EP0941953B1 - Suction gripping unit - Google Patents
Suction gripping unit Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- EP0941953B1 EP0941953B1 EP99104645A EP99104645A EP0941953B1 EP 0941953 B1 EP0941953 B1 EP 0941953B1 EP 99104645 A EP99104645 A EP 99104645A EP 99104645 A EP99104645 A EP 99104645A EP 0941953 B1 EP0941953 B1 EP 0941953B1
- Authority
- EP
- European Patent Office
- Prior art keywords
- valve
- suction
- unit
- cavity
- blank
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Expired - Lifetime
Links
- 238000012856 packing Methods 0.000 claims description 9
- 235000019504 cigarettes Nutrition 0.000 description 3
- 238000003780 insertion Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000037431 insertion Effects 0.000 description 1
- 239000000463 material Substances 0.000 description 1
- 230000002093 peripheral effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000013022 venting Methods 0.000 description 1
Images
Classifications
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65H—HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
- B65H3/00—Separating articles from piles
- B65H3/08—Separating articles from piles using pneumatic force
- B65H3/0808—Suction grippers
- B65H3/0883—Construction of suction grippers or their holding devices
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65H—HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
- B65H3/00—Separating articles from piles
- B65H3/42—Separating articles from piles by two or more separators mounted for movement with, or relative to, rotary or oscillating bodies
Definitions
- the present invention relates to a suction gripping unit.
- Cigarette packing machines are known to employ a suction gripping unit for feeding blanks successively between a blank pickup station, located at a blank store, and a supply station where the blanks are transferred to respective seats on a packing wheel.
- Known suction gripping units comprise a wheel supporting a number of suction heads, in each of which is defined a cavity communicating on one side with the outside atmosphere via a through hole controlled by a first valve, and connected on the other side to a discharge head suction pump by a conduit controlled by a second valve normally housed in the conduit at a given distance from the cavity.
- the two valves are normally incorporated into a single slide valve.
- the head is brought into contact with the blank, which closes the cavity to define, with the cavity, a suction chamber in which a vacuum (with respect to atmospheric pressure) is formed by closing the first valve and opening the second.
- a vacuum with respect to atmospheric pressure
- atmospheric pressure is restored inside the suction chamber by opening the first valve and closing the second.
- the response time of the gripping unit i.e. the time taken to activate and deactivate the suction force, depends on the total volume of the suction chamber, the performance of the suction pump, and the size of said through hole; the total volume of the suction chamber being equal to the volume of the cavity plus the volume of the conduit portion between the cavity and the second valve.
- the first valve is made necessary by using a discharge head suction pump, which is characterized by a relatively high discharge head and a relatively low flow rate, and could not operate correctly in the presence of high load losses such as those which would be induced by the through hole if this were not closed during suction by the first valve.
- US4009876 discloses a unit for feeding blanks of corrugated cardboard into a printing and container forming machine.
- the feeding mechanism includes a perforated suction head for moving individual sheets from a stack of sheets into the machine; the suction head includes a perforated plate and plenum chamber mounted on a tubular member which is telescopingly received over an open ended tubular support member, mounted on a hollow reciprocating shuttle.
- a valve is disposed at the shuttle end of the tubular support for connecting the shuttle to an evacuator supported with their forward ends at the shuttle and at their opposite ends by a universally adjustable support which compensates for warped blanks.
- a dump valve for venting the shuttle to atmosphere is operable in timed relation to the vacuum valve by means of a linear cam located adjacent the shuttle.
- Number 1 in Figure 1 indicates as a whole a continuous packing machine comprising a powered packing wheel 2, which rotates continuously (anticlockwise in Figure 1) about a respective axis (not shown) perpendicular to the Figure 1 plane, and in turn comprises a number of hollow, equally spaced, peripheral seats 3 (only one shown) for successively receiving respective prefolded blanks 4 of cardboard or similar material.
- Machine 1 also comprises a store 5 for a stack 6 of blanks 4; and a suction gripping unit 7 interposed between a pickup station S1 at the open end 8 of store 5 and a supply station S2 at packing wheel 2, and for extracting blanks 4 from end 8 and feeding them successively to respective seats 3.
- Gripping unit 7 comprises a powered roller 9 rotating continuously clockwise in Figure 1 about a respective fixed central axis 10 parallel to the axis (not shown) of wheel 2 and perpendicular to a longitudinal axis 11 of store 5.
- Roller 9 comprises an inner chamber 12 connected by a conduit 13 to a suction pump 14, a so-called “side-channel” pump, for creating in chamber 12 a vacuum with respect to the atmospheric pressure outside.
- Roller 9 supports a number of pneumatic gripping heads 15 distributed about axis 10 and connected to roller 9 via the interposition of respective arms 16.
- each head 15 is substantially in the form of a plate, which is connected on one side to respective arm 16, and is defined on the other side by a gripping surface 17 in which a cavity 18 is defined by an annular edge 19 and connected to chamber 12 by a respective conduit 20 formed along respective arm 16.
- gripping surface 17 is substantially defined by the top surface of edge 19.
- each conduit 20 houses a valve 22 for controlling conduit 20, i.e. for opening or closing conduit 20 to connect or disconnect it from respective cavity 18.
- a through hole 23 is formed in each head 15 so that respective cavity 18 communicates permanently with the outside atmosphere.
- Each valve 22 is a known mechanical valve, and comprises a head 24; an annular seat 25 engaged by head 24 and formed at respective joint 21; and a control rod 26, which is fitted in axially-sliding manner to two perforated supporting walls 27 (Figure 3) housed inside conduit 20, and is moved axially, by an actuating device 28 and in a radial direction with respect to axis 10, between an open position ( Figure 2a) in which cavity 18 is connected pneumatically to conduit 20 and therefore to chamber 12, and a closed position ( Figure 2b) in which cavity 18 is isolated pneumatically from conduit 20 and therefore from chamber 12.
- Actuating device 28 comprises a body 29, which is fitted to the end of respective rod 26 opposite the end connected to respective head 24, and is fitted to roller 9 so as to slide, together with rod 26, in a radial direction with respect to axis 10 and so move rod 26 between said open and closed positions.
- Actuating device 28 comprises a spring 30, which is located radially with respect to a wall 31 defining chamber 12 and coaxially with respect to respective rod 26, and is compressed between a respective wall 27 and body 29 to normally maintain rod 26 in said closed position.
- Actuating device 28 also comprises a cylindrical rod 32, which is fitted to body 29 so as to slide longitudinally, with respect to body 29, along a respective axis 33 parallel to axis 10, and is fitted in rotary manner at one end with a tappet roller 34 cooperating with a fixed cam 35.
- Cam 35 is so formed that, as roller 9 rotates about axis 10, body 29, and therefore respective rod 26, of each head 15 is moved, in a radial direction with respect to axis 10, between said open position and said closed position.
- Actuating device 36 for cutting off control of respective valve 22, and which moves rod 32 between a work position ( Figure 2) in which roller 34 engages cam 35, and a rest position ( Figure 4) in which roller 34 is detached from cam 35.
- Actuating device 36 comprises a known magnetic actuator 37 which, when energized, moves rod 32 along axis 33 from said work position to said rest position; and a spring 38 located coaxially with rod 32 between body 29 and roller 34 to normally maintain rod 32 in said work position.
- each seat 3 is formed in an outer surface 39 of a respective head 40 opposite an inner portion of head 40 connected to wheel 2 so as to oscillate, with respect to wheel 2, about a respective axis 41 parallel to axis 10 under the control of a known cam-rocker arm control device not shown.
- Each seat 3 comprises two lateral surfaces 42 sloping towards each other and towards a bottom surface 43 through which are formed a number of holes 44 by which a known suction device (not shown) communicates externally.
- the relatively small volume of the suction chamber provides for achieving extremely rapid response of gripping head 15, which at the same time is cheap and easy to produce by comprising only one valve 22.
- gripping unit 7 Operation of gripping unit 7 will be described with reference to Figure 1, with reference to one gripping head 15, and as of the instant in which head 15, having released a blank 4 inside a respective seat 3 at supply station S2, is moved by the rotation of roller 9 towards pickup station S1 to withdraw another blank 4.
- valve 22 of head 15 is maintained in said closed position.
- gripping head 15 withdraws the blank 4 contacting end 8 of store 5 and retains it by suction on gripping surface 17. More specifically, at a given point in its movement, gripping head 15 is positioned with gripping surface 17 substantially contacting the blank 4 contacting end 8; and, just before said position is reached, actuating device 28 moves valve 22 into said open position to connect cavity 18 to chamber 12 and, via cavity 18, activate the suction force causing the blank 4 contacting end 8 to adhere to gripping surface 17.
- head 15 leaves pickup station S1 in which blank 4 has been withdrawn, and is fed to supply station S2 where blank 4 is fed to a respective seat 3 on a respective head 40.
- head 40 is oscillated in known manner about respective axis 41 by said known cam-rocker arm device (not shown) so as to remain a given length of time facing gripping surface 17 of head 15.
- head 15 is inserted inside seat 3 so that gripping surface 17 is positioned substantially contacting surface 43; and, just before said position is reached, actuating device 28 moves valve 22 into said closed position to cut off the suction through cavity 18, and the suction through holes 44 in surface 43 is activated to release blank 4 inside and adhering by suction to seat 3.
- the insertion of head 15 inside respective seat 3 provides for folding blank 4 into a U along respective known preformed bend lines (not shown) as blank 4 is fed into seat 3.
- the respective head 15 To prevent a blank 4 from being fed into a seat 3, the respective head 15 must be prevented from withdrawing a blank 4 as it travels through station S1, which function is provided for by actuating device 36 of head 15. More specifically, throughout the passage of head 15 through station S1, respective magnetic actuator 37 is maintained energized to detach roller 34 from cam 35 and so prevent respective valve 22 from being opened, so that, in the absence of suction, gripping surface 17, as it travels through station S1, is brought into contact with, but fails to withdraw, the blank 4 at end 8.
- cavity 18 is divided into a number of elementary cavities separated and maintained pneumatically connected to one another by perforated sections; and surface 17 is defined by the top surface of edge 19 and by the top surfaces of said sections to provide a larger supporting surface for blank 4.
- the cavity 18 communicates permanently with the outside atmosphere via a number of small-diameter through holes 23.
Landscapes
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
- Sheets, Magazines, And Separation Thereof (AREA)
- Making Paper Articles (AREA)
- Cleaning In General (AREA)
- Manipulator (AREA)
- Massaging Devices (AREA)
- Supplying Of Containers To The Packaging Station (AREA)
Description
Claims (9)
- A suction gripping unit comprising at least one suction head (15), at least one cavity (18) defined in said suction head (15) and suction means (13, 14, 20) for creating a vacuum inside said cavity (18); the suction means (13, 14, 20) comprising a conduit (20) communicating with said cavity (18), a pump (14) connected to said conduit (20), and a control valve (22) located along said conduit (20) between said pump (14) and said cavity (18); characterized in that said pump (14) is a side-channel suction pump having a low discharge head and a high flow rate, said valve (22) is located at a joint (21) connecting said conduit (20) to said suction head (15) so as to be in closed proximity to the cavity (18), and at least one through hole (23) is formed in said suction head (15) to connect said cavity (18) permanently with the outside atmosphere.
- A unit as claimed in Claim 1, further comprising a powered roller (9) rotating about a fixed axis (10) and supporting said suction head (15).
- A unit as claimed in Claim 1 or 2, wherein said valve (22) is a mechanical valve (22); the unit comprising mechanical control means (28) for controlling the position of said valve (22).
- A unit as claimed in Claim 3, wherein said mechanical control means (28) comprise a cutoff device (36) for cutting off control of said valve (22).
- A unit as claimed in Claim 4, wherein said cutoff device (36) comprises a magnetic actuator (37) for disengaging said tappet roller (34) from said cam (35).
- A unit as claimed in Claim 3, 4 or 5, wherein said mechanical control means (28) comprise a rod (26) connected to said valve (22) and movable longitudinally to move the valve (22) between an open position and a closed position respectively opening and closing said conduit (20).
- A unit as claimed in any Claim from 3 to 6, wherein said mechanical control means (28) also comprise a tappet roller (34) connected mechanically to said rod (26); and a fixed cam (35) engaged by said tappet roller (34) to move said rod (26) cyclically in an axial direction.
- A device for supplying blanks (4) to a packing wheel (2) having a number of seats (3), each for receiving a respective said blank (4); the device comprising a pickup station (S1) at a store (5) for storing said blanks (4), and a supply station (S2) at said packing wheel (2), and being characterized by comprising a suction gripping unit (7) as claimed in Claim 2; said powered roller (9) feeding said suction head (15) through said pickup station (S1) to withdraw a respective said blank (4) from said store (5), and through said supply station (S2) to feed said blank (4) to a respective said seat (3).
- A device as claimed in Claim 8, wherein said suction head (15) is so formed as to be inserted inside the respective said seat (3) at said supply station (S2) to fold said blank (4) into a U inside the seat (3).
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
IT98BO000147A IT1299894B1 (en) | 1998-03-11 | 1998-03-11 | SUCTION UNIT. |
ITBO980147 | 1998-03-11 |
Publications (2)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
EP0941953A1 EP0941953A1 (en) | 1999-09-15 |
EP0941953B1 true EP0941953B1 (en) | 2003-05-21 |
Family
ID=11343015
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
EP99104645A Expired - Lifetime EP0941953B1 (en) | 1998-03-11 | 1999-03-09 | Suction gripping unit |
Country Status (6)
Country | Link |
---|---|
EP (1) | EP0941953B1 (en) |
CN (1) | CN1128752C (en) |
DE (1) | DE69907999T2 (en) |
ES (1) | ES2199495T3 (en) |
IT (1) | IT1299894B1 (en) |
RU (1) | RU2216498C2 (en) |
Families Citing this family (3)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
DE502005006128D1 (en) * | 2004-09-15 | 2009-01-15 | Ferag Ag | Method and device for separating flat objects from a horizontal stack |
TWM550728U (en) | 2015-12-01 | 2017-10-21 | 耐克創新有限合夥公司 | Pickup tool and material pickup system |
CN117819123B (en) * | 2024-03-01 | 2024-05-03 | 中建三局集团有限公司 | Wall washer lamp lens sticking machine device |
Family Cites Families (5)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
DE1946361A1 (en) * | 1969-09-12 | 1971-04-08 | Adnumat Geraetebaugmbh & Co | Suction head |
US4009876A (en) * | 1975-03-24 | 1977-03-01 | Uniplex, Inc. | Sheet feeding mechanism |
US4822234A (en) * | 1987-11-16 | 1989-04-18 | Tekmax Inc. | Plate feed apparatus |
US5224694A (en) * | 1992-02-27 | 1993-07-06 | R. R. Donnelley & Sons Co. | Selectively disabled signature feeding apparatus |
DE19543440A1 (en) * | 1995-11-22 | 1997-05-28 | Roland Man Druckmasch | Suction and / or blown air control |
-
1998
- 1998-03-11 IT IT98BO000147A patent/IT1299894B1/en active IP Right Grant
-
1999
- 1999-03-09 DE DE69907999T patent/DE69907999T2/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
- 1999-03-09 EP EP99104645A patent/EP0941953B1/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
- 1999-03-09 ES ES99104645T patent/ES2199495T3/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
- 1999-03-10 RU RU99104922/13A patent/RU2216498C2/en not_active IP Right Cessation
- 1999-03-11 CN CN99103661A patent/CN1128752C/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
ES2199495T3 (en) | 2004-02-16 |
DE69907999D1 (en) | 2003-06-26 |
ITBO980147A1 (en) | 1999-09-11 |
CN1229044A (en) | 1999-09-22 |
DE69907999T2 (en) | 2004-05-19 |
RU2216498C2 (en) | 2003-11-20 |
IT1299894B1 (en) | 2000-04-04 |
CN1128752C (en) | 2003-11-26 |
ITBO980147A0 (en) | 1998-03-11 |
EP0941953A1 (en) | 1999-09-15 |
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