IT202100013991A1 - INSERTING UNIT FOR INSERTING HARDWARE ITEMS FOR FURNITURE IN WOOD PANELS OR SIMILAR - Google Patents

Description

DESCRIPTION

of the patent for industrial invention entitled:

?INSERTING UNIT FOR INSERTING HARDWARE ITEMS FOR FURNITURE IN WOODEN PANELS OR SIMILAR?

The present invention ? relating to a unit? inserting machine for inserting hardware items for furniture in wooden panels or similar.

In the sector of inserting hardware articles into wooden or similar panels used for the construction of furniture, ? it is known to produce a drilling/milling/inserting machine of the type comprising a roller or belt support device, which defines a substantially horizontal support plane for the panels, and extends between a panel loading station in the machine and an unloading station of the panels from the machine itself.

The machine also comprises at least one processing station equipped with a unit? panel processing operator; at least one arming station equipped with a unit? insertion machine for inserting hardware items in respective seats made in the panels by the unit? operator; and an advance device for advancing the panels between the loading station and the unloading station and in a substantially vertical containment plane perpendicular to the support plane.

The advancement device comprises, for example, two gripper members, each of which has two jaws arranged on opposite sides of an advancement path of the panels in a direction perpendicular to the containment plane.

The panels are picked up by the two gripper members in the loading station, are advanced through the processing station and the insertion station, and are released into the unloading station.

The unit inserter includes an inserter assembly for inserting hardware items into panels; and a feed unit for feeding the hardware articles to the insertion unit itself.

Generally, the feed unit includes at least one vibrating feed hopper, which is configured to contain hardware items, and ? equipped with a feed channel to transfer the hardware items in succession from the feed hopper to the inserter unit.

Generally, the inserter assembly comprises an inserter device for inserting the hardware items into the panels; and a transfer device for transferring the hardware items from the supply channel to the inserter device itself.

The transfer device comprises a plurality of horizontal shuttles and a plurality? of vertical shuttles connected to each other so as to transfer each item of hardware from the relative supply channel to the inserter device.

The inserter device normally comprises a gripping member provided with a seat for receiving and holding a piece of hardware.

The units? Known inserting machines of the type described above have some drawbacks mainly deriving from the fact that the gripping member of the inserting device is? configured to receive and retain a single type of hardware item, and therefore presents a flexibility? and a versatility relatively small.

Purpose of the present invention? to create a unit? inserting machine for inserting hardware items for furniture in wooden panels or the like which does not have the drawbacks described above and which is simple and cheap to make.

According to the present invention a unit is realized inserter for inserting hardware items for furniture in wooden panels or the like as claimed in the attached claims.

This invention will come now described with reference to the attached drawings, which illustrate a non-limiting embodiment thereof, in which:

figure 1 ? is a schematic plan view, with parts removed for clarity, of a preferred embodiment of the unit? inserter of the present invention;

figures 2 and 3 are two schematic perspective views of a first detail of the unit? inserter of figure 1;

figure 4 ? a schematic perspective view, with parts removed for clarity, of a second detail of the unit? inserter of figure 1;

figure 5 ? a schematic plan view, with parts removed for clarity, of the detail of figure 4;

figure 6 ? a schematic perspective view, with parts removed for clarity, of a first variant of the unit? inserter of figure 1; And

figure 7 ? a schematic perspective view, with parts removed for clarity, of a second variant of the unit? inserter of figure 1.

With reference to figure 1, with 1 ? indicated, as a whole, a unit? insertion machine for inserting items 2 of furniture fittings, for example hinges, into panels 3 of wood or the like.

The unit 1 comprises an elongated base 4 which extends in a horizontal direction 5 and ? provided with a feed device 6, in this case a feed device with rollers, defining a support surface for the panels 3.

The panels 3 are arranged on the device 6 in a substantially vertical containment plane, and are advanced by the device 6 itself through an insertion station 7.

The unit 1 also comprises a power supply group 8 comprising, in turn, a plurality of of vibrating feed hoppers 9 (in this case four hoppers 9) arranged in succession along the base 4 in the direction 5, a plurality? of vibrating feed hoppers 10 (in this case two hoppers 10) aligned with each other in a horizontal direction 11 transverse to the direction 5, and a plurality? of linear magazines 12 parallel to each other and to the direction 11 itself.

Each hopper 9, 10 houses a plurality of of 2 articles, and ? configured and is vibrated to feed the articles 2 in succession to an outlet channel 13 extending in a containment plane substantially perpendicular to the direction 5 (for the channels 13 of the hoppers 9) and to the direction 11 (for the channels 13 of the hoppers 10).

Are the warehouses 12 inclined with respect to the ground so as to advance by gravity? the related articles 2 at their ends? of output.

At the exit of the magazines 12 and of the channels 13, the articles 2 are picked up by an inserter group 14 comprising, in this case, an inserter device 15 mounted in the station 7 to insert the articles 2 in the panels 3 and an industrial robot 16 to transfer the articles between the magazines 12 or the channels 13 and the device 15 itself.

The group 14 also comprises a guide device 17, which extends along the base 4 in the direction 5, ? mounted between the base 4, the hoppers 9, and the magazines 12, and ? engaged in a sliding manner by the robot 16 to allow the robot 16 itself to move between the hoppers 9, 10, the magazines 12, and the station 7.

Robot 16 has at least four degrees of freedom, ? mounted to rotate about an axis 18 of rotation which is substantially vertical and orthogonal to the directions 5 and 11, comprises a plurality of 19 articulated arms, and ? provided with a gripping member 20 mounted on the end? free of the last arm 19.

As illustrated in figures 2 and 3, the member 20 comprises two jaws 21 movable between a clamping position and a release position of at least one article 2.

Each jaw 21 ? limited by a substantially flat front face 22, and ? furthermore limited by a substantially flat gripping face 23, which is substantially perpendicular to the face 22, and ? facing the face 23 of the other jaw 21.

Each jaw 21 has at least two cavities 24 of substantially semi-cylindrical shape, which are distributed along the face 23, and open outwards at the face 23, and ? also provided with a flat appendix 25 limited by the face 23 itself.

The cavities? 24 and the appendix 25 of each jaw 21 cooperate with the cavities? 24 and the appendix 25 of the other jaw 21 for gripping and holding different types of articles 2.

Each jaw 21 also has at least two shaped slots 26, which are distributed along the face 22, open outwards at the face 22, and cooperate with the slots 26 of the other jaw 21 to house inside corresponding parts of different types of articles 2.

In other words, the cavities 24, the appendix 25, and the cavities 26 of each jaw 21 are configured so as to selectively cooperate with the cavities 24, the appendix 25, and the hollows 26 of the other jaw 21 and allow the member 20 to grip and retain different types of articles 2.

As illustrated in figure 1, the inserter device 15 comprises a pair of uprights 27 parallel to each other, which extend in a vertical direction 28 orthogonal to the directions 5 and 11, and each support a respective vertical slide (not shown) movable along the relative upright 27 in the same direction 28.

Each vertical slide (not shown) supports a horizontal slide (not shown), which ? mounted to perform, with respect to the vertical slide (not shown), rectilinear movements in the direction 11, and supports a gripping member 29 adapted to receive the articles 2 from the robot 16.

The member 29 comprises a central hub 30, which ? mounted to rotate about its own longitudinal axis 31 parallel to the direction 28, ? bounded by a substantially rectangular outer side wall 32, and is endowed with a plurality of forks 33 distributed around the axis 31 itself.

In this case, the forks 33 are equal in number to the number of faces of the wall 32, are uniformly distributed around the axis 31, and are configured to each receive and retain a respective article 2.

Each fork 33 ? coupled in a sliding manner to the hub 30 to perform, with respect to the hub 30, rectilinear movements transversal to the direction 28 and to insert the relative article 2 in the relative panel 3.

In other words, the forks 33 allow the member 29 to receive and retain a plurality of of 2 items, in particular of different types of 2 items.

According to some variants not illustrated:

the robot 16 ? configured to withdraw a plurality? of articles 2 housed in at least one tray arranged on a first pallet and for releasing the empty trays onto a second pallet;

the inserter device 15 is eliminated and the articles 2 are inserted into the relative panels 3 directly by the robot 16; And

the wall 32 has a different shape from the rectangular shape shown in figures 4 and 5.

The variant shown in figure 6 ? relating to a unit? 34 inserter comprising a feed unit 35 and an inserter unit 36.

The unit 35 comprises, in this case, at least one feed hopper 37 which is entirely similar to the hoppers 9, 10, an outlet channel 38 which is entirely similar to the channels 13, a first pallet 39 for receiving trays 40 containing 2 items, and a second pallet 41 to receive the empty trays 40.

The group 36 comprises the inserter device 15 and an anthropomorphic robot 42, which ? completely analogous to the robot 16, and ? provided with a gripping member 43 movable between the channel 38, the pallets 39 and 41, and the inserter device 15 itself.

The hopper 37, the channel 38, the pallets 39 and 41, and the robot 42 are mounted on a support plate 44 so as to define an assembly 45, which is preassembled in the manufacturer's factory and supplied to the customer with the correct orientation and positioning of the hopper 37, of the channel 38, of the pallets 39 and 41, and of the robot 42.

The variant shown in figure 7 ? relating to a unit? 46 including a feed unit 47 and an inserter unit 48.

The group 47 includes, in this case, a plurality of feed hoppers 49, which are completely similar to the hoppers 9, 10, are provided with respective outlet channels 50 completely similar to the channels 13, and are arranged at different heights from the ground, in particular aligned with each other in the direction 28.

The unit 48 comprises an upright 51 substantially parallel to the direction 28, a vertical slide 52 slidably coupled to the upright 51 to perform straight movements along the upright 51 in the direction 28, and an anthropomorphic robot 53 mounted on the slide 52 to move between the channels 50.

Group 48? also provided with an inserter device 54 comprising, in this case, a vertical slide 55, which is slidably coupled to upright 51 to perform rectilinear movements along upright 51 in direction 28, and supports two horizontal slides 56.

Each slide 56 ? coupled to the slide 55 to perform, with respect to the slide 55, rectilinear movements in the direction 11, and ? provided with a gripping member 57 entirely similar to members 29.

According to a variant not shown, the slide 55 is eliminated and the slides 56 and the members 57 are mounted on the slide 52.

The unit The insertion machine 46 has some advantages mainly deriving from the fact that the feed unit 47 has relatively small dimensions and that the robot 53 is provided with relatively short articulated arms and is, therefore, relatively cheap and compact.

Claims (7)

1.-Unit? inserting machine for inserting hardware items (2) for furniture in panels (3) of wood or the like, the unit? inserter comprising an inserter assembly (14) for inserting hardware items (2) into panels (3) of wood or the like; and a feed unit (8) for feeding the hardware items (2) to the inserter unit (14); the power unit (8) comprising a plurality? of warehouses (9, 10, 12) for the storage of different types of hardware items (2); and the inserter unit (14) comprising a transfer device (16) for withdrawing the hardware items (2) from the magazine (9, 10, 12) and an inserter device (15) for receiving the hardware items (2) from the transfer device (16) and insert them into the panels (3); and being characterized in that the inserter device (15) comprises a gripping organ (29) provided with a plurality of of locations (33) for the different types of hardware items (2). 2.-Unit? inserter according to claim 1, wherein the gripping member (29) comprises a central hub (30) mounted for rotation about an axis of rotation (31); the seats (33) being distributed around the axis of rotation (31) itself. 3.- Units insertion machine according to claim 2 and further comprising an actuation device for intermittently moving the central hub (30) about the axis of rotation (31). 4.- Units insertion machine according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein each seat (33) has the shape of a fork. 5.- Units inserter according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the gripping member (29) comprises a central hub (30); each seat (33) being coupled to the central hub (30) for moving between a retracted rest position and an extracted operating position, in which the seat (33) engages the hardware item (2) in the panel (3). 6.- Units insertion machine according to claim 5, wherein the central hub (30) is bounded by an outer sidewall (32); the seats (33) being formed on the outer side wall (32) itself. 7.- Units insertion machine according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the transfer device (16) comprises an industrial robot having at least four degrees of freedom.