Material or article handling – Device for emptying portable receptacle – Nongravity type
Reexamination Certificate
2000-05-11
2002-04-16
Ellis, Christopher P. (Department: 3651)
Material or article handling
Device for emptying portable receptacle
Nongravity type
C414S736000, C294S081610, C294S087100
Reexamination Certificate
active
06371717
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to the field of gripping, transporting, loading and unloading objects such as cylindrical containers for fluids, and specifically to a device that is capable of loading and unloading empty, partially filled, or completely filled, water bottles. Water bottles come in a variety of sizes. Those commonly used for drinking water include three (3), four (4) and five (5) gallon bottles. However, it is to be understood that the present invention could be used with any size container or bottle. Large water bottles, and especially those that are filled or partially filled, are difficult to pick up, hold and transport, due to their unique cylindrical shape and weight. Often, there is typically a requirement of not marring the exterior surface of each bottle during loading and unloading. Moreover, drinking water bottles are often recycled and refilled. Filled bottles are loaded into racks for storage and transport to customers. The same racks are returned to the water processing facility with empty bottles. The empty bottles must be removed from each rack before filled bottles are reloaded.
At the end of a water processing conveyor line, water bottles often arrive filled with specially filtered or processed water. While each cylindrical, bottle-shaped, container serves the primary purpose of confining the water or other fluid during shipping, the container may also serve the function of identifying the product through the use of trademarks or other product information applied directly on the container. On more elaborately printed water bottles, there may appear indicia advertising the product or its benefits. Three, four, and five gallon water bottles are commonly placed on top of a water cooler or water-dispensing device. These devices are often found in offices, homes and other highly visible areas. 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 or scuffed during removal from the conveyor line and loading for shipment. It is also important that the empty bottles returned for re-filling be treated with similar care.
In most instances the tasks of removing empty containers from the racks and loading full containers from a conveyor into the racks for storage or shipping have been carried out manually. While having some advantages, such as insuring that the containers are not damaged, manually handling containers is relatively a strenuous and tedious task. The continued lifting and moving of multiple, heavy filled 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 load the filled 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” or “end of arm tools” (EOATs). Such devices may be utilized for the automated gripping and transporting of objects, including containers.
Most drinking water containers are cylindrical in shape and include a top, a neck, a cylindrical sidewall, and a bottom. Near the end of the water processing conveyor line, a cap is placed over the top and partially around the neck to seal the fluid within the container. Provided that the cap has been properly sealed to the container, the water will not leak, even if the container is partially or fully inverted.
Many end-effectors are commercially available for grasping various containers from a conveyor line and transporting them to another area. For example, a container may be removed from a conveyor line by one or more suction cups that temporarily adhere to the container. Alternatively, a pair of mechanical arms may apply a predetermined amount of pressure to the sidewalls of the container such that the container may be lifted and transported. It is even conceivable that a bladder could be placed around the container and then inflated to grasp the container for transport.
However, if a water bottle to be transported from a conveyor line to another station is relatively heavy (i.e. filled with a fluid, such as water), its unique geometrical shape combined with its weight makes it difficult to grasp. Suction cups cannot be readily attached to a heavy container having a unique geometry including cylindrical outer walls. Similarly, a number of mechanical arms applying a sufficient amount of pressure against the sidewall of the cylindrical container would most likely collapse or crush the container before the exerted force was great enough to lift and transport the filled container. Inflating and deflating a bladder is too time consuming and would not keep up with the rate at which filled containers arrive at the conveyor line end.
Another factor that controls the choice of device employed for removing bottle-shaped containers from a conveyor line and transferring them to a storage rack (or vice versa) 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 being readily adjustable to accommodate various container sizes.
Another factor that often dictates the means utilized for removing containers from conveyor lines and transporting them to storage racks 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 removing containers. If a robot and robotic end-effector are to be utilized, the system must be sufficiently compact to allow for installation and operation within the allotted space available for such a device.
When filled water bottles are transported on a conveyor, they are typically moved in their upright position. The bottom or base of the bottle rests on the conveyor belt and the neck and bottle opening extend upwardly. However, the racks that are utilized for storage and transportation of water bottles hold the bottles in a horizontal orientation. Accordingly, the present invention must be capable of gripping each fall bottle and rotating the bottle from a generally vertical position to a generally horizontal position before inserting the bottle into the rack.
Accordingly, there is a need for a device that may be used for the gripping, transportation and placement of heavy and light cylindrical containers between two stations such as a conveyor line and a storage rack in an efficient manner. There is also a need for a device capable of easily gripping and rotating the cylindrical containers without damage. More specifically, there is a need for a device that is compact enough to be positionable and operationable at the end of a conveyor line. Furthermore, the device must be able to appropriately rotate the containers from their upright position to a horizontal position between the conveyor line and storage racks.
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 efficiently grasp and transport cylindrical objects of various sizes and weights between a pick-up position, such as the end of a conveyor line and a storage rack. The apparatus may also be used to grasp cylindrical objects from a storage rack and transport each object onto a pallet, into a case, or onto another conveyor line. In addition to grasping each object, the apparatus is capable of supportably rotating some objects through three hundred sixty (360) degrees of rotation and others through ninety (90) degrees of rotation in various planes.
A further object of the present invention is to provide an end-effector for an indu
Grams Robert S.
Haddix Scott K.
ABB Automation Inc.
Crawford Gene O.
Ellis Christopher P.
Ryan Kromholz & Manion S.C.
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