EP2520497B1 - Method for inserting individual products into containers in a robotic line - Google Patents

Description

Technical area

The invention relates to a method for inserting individual products into containers in a robotic street and to a device for inserting individual products into containers in a robot line according to the preamble of the independent claims.

State of the art

Such robot lines are used for converting individual products into storage groups, which can hold a certain number of individual products. But they are also used for weight-accurate packaging of unbalanced individual products. In the following, the term container is used instead of the term storage group, which means less than the container as such, but much more the arrangement of the individual products or a group of individual products, which after the transfer by the Einlegeroboter in a defined position relative to a transport device and at most in a defined position within the group of individual products.

In this case, the individual products are usually delivered on a product tape and the container on a container belt and led to the standing in fixed position Einlegerobotern along, which is why in the following only spoken of this design, without limiting the invention thereto, as in principle also several Bands can be used. A product band can be a transport device on the ordered at fixed or variable distance, but in relation to the transport device stationary individual products or brought out disorderly. They can also be conveyor chains or chain link belts. A container belt can be a transport device, on the fixed or variable distance, but in relation to the transport device itself stationary container or Cartesian certain deposit positions are introduced. It may be in container tapes but also thermoforming machines or conveyor chains, which are in fixed, or only due to the indexing variable distance troughs or containers.

From the point of view of a central control or the individual controls of each deposit robot of such a robot road, there is no difference whether they are containers or depressions or Cartesian deposit positions.

In this case, the procedure has hitherto been that the containers were delivered to a first container band and were usually stored there, transferred from the first container band to a second container band, on which filling with the individual products occurred, and after complete filling to a third container band for removal the filled container was handed over again.

In DE 42'08'818 C2 a robot road is shown in which the stacker robot with respect to the product strip and container belt are not in a fixed position, but are limitedly movable in the direction of travel. There, however, either the individual product leading product band is stopped temporarily, which makes the coupling to a continuously producing production machine for individual products, or the container belt is stopped when a not yet completely filled container to leave the work area of the or the robotic threatening.

EP 0'749'902 A1 shows a robot road in which the individual products are counted by means of a relative to the picker base stationary counter at the inlet to the Umsetzbereich the robot road and then an empty container is released when a number of individual products has been determined to fill the number of containers. It is further provided that all insertion robots are connected via a data bus with the control computer of the robot road and is updated with which individual products have already been implemented by deposit robots.

It is there provided that the containers are moved as possible at the same speed in parallel next to the individual products intended for a container. This complicates the use of containers, which absorb only a small number of fill products, since there must be worked with several or very wide container bands, so that sufficient filling positions can be introduced. Conversely, in containers which receive a large number of fillings of products, the distance of the container on the container band to choose unnecessarily large.

EP 1'285'851 A1 shows a robot road, in which the infeed robots are controlled due to the available individual products and due to the free container positions so that the infeed robots are used as evenly as possible. In this case, the performance of the infeed robots and the speed of the container belt is continuously determined due to side conditions to be observed. The calculation of the corresponding time-discrete equation systems and their optimization proves to be extraordinarily computationally intensive in practice and requires correspondingly powerful control computer.

EP 2'233'400 A1 shows a robot road, in which the relative speed of the container belt and the product strip and the operating speed is controlled on the one hand depending on the level of additional storage elements and on the other hand, based on the amount of supplied at the inlet of individual products. Due to the loading and unloading of the storage elements, the performance of the robot road is unnecessarily high.

EP 1'352'831 A1 shows a robot road in which the relative speed of the container belt and the product band and the operating speed is controlled on the one hand depending on the level of additional, possibly designed as a conveyor elements, storage elements and on the other hand, based on the amount of supplied at the inlet of individual products. It is there so that both containers and individual products can be cached. In principle, this arrangement may be advantageous for relatively regularly brought up products. However, it requires additional conveying elements.

EP 0'856'465 A1 and EP 2'236'424 A1 show a robot road, in which the individual products and containers are introduced in countercurrent. Such robotic lines prove in practice as extremely efficient systems for packaging individual products in containers. In certain applications, however, the use of a countercurrent, in which the containers are directed against the production flow, is not desirable for hygienic or logistical reasons

For certain applications, for example for the batching of fresh meat packages with non-balanced pieces of meat according to EP 1'819'994 A1 , is to strive for the benefits of this Counter current systems can be realized in a DC powered robotic street. EP 1'819'994 A1 and US 7'775'373 B2 show corresponding arrangements, where there the recirculation incomplete filled containers, a combination of equal and countercurrent bands or a stop of a container band to ensure complete filling are required. According to shows WO / 2008/080760 a robot road for forming equilibrium groups, in which at least one transport device for the groups is designed in countercurrent mode and in which the recirculation and storage of individual products is provided.

WO / 2005/106405 discloses a method of packaging general cargo of different sizes in which the size of each piece of goods is estimated or determined and then its location registered on the feeder. Subsequently, it is determined in which container the cargo is stored. There it is also proposed that piece goods, which are outside the permissible size, are not processed. There is further provided that the container on the container band are spaced so that they can be closed with a top film. Also US 6'722'506 B1 assigns the cargo after weighing a preferred receiving station.

DE 29701564 U1 discloses a generic robotic street having a plurality of robots and a product belt and a container belt running in DC. The product tape is scanned by a line scan camera at a fixed count position.

These methods have the drawback that they require a relatively complicated control and that they are intended primarily for charging with a stacker robot or in hot-swappable containers.

It is therefore the object of the present invention to avoid the disadvantages of the known, in particular to provide a method and an apparatus for converting individual products in a co-operated robot street, at which as uniform as possible implementation of individual products, especially for weight-controlled packaging, in containers, such as blisters on a transport device, wells a Gruppierkette, individual product stack a driver provided with chain or deep-drawn wells of a thermoforming packaging machine can be realized, so as to increase the efficiency and To improve uniform operation of the system, without at the same time increase the cost of handling the container to be filled significantly.

According to the invention, these and other objects are achieved according to the characterizing part of independent claims 1 and 18, respectively.

Presentation of the invention

The invention relates to a method for the batchwise conversion of at least one sort of individual products into at least one sort of a specific number of individual product receiving containers by means of a robot road which contains at least two inlay robots. The individual products are transported irregularly at an inlet of the robot road in order to take them individually in a Umsetzbereich the robot road and implement in containers. The individual products and the containers are transported in cocurrent on at least one product band and on at least one container band. The invention is equally applicable to a single product band and a single container band and to multiple product and / or container bands. When reference is made below to slowest or fastest container or product bands, this is not meant to imply the presence of multiple bands. Rather, in the case of individual product or container tapes, each tape is considered to be the fastest and slowest. The product belts and the container belts are included moving relative to each other at constant speeds. These speeds are predetermined for each batch and usually stored in the control of the robot road. As a result, from batch to batch, for example, a container of a different design can be used, and the optimum speed of the product bands and the container bands, which is then constant relative to one another, can be retrieved on the controller. In practice, one will tune this relative to each other constant speed so that as many storage positions are available in Umsetzbereich.
On each product band one counting position is determined per batch. This position is determined for each product band so that a detected at a counting position individual product simultaneously reaches the outlet from the Umsetzbereich the robot road as a simultaneously on the slowest moving container belt in the inlet of the Umsetzbereiches the robot road controlled container. In the area of the counting position already converted individual products are not counted. Each counting position is determinable in advance for each lot due to the constant relative speed of the product bands and the container bands. In practice, these will be stored on the controller and retrieved there as needed.
The individual products are counted on the product band leading to them at the counting position belonging to this product band. For product bands moving at different speeds, the individual products are counted at different counting positions. Single products on faster product lines are counted furthest back. Individual products on slower product bands corresponding further forward.
It may also be the case that the products themselves are counted in the conversion area if at least one product band is moved slower than all container edges. It should be noted that some of the individual products are already in containers could be implemented.
The counting of individual products can be done in different ways. For example, by optical recording devices, by weighing units, which check the product presence or by arithmetic continuation of production data. If the relative speeds of all product bands and all container tapes are known, then it is conceivable to provide for counting the individual products across the entire width of all product tapes scanned counting device whose arrangement is determined by that relative speed, which is the most rearwardly offset arrangement of the counting device on the fastest moving product line requires. All other combinations of the product belt speeds and the container belt speeds can then be determined by computational updating.
To determine the timing of the control of the container is preferred - especially if several container bands are present - determined for each container band on the slowest moving container band a virtual Einsteuerposition. This virtual Einsteuerposition determines the entry of a released container on the this virtual Einsteuerposition associated container band such that this container at the same time reaches the outlet from the Umsetzbereich, as a container on the slowest moving container belt controlled container. It is also essential here that the containers are optimally controlled to the simultaneous outlet from the Umsetzbereich. These virtual indexing positions are also determined based on the constant relative speed of the product bands and the container bands for each lot. In addition, one will take into account in determining the virtual Einsteuerposition, whether the container, for example, with a stacker directly at the inlet of Umsetzbereiches or with a thermoforming machine set back relative to the inlet of Umsetzbereiches or be supplied in the transfer area itself. In practice, these virtual Einsteuerpositionen will be stored as part of the so-called recipes on the controller.

The release for the control of a next container to be filled on the associated container band is carried out as described in claim 3, when the number of individual products was determined at the counting positions, which still expected for the complete filling of a container relative to the counting position of the fastest moving product band becomes. For slowly moving container bands, the actual number of fillings of the containers to be filled is usually release-determining. In the case of fast-moving container belts, on the other hand, the partial filling which has already taken place must be taken into account.

The release for the control does not necessarily cause a control of a container. The enable for the Einsteuerung causes that is checked on the slowest moving container belt by arithmetic continuation of the tape feed, when it has reached the virtual Einsteuerposition of the container of the associated container band. The actual control of the next container to be filled takes place when the slowest moving container band has reached the Einsteuerposition of this container container band. This ensures that containers which are released on a faster-moving container belt, only then be controlled, that is, be moved forward on the container band, if it is ensured that they reach the same time the outlet from the Umsetzbereich, as if this on the slowest container band would have been taxed.

In a further advantageous embodiment of the method, such as described in claim 4 , carried out for each individual product introduced a feature determination with respect to variety, weight, size, color or other feature. These features of each individual product determine the assignment of the individual products in the implementation in the conversion area to a container transported on a container tape container.
This allows the individual products to be converted into defined positions assigned to a characteristic. But it is also possible to form weight-controlled container. This is done by combining disparate individual products and according to the requirements of the total weight and the number of such a weight-controlled container.

Especially in the case of food products, these often deviate significantly in weight and in size from one another. It may therefore be necessary, as described in claim 5 , additionally to determine the frequency distribution of the measured feature, for example the weight of each individual product. This frequency distribution then determines the release of a next container to be filled.
If only one container determined by the target weight and the number of individual products contained therein can be formed in the transfer region and if the average weight of the individual products deviates downwards or upwards from the mean required weight, then the next container to be filled must only be released in each case if sufficient individual products of medium required weight are supplied to the transfer area. It may then be necessary that too heavy or too light individual products can not be implemented. But it may also be that different containers can be supplied, for example by means of two successively arranged stacker, and that according to the frequency distribution of the respective container is supplied.

It is particularly advantageous if, as described in claim 6 , the feeding of the containers takes place on at least two container bands. The release of a next container to be filled onto the respective container band is then determined on the basis of the frequency distribution.
It may well be that the container belts are operated at the same speed and the scattering of the frequency distribution is specifically compensated. If, for example, on a container belt with a desired after filling with four individual products target weight of 500g and on the other container belt container with a target after filling with two individual products target weight of 300g, then it is possible, with a mean weight of the individual products , which varies between 125g and 150g, to implement all individual products. If the average weight of the supplied individual products deviates upwards more containers are fed for filling with 300g and conversely more containers are fed to 500g if the average weight deviates downwards. However, it may also be that the number of individual products converted into containers differs from one container band to the other container band and that the target weight is identical.

Such optimization of the implementation of the individual products accordingly requires that, as described in claim 7 , the frequency distribution determines the conversion of the individual products into the containers and that the implementation is optimized with respect to another feature.
If, for example, individual products are introduced with a large scattering of the individual weight and the conversion is to take place with regard to a specific total weight of the containers, then it should be striven to ensure that this dispersion is within the conversion range is continuously reduced, so that all individual products can be implemented before reaching the outlet from the conversion area. For this purpose, it is necessary for the first stacking robots in the running direction of the containers to implement individual products with a high and a low individual weight. As a result, towards the end of the transfer range, each container can be completely filled with individual products with an average weight.

An essential efficiency feature of a robotic line is the fullest possible conversion of the individual products into completely filled containers. For this purpose, as described in claim 8 , for each of a container band traversed portion of the Umsetzbereiches a desired level of the container determined. This is set increasing in the direction of the container in the transfer area and corresponds to the respective section of the quotient of the length of the already traversed sections relative to the total length of the Umsetzbereiches. During the implementation of the individual products, no individual products are converted into containers in each subsection in which the filling of the containers has already reached the desired filling level.
This ensures that the individual products are not converted into containers too early. This is necessary so that despite the different speed of the product and container belts before the outlet from the Umsetzbereich still an empty position in a container for unreacted individual products is found. This further ensures that the supply of the containers, the implementation of irregularly brought up individual products and optimization with respect to a feature of the filled containers can be largely decoupled and that the implementation of individual products in each section of Umsetzbereiches can be designed specifically for this optimization ,

This cascading requires that the stacker robots are distributed as evenly as possible along the transfer area, since the length of the working area of each deposit robot is not determinative of the desired level at its position.

Advantageously, as described in claim 9 , in addition for each variety of individual products due to their maximum zoomed or due to other performance-determining properties in advance for each inlay robot optimal conversion performance determined. In the actual conversion operation, the conversion efficiency is continuously adjusted relative to the optimal conversion performance due to the individual products currently located in the work area of each inlay robot and due to the achieved fill level of the containers currently in the work area of each inserter robot so that the containers reach their desired fill level when leaving the work area.
This ensures that a complete filling of the container can be guaranteed even in case of failure of a deposit robot. It is further achieved that the relatively constant speeds of the transport devices need not be adjusted. Finally, it is achieved that when starting the robot road after a batch change, the implementation of the individual products as quickly as possible reaches the desired increasing level of containers with individual products.

Furthermore, as described in claim 10 , the speed of the product belts and the container belts can also be reduced while maintaining the constant relative speed if the desired fill level in a subsection is undershot to such an extent that the performance of the interposer robots in the remaining subsections is insufficient to prevent the container completely filled.
This proves to be advantageous even if the number of supplied individual products can be predetermined. There, if one or more deposit robots fail, the transfer capacity of the installation can be reduced to the extent that the performance of the remaining deposit robots is sufficient to implement all the individual products supplied to the transfer area. Even with arrangements in which the individual products are introduced in several tracks and in which the supply of the individual products only in rows, so transversely to the direction of the product band, can be controlled, proving a reduction in the speed of the product and container tapes helpful to the plant to start after a batch change. In conjunction with a cyclical production of the individual products before the actual robot line additional advantages arise when the number of cycles of production during startup is adjusted.

A further improvement results from a two-part design of the product bands. Thereby, as described in claim 11 , the speed of the first upstream parts of the product belts can be controlled independently of the speed of the respective second part of the product belts. The second, downstream portion of the product bands extends at least the length required by the counting position of the individual product determining count position.
As a result, the individual products brought up on the first part can be brought up more quickly on the respective second part of the product bands and correspondingly the containers on each container band can be distributed to the subsections of the individual insert robots. This proves to be helpful in the case of a large number of containers receiving individual products, since there a faster introduction of the individual products and the containers after a batch change is helpful for the achievement of the desired increasing level of the containers in the course of the Umsetzbereiches.

It is particularly advantageous if, as described in claim 12 , an additional count of the individual products takes place in each case on the first part of the product band. This additional count is taken into account in determining the speeds of the first and second part of each product band. In this case, the relative speed of the second part of each product band and each container band is maintained constant.
This ensures that the speed of the second part of each product band and each container band can be reduced. Such a reduction of these speeds is desirable if the number of individual products fed on the / each first part drops significantly below the number conventionally introduced, and thus it can be ensured that the throughput time of the containers is increased by the conversion range, but the number the individual products located in the transfer area can be kept constant. In the case of a direct connection of the robot road to a production process, instead of the additional counting, a data transmission of the number of individual products brought up to this production process can take place.

In addition, it is helpful if, as described in claim 13 , the second part of each product band and each container band are temporarily stopped when in the respective additional count of the individual products on the first part of each product band no more such are introduced or if this temporarily on the first Part of each product band are accumulated.
This ensures that in the transfer area in the transport direction the products and containers decreasing density of the brought up and reacted individual products and the increasing level of the partially filled containers can be maintained even in the event of a gap or interruption in the production of individual products. In the case of frequent interruptions in the introduction of individual products, it is desirable to be able to stop each product band and each container band in the transfer area since this can significantly increase the overall efficiency of a co-currently operated robot line.

Furthermore, as described in claim 14 , the count of the individual products for the control of the speed of the product belts and the container belts can be taken into account. If the count of the individual products occurs just above the infeed of the product line, then this count may be taken into account instead of the additional count for the control of the line speeds. It is then important to note that between the actual location of the count - here the inlet of the product band - and the effective process-determining counting position - always that point, which determines according to claim 1 due to the relative speed of the fastest product band and the slowest container band - distinguished becomes. The actual location of the count corresponds to the position at which the counter is currently positioned or it corresponds to the position at which the number of the individual products brought up at this position are transmitted as a data stream to the control computer (s) of the robot line. The process-determining counting position corresponds to the position at which by computational updating of the, possibly already implemented, individual products, the number of bypassed individual products is determined in order to control the release for the control of the next container to be filled. By one on the control computer or the control computers realized calculated shift of the process-determining counting positions of the robot road for each variety of individual products, the actual counter can remain stationary mounted and it is only the process-determining counting position in each case moved mathematically. This proves to be helpful in robot lines on which different types of individual products or different container sizes are processed, since there can be specified for each type of individual products and containers each product band a process-determining counting position and no image recording devices or counters must be moved.

Further possible applications arise, as described in claim 15 , by a cyclic movement of at least one product band or a container band. Each product band and each container band are thereby moved at cyclic rates relative to each other at constant speeds.
By a cyclic movement of the container belt can be achieved that also intermittently working filling units in the region of this container belt or transversely to the belt direction running applicators or labelers can be arranged. In a particularly advantageous embodiment, the preparation of the container is carried out directly by a cyclically operating packaging machine, in particular by a thermoforming machine with tactile shaping, filling and cutting. In order for the constant relative speed of the product and container belts is maintained, each product band must be moved forward for each cyclic movement of the container band, in particular every time an intermittent packaging machine, by that length, which corrected by the relative speed deduction length, ie the length the feed of the packaging machine between two bars, corresponds.
Frequently moving product belts are often used in connection with aseptic liquid filling. The chocolates produced in the one-shot process or on casting plates are also introduced cyclically.

The count of the individual products at the counting position on the advancing product band can, as described in claim 16 , be determined by arithmetic continuation of upstream-determined counting information. For this purpose, on the one hand, the production information upstream of the respective counting position or a count preceding the respective counting position can be used.
As far as actual counting devices are used, they can be cameras, light sensors, proximity sensors, 3D image processing systems, or even weighing units. The counting device can also extend across several product bands, for example as a line scan camera, and the information can be updated mathematically to the individual product bands. Instead of counting devices, a data bus can also be present for the upstream production process of the individual products or for the upstream and downstream control systems.
By means of the counting device or the production data transmission, a feature determination with regard to variety, weight, size, color or another characteristic can possibly also be made for each individual product introduced.

In operation, it also proves to be advantageous if, as described in claim 17 , at the discharge of a container from the Umsetzbereich the robot road at the same time associated with this container data value which the individual characteristics or one of these individual characteristics value of the container used Individual products corresponds, transfer becomes.
A transmitted data value can be used differently. For example, the feature of each individual product contained in a container may be stored for traceability purposes. If the container is to reach a certain target weight, then this target weight transmitted by the robot road as a data value can be used for control measurement and for the current correction within the robot road. Finally, the data value can also be used directly for the labeling and labeling of a container.

The invention also relates to a robotic line for the batchwise conversion of at least one sort of individual products into at least one sort of a specific number of containers receiving individual products. The robot road comprises at least two infeed robots in order to individually grasp individual products in a transfer region of the robotic path and to convert them into the containers. In addition, the robot road has at least one product band on which the individual products can be transported and at least one container band on which the containers can be transported in synchronism with the individual containers.

Each product band and each container band is, in particular per batch, movable at relatively constant speeds.

The or each product band has a counting device whose position is determined such that a counted at the position of the counting device individual product simultaneously reaches the outlet from the Umsetzbereich the robot road as a simultaneously on the container belt or on the slowest moving container belt in the inlet of the Implementation area of the robot road controlled container. By adapting the method of counting, it is also conceivable to select the position of the counting device at another point (further back in the direction of travel) and to mathematically operate the counting device so that the simultaneous achievement of the individual product and container takes place in the manner described above.

Drawings and illustrations

In the following, the subject invention will be explained with reference to a preferred embodiment, which is illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

Figur 1:

eine Aufsicht auf eine Roboterstrasse im Gleichstrombetrieb gemäss dem Stand der Technik.

Figur 2:

eine Aufsicht auf ein erstes erfindungsgemässes Ausführungsbeispiel einer Roboterstrasse im Gleichstrombetrieb mit grossen Behältern.

Figur 3:

eine Aufsicht auf ein zweites erfindungsgemässes Ausführungsbeispiel einer Roboterstrasse im Gleichstrombetrieb mit kleinen Behältern.

Figur 4:

eine Aufsicht auf eine Alternative des zweiten erfindungsgemässen Ausführungsbeispiels einer Roboterstrasse im Gleichstrombetrieb wie in Figur 2 gezeigt.

Figur 5:

eine Aufsicht auf ein drittes erfindungsgemässes Ausführungsbeispiel einer Roboterstrasse im Gleichstrombetrieb mit mehreren Produktbändern, mehreren Behälterbändern oder Transportketten und unterschiedlichen Behältern.

Show it:

FIG. 1:

a plan view of a robot road in DC operation according to the prior art.

FIG. 2:

a plan view of a first inventive embodiment of a robot road in DC operation with large containers.

FIG. 3:

a plan view of a second inventive embodiment of a robot road in DC operation with small containers.

FIG. 4:

a plan view of an alternative of the second inventive embodiment of a robot road in DC operation as in FIG. 2 shown.

FIG. 5:

a plan view of a third embodiment according to the invention a robot road in DC operation with several product bands, several container bands or transport chains and different containers.

Ways to carry out the invention

An embodiment according to the invention is described in more detail below with reference to the figures:

In the FIG. 1 is in the supervision of a known from the prior art robot road 1, in the running direction 17, ie from left to right, individual products 2, which are arbitrarily arranged on a product belt 6 under deposit robots 4a, 4b, 4c, ... go through , In this case, a count takes place at the inlet into a transfer area 1b of the robot road.

Parallel to the product belt 6, a container belt 7 runs in a running direction 16, on which empty containers 3 which are partially filled in the further course are introduced. The product belt 6 is driven by a drive 18 and the container belt 7 is driven by a drive 19.

Before the start of the conversion area of the first deposit robot 4a, the individual products are counted in a counting area 1a by means of a counting device 8. The counting device 8 is connected to controls 11a, 11b, 11c of the infeed robots. In practice, these controls may also be implemented by a single central controller comprising a computer.

With a container feeder 12, for example a Behälterabstapler, empty containers are supplied and passed at the inlet of the container belt 7 to this. In order to control the number and timing of the container feed and the container feed 12 with the individual controllers 11a, 11b, 11c (or a single control). As far as the containers are already supplied on a container belt, instead of the container feed 12 at this position a transversely over the container belt 7 extending stopper may be provided, which in turn is to be connected to the controller 11 or the individual controllers 11a, 11b, 11c.

The next empty, possibly jammed, container 3 is always released as soon as under the counter 8 such a number of individual products 2 have passed on the product belt 6, as it corresponds to the number of fillers of a container 3.

In order for this next container to be filled with individual products 2 to run approximately in parallel with the products 2 intended for it, the distance between the individual containers, which contain a larger number of fillings, must be greater so that the speed of the container strip is increased to such an extent can be moved, that the product band and the container band at about the same speed. Such an increase in the distance is usually not desirable. If, for example, feature-specific, for example non-equilibrium, individual products 2 are to be formed as determined by characteristics as, for example, equilibrium, containers 3 are to be used there, the largest possible distribution of the features, in this example the individual weights, of the individual products 2 and accordingly containers 3 should not be too fast be guided through the transfer area 1b.

Accordingly, in FIG. 2 a plan view of an inventive robot road 1 shown. Once again, the individual products 2, arranged arbitrarily on a product band 6, run in the direction of movement 17, ie from left to right, under the stacking robots 4a, 4b, 4c, ... by. The containers are brought in at a uniform distance by means of a conveyor belt or by means of a transport chain or thermoforming machine. The distance of the containers is different from FIG. 1 so far reduced that twice as many containers are arranged on the container belt 7. There is shown a counter 8, which is arranged in front of the transfer area 1b.

Parallel to the product belt 6 runs a container belt 7, on which empty containers 3, which are partially filled in the further course, are introduced. Unlike in FIG. 1 are shown in FIG. 2 about twice as many containers in the transfer area 1b of the robot road.

So that now but the speed of the container belt 7 can be reduced so far that all positions of the container 3 can be occupied by the infeed robots 4a, 4b, 4c, ..., it is necessary that the count of approaching individual products 2 already before reaching the Conversion 1b is carried out so that always an empty container is controlled by the container feeder 12 as soon as under the counter 8 at the counting position such a number of individual products 2 have passed through on the product belt 6, as it corresponds to the filling number of a container 3, which the outlet from the transfer region 1b at the same time as the position on the product belt 6, at which the individual products 2 are counted by means of the counter 8. In FIG. 2 it is assumed that the container belt 7 moves at half speed relative to the speed of the product belt 6. Accordingly, the length of the counting area 1a corresponds approximately to the length of the conversion area 1b. The counting device 8 is connected to the controls 11a, 11b, 11c of the infeed robots. In practice, these controls can also be controlled by a single centralized controller 11, which includes a computer to be realized.

In FIG. 3 a further plan view of a robot road 1 according to the invention is shown. Again, the individual products 2 randomly arranged on a product band 6 run in the running direction 17, ie from left to right, under the inlay robots 4a, 4b, 4c,.... The containers are brought in at a uniform distance by means of a conveyor belt or by means of a transport chain or thermoforming machine. The distance of the containers is opposite FIG. 2 stayed the same. Also, the amount of individual products supplied remained the same. The containers are much smaller than in FIG. 1 and 2 shown. A counting device 8 is shown, which is arranged in the transfer region itself. The control of the robot road 1 takes place here with a single controller 11.

Parallel to the product belt 6 runs a container belt 7, on which empty containers 3, which are partially filled in the further course, are introduced. The containers take 3 in FIG. 3 four times less filling positions than the containers 3 in FIG. 2 , On the container band 7 are in FIG. 3 the same number of containers as in FIG. 2 , So that all individual products 2 can be converted into container 3, the container band 7 must be moved about twice as fast as the product band 6.

So that now but the speed of the container belt 7 can be increased so far that all positions of the container 3 by the inlay robots 4a, 4b, 4c, ... can be occupied, it is necessary that the count of the zoomed individual products 2 in Umsetzbereich 1b itself takes place, so that always an empty container 3 is controlled as soon as under the counter 8 such a number of individual products 2 have passed through on the product belt 6, as it is at the position of the Counting device 8 as expected for the complete filling of a container 3 still required number of individual products 2 corresponds to which container 3 reaches the outlet from the transfer area 1b at the same time with the position on the product strip 6, at which by means of the counter 8, the individual products 2 are counted. Correspondingly, the length of the counting region 1a corresponds approximately to half the length of the conversion region 1b.

The expected at the position of the counter 8 as expected for the complete filling of a container 3 number of individual products 2 can be determined in different ways. On the one hand, the individual products 2 already converted into containers 3 can be updated by the controller 11 in the entire conversion area. However, a cascaded filling of the containers 3 proves to be much more advantageous, which makes it possible for the counting of the individual products 2 and the release of a next container 3 to be filled to take place even without a complicated calculation within a counting within the conversion range 1b.

Through the use of a cascaded filling in the DC, the conversion performance of each individual stacker robot 4a, 4b, 4c, ... can be designed in a robotic line 1 such that regardless of the number of zoomed individual products 2 an increase in the filling of the container 3 in the direction of the 16th the container belt 7 is ensured. The filling of the container 3 is then realized so that the increase of the filling levels of the container 3 in the transfer area 1b of the robot road 1 by each deposit robot 4a, 4b, 4c, ... is maintained independently and as accurately as possible. Accordingly, a desired level is determined for each type of individual products 2 and for each associated container 3, which is to be achieved in the working area of the respective stacker robot 4a, 4b, 4c, ... As soon as this one Sollfüllstand is reached by a loading robot for a container 3 in his workspace, this deposit robot interrupts the further filling of this container 3, although possibly more individual products 2 are available in his workspace.

The inlay robots 4a, 4b, 4c, ... are outlined as delta robots in the supervision. However, these can also be other fast insertion robots, such as pickers, SCARA or comparable parallel or serial kinematics.

These inlay robots 4a, 4b, 4c, ... are each equipped with a gripping device, for example a sucker, which - after activation of a defined position in the horizontal plane by the controller 11 - lowers itself to a single product 2 located there, this then lifts and, after rotation about a vertical axis according to the desired, correct orientation in the container 3 lowers.

So that the grippers of the stacking robots 4a, 4b, 4c, ... know the individual positions on the continuously moving product strip 6 that must be approached, by means of a camera 9a assigned to the stacking robots 4a, 4b, 4c, ... 9b, 9c when passing through the individual products 2 under the respective camera 9a, 9b, 9c every position at which a single product 2 is registered, as well as the rotational position and possibly further features such as weight or color of the individual product 2 determined, and in the control 11 as well as considering the belt speed, which is not always constant in practice.

Furthermore, each of the product band 6 already removed individual product 2 is also considered by the controller 11, so the individual products 2 still to be present and to be converted can be converted by the subsequent stacking robot movements of the stacker robot 4a or the subsequent stacker robots 4b, 4c,...

In a preferred embodiment, the counting device 8 and the cameras 9a, 9b, 9c are combined in a single camera arranged in front of the conversion region 1b, which at the same time serves as counting device 8 and camera 9a, 9b, 9c for position, rotational position and possibly feature determination the individual products 2 is used. Taking into account the product belt speed conveyed by the drive 18 of the product belt 6, the position of the count 1a of the individual products 2 can then be computationally pushed to the point which results from the relative speed of the product belt 6 and the container belt 7.

Accordingly, it is also possible to replace the counter 8 by a data interface to the upstream production process. This data interface then transmits the individual products 2 currently supplied from the production. The camera 9a and possibly the further cameras 9b, 9c, etc. are then used for position, rotational position and, if necessary, for characterizing the individual products 2 or are not required.

In FIG. 4 is a plan view of another robotic road 1 according to the invention shown. Once again, the individual products 2 arranged on a product band 6 run in the running direction 17, ie from left to right, under the stacking robots 4a, 4b, 4c,.... In addition, a counting device and an independently driven compensating belt are shown, which immediately in front of the product band and arranged on this product band counting device are arranged. The product band is made in two parts and each part has a counting device.

Parallel to the product belt 6 runs a container belt 7, on which empty containers 3, which are partially filled in the further course, are introduced.

Unlike in FIG. 2 shown, the product band 6 is preceded by a compensating belt 21 here. This has its own drive 20 and a compensating counter 22 whose detection range covers the inlet area of the compensating belt 21. As far as the compensation counter 22 determines that no individual products 2 are introduced, the compensating belt 21 can be brought to a standstill via the drive 20 until again individual products 2 are detected by the compensating counter 22. On the compensating belt an exemplary arrangement 24 of individual products 2 is shown. So it may be that temporarily no products are delivered. Then the product belt 6 and the container belt 7 can be brought to a standstill until individual products arrive at the inlet of the product belt 6 again. The arrangement 24 of the individual products 2 shows that after the interruption of production only three tracks are occupied by individual products 2. However, since the individual products 2 are spaced in the direction of travel, the product belt 6 and the container belt 7 can be operated at half speed until all six tracks are again covered with individual products, as also shown in arrangement 24. If, as shown in the further course of the arrangement 24, a complete series of individual product 2 is missing, then the product band 6 and the container band 7 can be stopped briefly to compensate for the missing row.

In principle, the compensating belt 21 can also be required by means of a component required for the last production step of the individual products Transport device can be realized. For biscuits and chocolate, individual products 2 often go through a cooling tunnel at the end. There, the compensation counter 22 can be arranged at the inlet of the cooling tunnel. However, then the speed of the compensating belt 21 can not be adjusted. In the case of chain-guided poultry processing systems, it is also conceivable that the compensation count and possibly also the determination of the characteristics of the individual products 2 takes place during the actual processing of the poultry and is transmitted as a data stream via a data bus to the controllers 11a, 11b, 11c or a single control. If this balance count or data stream is updated accordingly, taking into account the speed of the cooling belt or the chain guide, then the continuous adjustment of the speed of the product belt 6 and the container belt 7 can be due to this updated single product count.

In FIG. 5 is a plan view of another robotic road 1 according to the invention shown. Again, the run on individual products 2 in the direction 17, ie from left to right, under the stacking robots 4a, 4b, 4c, ... by. However, these are arranged on three product bands 6a, 6b, 6c. A counter is shown for each product band.

Parallel to the three product bands 6a, 6b, 6c, three container bands 7a, 7b, 7c are arranged. In relation to different virtual positions 12af, 12bf, 12cf, differently sized containers are released onto these container bands. Once these containers have virtually reached a corresponding insertion position 12a, 12b, 12c at the inlet to the transfer area, the containers are physically controlled. In the release positions 12af, 12bf, 12cf in FIG. 5 These are process-determining positions to illustrate the process. The actual device will provide that three Behälterabstapler are provided at the Einsteuerposition 12a, 12b, 12c and that they are correspondingly delayed in time a container einsteuern. This time delay then corresponds to the distance around which container band would have had to move between the associated release and insertion positions if the containers had themselves been activated at the release position.

The three product belts 6a, 6b, 6c run at different speeds. The fastest product band 6a is twice as fast as the slowest moving container band 7a. By contrast, the slowest product belt 6c is only moved about 25% faster. This also results in the different counting positions 8a, 8b, 8c.

Claims (18)

1. Method for batchwise transfer of at least one type of individual products (2) into at least one type of containers (3) receiving a certain number of individual products (2) by means of a robotic line (1) containing at least two insertion robots (4a, 4b, 4c), wherein the individual products (2) are transported irregularly at an inlet of the robotic line in order to grip these individually in a transfer region (1b) of the robotic line and to transfer these into containers (3) and wherein the individual products (2) and the containers (3) are transported in the same flow on at least one product belt (6; 6a, 6b, 6c) and on at least one container belt (7; 7a, 7b, 7c),
   characterised in that
   each product belt (6; 6a, 6b, 6c) and each container belt (7; 7a, 7b, 7c) is moved at speeds which are, in particular for each batch, constant relative to one another;
   a counting position is determined for each product belt (6; 6a, 6b, 6c) in such a way that an individual product (2) counted at the counting position (8a, 8b, 8c) and not transferred reaches the outlet from the transfer region (1b) of the robotic line (1) at the same time as a container (3) channelled into the inlet of the transfer region (1b) of the robotic line on the container belt (7) or on the container belt (7a, 7b, 7c) which moves the slowest; and
   the individual products on the product belt (6; 6a, 6b, 6c) conducting them are counted at the counting position (8a, 8b, 8c) associated with this product belt (6; 6a, 6b, 6c).
2. Method according to claim 1, characterised in that a virtual channelling position (12af, 12bf, 12cf) is determined for each container belt (7a, 7b, 7c) which virtual channelling position (12af, 12bf, 12cf) determines the point in time of the channelling of a released container (3) onto the container belt (7a, 7b, 7c) associated with this virtual channelling position (12af, 12bf, 12cf), in such a way that this container (3) reaches the outlet from the transfer region (1b) at the same time as a container (3) channelled directly into the inlet of the transfer region (1b) on the container belt (7a) which moves the slowest.
3. Method according to one of claims 1 or 2, characterised in that the release for channelling of a container (3) which is next to be filled onto the associated container belt (7; 7a, 7b, 7c) occurs if the number of individual products (2) was determined at the counting positions, which is required, according to expectation, for the complete filling of a container (3) at the counting position of the product belt (6a) which moves the quickest; and the channelling of this container (3) which is next to be filled onto the container belt associated with this container occurs if the container belt (7a) which moves the slowest reaches the virtual channelling position (12af, 12bf, 12cf) of the container belt associated with this container (3).
4. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that, additionally, a feature determination with regard to type, weight, size, colour or another feature of each conducted individual product (2) occurs and these features co-determine the transfer of the individual products (2) into a transported container (3).
5. Method according to claim 4, characterised in that, additionally, a determination of the frequency distribution of these measured features occurs and this frequency distribution co-controls the release of a container (3) which is next to be filled.
6. Method according to claim 5, characterised in that the conducting of the containers (3) occurs on at least two container belts (7a, 7b, 7b) and the frequency distribution co-determines the release of a container (3) which is next to be filled onto the respective container belt (7a, 7b, 7b).
7. Method according to one of claims 5 or 6, characterised in that the frequency distribution co-determines the transfer of the individual products (2) into the containers (3) and the transfer occurs in an optimised manner with regard to a different feature.
8. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that, for each partial section of the transfer region (1b) passed through by a container belt (7; 7a, 7b, 7b), a target fill level of the containers (3) is determined and the target fill level of the containers (3) is set to increase in the direction of travel (16) of the containers (3) in the transfer region (1b) and the target fill level in the respective partial section corresponds to the ratios of the length of the partial sections already passed through relative to the total length of the transfer region (1b); and in each partial section in which the filling of the containers (3) has already reached the target fill level, no more individual products (2) are transferred into containers (3).
9. Method according to claim 8, characterised in that an optimum transfer performance is determined in advance for each insertion robot (4a, 4b, 4c) for each type of individual products (2), on the basis of their maximum conducted number or on the basis of other performance-determining properties; and the transfer performance is continuously adapted to the optimum transfer performance on the basis of the individual products presently located in the working region of each insertion robot (4a, 4b, 4c) and on the basis of the already reached fill level of the containers (3) presently located in the working region of each insertion robot (4a, 4b, 4c), such that the containers (3) reach their target fill level if possible upon leaving the working region.
10. Method according to one of claims 8 or 9, characterised in that the speed of the product belts (6; 6a, 6b, 6c) and the container belts (7; 7a, 7b, 7c) is reduced, retaining the constant relative speed, if the target fill level is fallen below in a partial section to such an extent that the performance of the insertion robots (4a, 4b, 4c) is not sufficient in the remaining partial sections in order to fill the containers (3) completely.
11. Method according to one of claims 8, 9 or 10, characterised in that each product belt (6; 6a, 6b, 6c) is implemented in two parts in the direction of travel (17); and the speed of each first part arranged upstream is controlled independently of the speed of the respective second part, and each second part arranged downstream extends at least over the length which is required on the basis of the counting position determining the count of individual products (2).
12. Method according to claim 11, characterised in that an additional count of the individual products (2) occurs on the first part of each product belt (6; 6a, 6b, 6c) and this additional count is considered during the determination of the speeds of the first and of the second part of the product belts and the relative speed of each container belt (7; 7a, 7b, 7c) and of the second part of each product belt (6; 6a, 6b, 6c) are kept constant.
13. Method according to claim 12, characterised in that each container belt (7; 7a, 7b, 7c) and the second part of each product belt (6; 6a, 6b, 6c) are stopped temporarily if, during the additional count of the individual products (2) on the first part of each product belt (6; 6a, 6b, 6c), the individual products are no longer conducted or if they are jammed there.
14. Method according to claim 10, characterised in that the count of the individual products (2) is also considered for the control of the speed of the product belts (6; 6a, 6b, 6c) and the container belts (7; 7a, 7b, 7c).
15. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that at least one container belt (7; 7a, 7b, 7c) or at least one product belt (6; 6a, 6b, 6c) is moved in cycles and each product belt (6; 6a, 6b, 6c) and each container belt (7; 7a, 7b, 7c) are moved at constant speeds in cycles relative to one another.
16. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the count of the individual products (2) occurs at the counting position on the product belt (6; 6a, 6b, 6c) conducting them, by mathematical updating of a product data transmission positioned upstream of the counting position or a count of the individual products positioned upstream of the counting position.
17. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that, when a container (3) is conducted away on the outlet from the transfer region (1b) of the robotic line (1), a data value associated with this container (3) is transferred at the same time which corresponds to the individual features or a value of the individual products (2) inserted in the container (3) determined from these individual features.
18. Robotic line (1) for batchwise transfer of at least one type of individual products (2) into at least one type of containers (3) receiving a certain number of individual products (2), comprising

    - at least two insertion robots (4a, 4b, 4c) in order to individually grip individual products (2) in a transfer region (1b) of the robotic line (1) and to transfer them into the containers (3)

    - at least one product belt (6; 6a, 6b, 6c) on which the individual products (2) are able to be transported,

    - at least one container belt (7; 7a, 7b, 7c) on which the containers (3) are able to be transported in the same flow with the individual products (2),

    wherein the or each product belt has a counting device (8),
    characterised in that
    each product belt (6; 6a, 6b, 6c) and each container belt (7; 7a, 7b, 7c) is able to be moved at speeds which are, in particular for each batch, constant relative to one another, and
    a counting position (8a, 8b, 8c) is able to be determined for each product belt (6; 6a, 6b, 6c) in such a way that an individual product (2) counted at the counting position (8a, 8b, 8c) reaches the outlet from the transfer region (1b) of the robotic line (1) at the same time as a container (3) channelled into the inlet of the transfer region (1b) of the robotic line simultaneously on the container belt (7) or on the container belt (7a, 7b, 7c) which moves the slowest.

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