its benefits or its application. This latter type of packaging design is commonly found on products sold at the retail store level. Therefore the container must be aesthetically attractive and visually appealing. Accordingly, it is of utmost importance that each container, and especially its product indicia, not be damaged during removal from the assembly line and palletizing for shipment.
In most instances the task of removing the container from the conveyor line and palletizing the containers for shipping has been carried out manually. While having some advantages, such as insuring that the container is not damaged, manually handling containers is relatively a strenuous and tedious task. The continued lifting and moving of multiple containers can cause workers to strain and injure their backs. Further, depending upon the output speed and configuration of the conveyor line, many workers may be required to remove and properly palletize the containers. In an effort to reduce workforce size and injury costs, there has been a significant move toward automating this process by utilizing robots. As is known in the art, industrial robots may be fitted with various grasping devices, known as “end-effectors”, for picking up and moving objects, including containers.
Most product containers are rectangular in shape and include four side walls, a bottom wall, and a top wall. Provided that the container has been properly sealed, the container is likely to have sufficient structural integrity allowing it to be grasped in a number of manners from the assembly line by a robotic end-effector and transported to a pallet. For example, the container may be removed from the assembly line by one or more suction cups that temporarily adhere to the top wall of the container. Alternatively, a pair of arms may apply a small amount of pressure to opposing side walls of the container such that the container may be lifted and transported.
However, if the container to be transported from the assembly line to the pallet lacks a top wall or if the container is not sealed, its structural integrity is greatly diminished. Suction cups cannot be attached to a container lacking a top wall. If a pair of arms were employed to apply a sufficient amount of pressure against opposing side walls of an open-topped or unsealed container, the container would most likely collapse or crush before the exerted force was great enough to lift and transport the container.
Another factor that controls the choice of device employed for palletizing containers is the consistency of container size. If each container coming off the conveyor line has the same physical size, the robotic end-effector can be designed specifically for that specific container size. However, if the container size varies, the end-effector must be capable of adjusting its grasping mechanism to accommodate the various container sizes.
A third factor that often dictates the means of removing containers from conveyor lines and transporting them to pallets is the amount of space available at the end of the conveyor line for this operation. Often times there is very little space allocated at the end of the conveyor line for palletizing containers. If a robotic end-effector is to be utilized, it must be sufficiently compact to allow for installation and operation within the allotted space available for such a device.
Accordingly, there is a need for a device that may be used for the removal and transportation of open-topped or unsealed containers. There is also a need for a device capable of easily grasping and palletizing containers of various sizes on the same pallet. More specifically, there is a need for a device that is compact enough to be positionable and operationable at the end of an conveyor line and that can pick up open-topped or unsealed containers of various sizes and transport those containers to pallets. Furthermore, the device must be able to properly palletize the containers to insure stability of the pallet during shipment.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to the present invention, the foregoing and other objects and advantages are attained by providing an apparatus which may be used in a confined environment to pickup and transport open-topped or unsealed containers of various sizes from a pick up position such as the packaging end of a conveyor line. The containers can then be palletized on a pallet or placed into a case. The apparatus may also be used to pick open-topped or unsealed containers from a pallet and transport each container onto another pallet, into a case or onto a conveyor line.
A further object of the present invention is to provide an end-effector for an industrial robot, the end-effector being capable of picking up a container from a pick up position and transporting the container to a pallet for shipping or a case for packaging and shipping. The end-effector is also capable of picking up a container from a pallet and transporting the container to an other location, such as a case or conveyor-line.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the device can be utilized in a relatively confined area as it requires a minimum amount of space around the periphery of the container for grasping and palletizing the container.
A further advantage of the invention is to provide an end-effector for use with a robot that is easily adjustable to grasp containers of various sizes.
A further advantage of the invention is to provide a robotic end-effector that is capable of grasping more than one container from a pick up position and palletizing each respective container in a separate location.
These and other objects and advantages are achieved in an end-effector including a support frame suspended from a centrally located stanchion, which in turn, may depend from the distal end of a 4- or 6-position robot arm. The support frame includes a pair of linear bearings supporting a pair of parallel rails arranged for relative lateral movement on said bearings to accommodate various width containers. A plurality of longitudinally spaced, elongated L-shaped fingers extend through longitudinally spaced apertures in the respective rails, and are arranged for pivotal rotation to a desired position by means of a gear secured to the top end portion of each finger extending through the respective apertures. Each gear preferably abuts an adjacent gear and is in gear meshing contact therewith for simultaneous rotative movement of the respective fingers.
The carton-supporting arms of the series of adjacent L-shaped fingers normally face one another and lie in the same plane. The fingers are moved inwardly for lateral pickup and support of a container resting thereon. The arms face one another to permit simultaneous rotation inwardly and outwardly, since the abutting gears will be rotated in opposite directions. The gears may be of conventional toothed configuration. Pre-selected gears may have portions cutaway to provide a means of zoning of selected groups of fingers.
Pallet hooks are provided on the rails for pickup of supporting pallets from a pallet supply and delivery of pallets to the palletizing area near the pick up position. Vacuum cups are provided at one end of the rails for pic
Holter Carl F.
Manion John M.
ABB Flexible Automation Inc.
Kramer Dean J.
Ryan Kromholz & Manion S.C.
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