TW202007617A - Apparatus and method for transferring multiple pieces in production line - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention discloses a transferring apparatus used in a product line, the apparatus picks up multiple pieces from a first line or moves multiple pieces to a second line at a time. Each piece has an interior accommodation. The apparatus includes a frame for holding several joint devices; a movable member for controlling the height and position of the frame; a controller for controlling the joint devices to execute a synchronized joint action or a release action. The controller commands each joint device to execute these actions within the interior space of each of the pieces.

Description

Pipeline reclaiming device and method

The invention relates to a material retrieving device and method, in particular to a device and method for taking a large number of material parts from a pipeline or a conveyor belt at a time, wherein the material parts particularly refer to a structure with a container.

With the development of Industry 4.0, the manpower input of the production line has been gradually reduced, replaced by a large number of automated machines. The precision and optimization of various actions really help to reduce production costs. Therefore, the automated design of the production line is important. Good design, including software control and various hardware arrangements, in addition to improving productivity, the smoothness of the production line can also be maintained for a long time. In addition, a good design can cope with various unexpected conditions, such as defects in the processing line itself.

For the cleaning of large cargo baskets, such as the delivery baskets of convenience stores, the current practice is that the operators collectively send the used delivery baskets to the cleaning factory and clean the delivery baskets in a semi-automatic manner. However, as society's eating habits have improved, the number of delivery baskets recovered from convenience stores has increased significantly. Semi-automatic cleaning plants and lack of human resources will not be able to cope with a larger number of cleaning operations. In particular, the defects (such as deformation and damage) caused by the delivery basket during use make the fluency of the production line well tested. This is because the unexpectedly deformed material may exceed the range of mechanical action, resulting in the material not being able to advance smoothly, which must usually be removed by an experienced operator. The production line has a feed end and a discharge end, where the action of the feed end is critical. First of all, the speed of feeding is one of the factors to increase the production capacity, which can usually be evaluated by the actual number of input parts per unit time. Secondly, the consistency of the feed material also tests whether the machine or the operator has to spend extra time to perform the corrective action to ensure that the process of transporting each material in the production line is within the tolerance range of each machine tool. As mentioned, the delivery baskets of the convenience store are generally returned to the cleaning factory in a stacked manner, and the structure after the stacking cannot be ideally stacked due to the defects of the delivery basket itself. In today's situation where the stack structure is used to enter the working line, the production capacity is of course difficult to increase.

Therefore, it is necessary to design a device and method for effectively improving the feeding speed and fluency, especially for the feeding method of the aforementioned stacked structure. In addition, it is also necessary to design a system that includes such a feeding method and a mutually compatible discharging method.

The object of the present invention is to provide a pipeline reclaiming device, which can simultaneously take a plurality of materials from a first pipeline, or move a plurality of materials to a second pipeline at the same time, and each material has an internal space. The pipeline reclaiming device includes: a fixing frame, which fixes a plurality of picking devices; a lifting displacement mechanism, which raises and lowers the height of the fixing frame and shifts the position of the fixing frame; and a controller, which controls the picking devices to execute a synchronously Take action or a release action. Wherein, the controller controls each pick-up device to perform the pick-up action or the release action in the internal space of each material.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a pipeline retrieving method and its peripheral supporting equipment, which simultaneously pick up a plurality of materials, and each material has an internal space, the method includes: configuring a plurality of picking devices fixed to a fixed A rack; and a lifting displacement mechanism that raises and lowers the height of the fixing frame, and displaces the plurality of pick-up devices of the fixing frame to the internal space of the corresponding plurality of materials. Wherein, the method further includes: controlling each picking device to perform a picking action in the corresponding internal space of each material. The method may further include: maintaining a plurality of access devices at substantially the same height during the displacement of the fixing frame. The method may further include: after the pick-up devices perform the pick-up action, displacing the fixing frame by the lifting and displacing mechanism, displacing the other materials by a second pipeline, and then controlling each pick-up device at the corresponding The internal space of each material performs a release action to place the materials onto the second pipeline.

In a specific embodiment, the materials are placed substantially equidistantly on a first pipeline conveyor belt.

In a specific embodiment, the internal space of each material is formed by a bottom and a plurality of sides connected to the bottom.

In a specific embodiment, the bottom of the internal space is a flat surface, and the pick-up device is a suction device to suck the bottom of the material to perform the pick-up operation.

In a specific embodiment, the bottom of the internal space has a plurality of hollow lattices, the pick-up device is a jaw device having at least one pair of gripping fingers, and the pair of gripping fingers to penetrate the hollow lattices Instead, the picking action is performed.

In a specific embodiment, the internal space has opposite sides connected to the bottom, and the pick-up device is an expansion clamp having a pair of brace arms, the pair of brace arms being braced against the relative space of the internal space Perform the picking action sideways.

In the following detailed description of a number of example specific embodiments, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which form part of the present invention. It is shown by way of example description, and the described specific embodiments can be implemented by this example. Provide sufficient details to enable those skilled in the art to implement the described specific embodiments, and understand that other specific embodiments can be used and other changes can be made without departing from the spirit or scope thereof. In addition, although this may be the case, the reference to "a specific embodiment" does not need to belong to the same or singular specific embodiment. Therefore, the following detailed description does not have a limiting idea, and the scope of the specific embodiments of the description is only defined by the scope of the additional patent applications.

In the scope of the entire application and patent application, unless otherwise clearly stated in the context, the following word systems have a meaning clearly associated with this. When used herein, unless expressly stated otherwise, the term "or" is an inclusive usage of "or" and is equivalent to the term "and/or". Unless expressly stated otherwise in the context, the term "based on" is not exclusive and allows the basis of most other factors not stated. In addition, in the overall application, the meanings of "one", "one" and "the" include plural references. The meaning of "in" includes "in" and "on".

The following provides a brief summary of these innovative themes to provide a basic understanding of some aspects. This short narrative is not intended as a complete overview. This short description is not intended to identify major or key components, or to depict or limit the scope. Its purpose is only to present some concepts in a brief form as a prelude to the more detailed narrative presented later.

The first figure illustrates the feed-in and feed-out system (100) of the present invention, which is connected to a processing device (110), and supplies the material to be processed to the processing device and receives the processed material by pipeline transportation. Therefore, if the processing equipment (110) is the center, the system (100) can be further divided into an independent pipeline feed system (end) and a pipeline discharge system (end). For example, the processing device (110) is a cleaning device that specifically cleans a specific container. The following description will mainly take the delivery basket of a convenience store as an example, but it should be understood that the present invention is not limited to the materials in the description, and similar or other materials should be included in the present invention. The system (100) has an inlet (101), an outlet (102), and a pipeline or conveyor belt (103) extending between the inlet and the outlet. The pipeline described herein generally refers to a mechanical transport mechanism that provides propulsion substantially in one direction. The pipeline (103) substantially extends from the feeding system to the discharging system, and a feeding area (1031) is set in the feeding system and a discharging area (1032) is set in the discharging system. When feeding, the delivery basket to be processed will wait in line in the feeding area (1031) to be picked up. At the time of discharge, the processed delivery basket will be concentrated in the discharge area (1032) and wait for being pushed to the exit (102) by pipeline.

The feeding end of the system (100) includes a feeding line (120) and a first retrieving device (121), while the discharging end includes a discharging line (130) and a second retrieving device (131), The first retrieving device (121) and the second retrieving device (131) are respectively a kind of pipeline retrieving device, which can simultaneously receive a plurality of material parts. In the embodiment, a delivery basket is taken as an example. A plurality of delivery baskets in the feeding area (1031) are transferred to the feeding line (120) through the first reclaiming device (121). After cleaning, the processed delivery basket is transported by the discharge line (130), and finally transferred to the discharge area (1032) by the second reclaiming device (131). In different embodiments, the feeding line (120) and the discharging line (130) may be a connected line or different lines, depending on whether the conveying speed of the two lines is the same. The first and second reclaiming devices (121, 131) include a multi-axis robotic arm that receives commands. The robotic arm can simultaneously pick up a plurality of materials and move them horizontally or vertically, if necessary , These materials can even be tilted. The first and second reclaiming devices (121, 131) have a maximum gripping unit, which refers to when the first or second retrieving device (121, 131) performs a gripping (or picking) action The maximum number of parts that can be grabbed at the time. The maximum picking unit is related to the capacity of the system (100) to process materials. In addition to the large number of materials transferred in the pipeline processing, the picking device provided by the present invention can also ensure picking (or picking) And the success rate of releasing materials.

The discharge end of the system (100) also includes an ejection mechanism (132) configured to move a plurality of processed delivery baskets out of the discharge line (130), and the removed plurality of delivery baskets go to the discharge platform (133) Waiting to be transferred to the discharge area (1032) of the pipeline (103) by the second reclaiming device (131). The delivery baskets are stacked in the discharge area (1032) and then transported to the outlet (102) via the pipeline (103). A controller (140) can be communicatively connected to the first and second reclaiming devices (121, 131) and the ejecting mechanism (132) to control the operation flow associated with each other.

Preferably, the maximum gripping unit of the first and second reclaiming devices (121, 131) determines the loading capacity of the feeding area (1031) and the discharging area (1032), which means that the stacking structure of the material can be placed Quantity. For example, if the maximum gripping unit of the first and second reclaiming devices (121, 131) is N, the feeding area (1031) and the discharging area (1032) can be loaded with up to N material stacking structures, The height of each material stacking structure is the same, and this height is the number of the material stackable. Therefore, the first retrieving device (121) simultaneously takes the top N items to be processed from the N component stacking structure of the feeding area (1031), while the second retrieving device (131) takes N processed materials will be placed at the top of the stack of N materials in the discharge area (1032). Preferably, the feeding unit of the feeding line (120) and the unloading line (130) is equivalent to the maximum gripping unit, which means that the feeding amount of the feeding line (120) into the processing device (110) at a time is N pieces , The conveying volume of the unloading line (130) once removed is also N pieces. Therefore, the length design of the feeding line (120) and the discharging line (130) can be considered together. Similarly, the length design of the feed zone (1031) and the discharge zone (1032) of the pipeline (103) can also be considered together.

Since each material stacking structure is carried on a pipeline (103) by a trolley (202), please refer to the second figure. Therefore, according to the above design considerations, the length design of the feeding area (1031) and the discharging area (1032) needs to accommodate N trolleys (202) to support the stacking structure of N materials. After the first feeding device (121) has finished taking all the parts in the feeding area (1031), N empty trolleys (202) will move out of the feeding area (1031) along the pipeline (103). After that, N empty trolleys (202) will be moved along the pipeline (103) into the discharge area (1032) in preparation for carrying the second reclaiming device (131). Each time N processed materials are placed, in the N The trolley (202) is stacked to form a stacking structure of N pieces. Finally, the stacked stack of N processed materials is moved out of the discharge area (1032) by N trolleys (202), and is pushed to the outlet (102). Preferably, a buffer zone will be provided between the feed zone (1031) and the discharge zone (1032) of the pipeline (103), the length of the buffer zone is designed to be a multiple of N trolleys (202), so that the system The pipeline (103) transports N empty trolleys (202) from the feed area (1031) into the buffer zone at a time. After that, the pipeline (103) transports N empty trolleys (202) from the buffer zone into the discharge area (1032) at a time. This article uses a trolley as an example, but for those of ordinary knowledge in the field to which the present invention belongs, other alternatives are also feasible. For example, a pallet structure that can carry a stack of delivery baskets may be adopted, or other means of transportation that can match the type of pipeline.

With continued reference to the first figure, the pipeline (103) is also provided with a first finishing device (150) near the inlet (101). The first sorting device (150) is arranged on the pipeline (103). When the trolley (160) stacking the delivery baskets is driven and slid along the line (103) to the first sorting device (150), the first sorting device (150) ) It can be used to sort the stack structure to ensure that the stack structure is well arranged, to avoid stack skew is not conducive to the first retrieving device (121) access. The sorting mechanism required by the present invention is important, which involves a smooth feeding process. For example, the recovered delivery basket may have various structural defects, which may affect the misalignment between layers of the stacked structure, resulting in unstable stack structure and each delivery basket may not necessarily fall within the allowable range of mechanical operation. Therefore, the sorting method provided by the present invention at the feed end is one of the keys to promotion. In addition, the first sorting device (150) can cooperate with a height detection means to detect whether the total height of the material stack before entering the first sorting device (150) conforms to the operation permission of the system's reclaiming device (ie, robotic arm) range. The controller (140) can record the stack height carried by the Nth trolley according to the detection, and decide whether to allow or deny the stacking of the material into the first sorting device (150). The main purpose of the height detection means is to ensure that the height of the material stack is within the allowable operating range of the robotic arm, so as to avoid the system from shutting down because the material pick-up device cannot catch the material or the material cannot be separated. If the number of stacks on the trolley is too large or insufficient, the controller (140) can instruct the pipeline (103) to return the trolley to the entrance (101) or inform the operator to adjust the stacking quantity of the material through a warning means. The height detection refers to a height of the stacked structure relative to the system, which can be determined by the material itself and the number of stacked layers. For example, when the trolley is not carrying any material, the height detection means recognizes that the height of the stack structure is zero; when the trolley is carrying thirty stacked materials, the height detection means can recognize that the stack structure reaches the maximum allowable height, And it indicates that the trolley is fully loaded. In one embodiment, the height detection means may be realized by an optical detection means or an ultrasonic detection means. Preferably, the means is adapted to implement height detection for the unstructured stacking of materials.

The second figure illustrates a structure (200) stacked up and down by multiple delivery baskets and carried by a cart (202). In order to increase productivity, the number of stacks on the top and bottom should be maximized as much as possible, but the weight of the stack should also pay attention to whether it affects the stability of the overall stacking structure and the transportation burden that the trolley (202) can bear. The trolley (202) has an appropriate structure to firmly grasp the bottom of the stack. The design of the trolley (202) can be determined according to the type of pipeline (103). For example, with a track as a guide line, the matched trolley is suitable for assembling wheels. Preferably, the trolley (202) can run the pipeline (103). This is convenient for the operators of some factories, which means that the recycled delivery baskets can be stacked on a trolley (202) first, and after the stacking is completed, the operator can remove the trolley (202) carrying the stacking structure from the entrance (101) Enter the pipeline (103). According to the maximum grasping amount N of the system (100), the operator can load N loaded trolleys (202) at a time.

The third and fourth figures illustrate a delivery basket (400) and two number stacks (300). The delivery basket (400) illustrated in the fourth figure has an internal space (401) formed by a bottom (402) and a plurality of sides (403A, 403B) connecting the bottom. The bottom (402) is the main load-bearing structure of the cargo, which may be a flat plate or a hollow structure as shown. The side is formed by connecting the high side (404A) and the short side (404B) adjacent to each other. In particular, the length of the notch formed by the short side (404B) is approximately equal to the length of the high side (404A). Therefore, the same two delivery baskets can be stacked crosswise, as shown in the third figure, whereby the number of stacks can be maximized in a limited vertical stacking height. However, as mentioned above, defects in the delivery basket itself, such as bending, may cause undesirable distortions in the manual stacking structure. To solve this problem, the first sorting device (150) of the present invention corrects the twisted part after the stack structure enters the feed end.

The unloading platform (133) is disposed on the opposite side of the ejection mechanism (132), between the unloading line (130) and the discharge area (1032), to receive a plurality of pieces of material pushed out of the unloading line (130). The ninth figure partially illustrates the unloading platform (900) connected in the y direction of the unloading pipeline (130). The unloading platform (900) has an inclined surface (901), and the inclined surface (901) is provided with a roller (902) to promote the sliding of the material. Preferably, the roller (902) is a driven power roller, which can bring the material to the correct direction. For the delivery basket, the power roller provides a single direction of thrust to promote the delivery basket to slide down and prevent the delivery basket from tilting or shifting. The bottom end of the inclined surface (901) is provided with a blocking mechanism (903) for preventing the material from sliding down, and a plurality of limiting mechanisms (904) are provided at equal intervals between the inclined surface (901) and the blocking mechanism (903). A stop area is formed between two adjacent restricting mechanisms (904) for a single material to stop, waiting to be transferred by the second reclaiming device (131). For example, according to the orientation of receiving the delivery basket (length or width facing down the material platform), the distance between adjacent restriction mechanisms (904) must be greater than the length or width of the delivery basket to avoid the delivery basket being blocked by both.

The tenth figure more clearly shows the limiting mechanism (904) of the blanking platform, which is a symmetrical structure with narrow upper and lower width, which helps to guide the material to the stay area. The staying area refers to an area where the material is lying on the inclined surface (901) and can be supported by the blocking mechanism (904) at the same time. In order to ensure that the material is within the operating range of the second reclaiming device (131), the unloading platform (900) may further include a plurality of third finishing devices (1000), which are a clamping device. The delivery basket located in the stop area may not be straightened or excessively inclined to a restricting mechanism (904). The third finishing device (1000) is controlled to clamp the delivery basket in the lateral direction (x direction), thereby swinging the delivery basket It is at a position where it is easy to pick up, waiting for the second picking device (131) to perform the picking action. Preferably, a gap (905) may be formed in the staying area between two adjacent restricting mechanisms (904), this arrangement helps the second reclaiming device (131) to take delivery baskets, especially when the second reclaiming When the device (131) adopts a jaw device, the mechanical finger will pass through the bottom of the delivery basket.

The second retrieving device (131) may have a similar structure and configuration (ie, the corresponding fixing frame, connecting structure, and receiving device), but have different execution actions. The second retrieving device (131) also performs the picking action in the internal space of the material, but the second retrieving device (131) performs the picking action at an angle in response to the tilt of the unloading platform (900). After the picking is completed, the second reclaiming device (131) transfers N delivery baskets from the staying area of the unloading platform (900) to the discharge area (1032) of the pipeline (103), and places them on the N stacked The highest position. The second retrieving device (131) takes N delivery baskets as the next layer of the stack from the unloading platform (900) at once, and aligns each of the N delivery baskets with the corresponding delivery basket of the previous layer Each of them, such as the relationship between the upper and lower delivery baskets (as shown in the third figure), then performs a release action to complete the stack. Here, mechanically-based stacking of parts is challenging, especially including the fact that each delivery basket can be accurately placed on the stack structure at the same time in a large-volume reclaim state. Therefore, the actions of the aforementioned first, second, and third sorting devices (150, 6000, 1000) are important, and the rearrangement at each stage is to ensure that these delivery baskets can maintain ideal each other in different conveying states. Spatial relationship, so that these delivery baskets do not exceed the allowable range of mechanical operation during different transfer periods.

The discharge area (1032) parks N trolleys advancing from the feed area (1031), which maintains a proper distance from each other like the parking rules of the feed area (1031). When the trolley carries a certain number of stacked delivery baskets, it is pushed along the pipeline (103) to the outlet (102) to complete the discharge.

The eleventh figure describes the method flow of the feeding and discharging system of the present invention, including steps S1100 to S1110. These steps will be explained in conjunction with the first to tenth figures as follows.

In step S1100, a pipeline (103) is provided as the first pipeline of the feeding and discharging system. The pipeline (103) is configured to push multiple stacks. As shown in the second figure, the stacking structure (200) carried by the trolley (202) is formed by stacking multiple delivery baskets (400) with the same number. Among them, each delivery basket has an internal space formed by a bottom surface and a plurality of side edges. The operator can load the multiple trolleys carrying the stack into the pipeline (103) in sequence, and the pipeline (103) can use the known driving mechanism to push each trolley forward, and control the distance between the front and back trolleys, ending the step S1100. The entrance of the pipeline (103) can adopt a lifting mechanism to facilitate the trolley to load the pipeline (103) smoothly. In one embodiment, step S1100 may further include a height detection means for the delivery basket stack structure (200) to determine whether the total height of the stack structure (200) conforms to the reclaiming device (121, 131) Operational allowable range. The height detection means can be realized by an optical detector or an ultrasonic detector disposed on the path of the pipeline (103), and the detection means includes generating a detection signal to the controller (140), which is controlled by The device (140) judges whether to allow or deny the carriage carrying the stack structure to enter the execution of the next step. The controller (140) can be configured to record a maximum allowable height, such as thirty, in the system where the stacked structure can be processed. When the detection signal indicates that the number exceeds or falls below thirty, the controller (140) commands the pipeline (103) to return the trolley that does not meet the maximum allowable height.

In step S1102, each of the stacks is clamped by a first sorting device (150) to sort each stack individually. As shown in the first figure, the first sorting device (150) is arranged on the path of the trolleys, and these trolleys will stay in the first sorting device (150) in sequence to receive sorting. Figures 5A to 5C describe the actions performed by the first sorting device in more detail. The fifth figure A shows a supporting action of the first sorting device, with the first movable portion (501) abutting the side of the stacking structure, so that it is supported in the y direction. Figure 5B shows a first clamping action, which clamps both sides of the stack with the pivoting action of the second and third movable parts (502, 503). Figure 5C shows a second clamping action, which makes the fourth movable part (504) relative to the first movable part (501) abut against the other side of the stacking structure, so that the first and fourth movable parts ( 501, 504) The stacked structure is clamped, and the movable parts are configured to surround the stacked structure so that its twisting or tilting can be corrected neatly. Next, all the movable parts of the first sorting device are returned to their original positions, and the stack is further advanced along the pipeline (103) to the feed zone (1031), and step S1102 is ended.

In step S1104, the stacks are simultaneously clamped by a second sorting device (600) so that the stacks are aligned in the feed area (1031). The multiple stacks sorted by the first sorting device (150) are collectively parked in the feed area (1031), which is set to allow N trolleys to be parked in a row. Of course, in other possible embodiments, the feed zone (1031) may be configured to allow N trolleys to be parked in multiple rows. As mentioned above, the number of N can be determined by a maximum grab amount of the system. As shown in the sixth figure, a second finishing device (600) can be provided around the feeding area (1031), which is configured to hold N stacks carried by N trolleys, and in particular the second finishing device (600) is configured as The clamping operation is performed in a manner of simultaneously contacting N stacks to make the alignment of the N stacks more orderly, and step S1104 is ended. In addition, the second sorting device (600) can grasp the N stacks, so that the stack is not easily deformed by external forces (such as during the process of being taken).

In step S1106, a first retrieving device performs a picking action and a releasing action so that the stacked pieces of materials are neatly transferred to a second pipeline of the system. The first reclaiming device (121) as in the first figure is configured to transfer the N delivery baskets of the pipeline (103) from the N stacks of the feed zone (1031) to the loading pipeline (120) at a time. The feeding line (120) can be regarded as the second line of the system.

Referring to the twelfth figure, step S1106 further includes steps S1200 to S1206. In step S1200, the first retrieving device (121) performs a picking action. A plurality of picking devices (703) in a row as shown in the seventh figure respectively mark the center of the bottom of the delivery basket through the lifting and displacing means and perform a picking action, wherein the picking action includes gripping, sucking and supporting Opening and other methods, especially the pick-up action is completed in the inner space of the delivery basket, so that the stacked delivery baskets can be closer to each other in the direction of the pipeline, and the maximum processing can be obtained in the feeding and discharging area Capacity. This is important. In order to improve the ability of feeding, the number of parts received each time is of course one of the keys. For delivery baskets or similar materials, the design of the pick-up device (703) aimed at the center of the bottom and performing actions in the internal space can relatively increase the number of pick-up device configurations (703), while at the same time obtaining the best grip The effect is that, compared with grasping by the periphery of the delivery basket, the necessary clamping operation space must be reserved between the delivery baskets, which is not conducive to maximizing the processing capacity in terms of space. The N picking devices (703) synchronize with the N delivery baskets to complete picking, and end step S1200. In step S1202, under the control of the lifting means, the N picking devices (703) can simultaneously perform a tiny swinging action, so that the picked N delivery basket can be loosened from its underlying structure, making it easier to remove from the stack To end step S1202. Since the second sorting device (600) can hold the stack, the swing does not easily deform or tilt the stack. In step S1204, a tilting action can be performed by the first reclaiming device (121), which means that the N cargo baskets picked up by the lifting and displacement mechanism are simultaneously tilted by a relative angle, and then restored to the original state, ending Step S1204. This action is optional. In the application of cleaning the cargo basket, the tilting action can initially pour out the debris in the internal space of the material. In step S1206, through the lifting and displacement means, the received N cargo baskets are placed above the loading line (120), and the N receiving devices (703) then perform a release action to make the N Each delivery basket is released from the pick-up device (703), and the step S1206 is ended. The release action is still done in the internal space of the cargo basket.

In step S1106, the first retrieving device (121) completes the retrieving action and the releasing action in a cycle time by taking N items at a time as a unit. In an embodiment, the feeding line (120) pushes the N pieces to the processing device (110) as shown in the first figure in units of N pieces at a time. Preferably, the processing device (110) can design a compatible pipeline transportation mechanism per unit quantity defined by the system, and also output to the blanking pipeline (130) as shown in the first figure in units of N materials. For convenience of explanation, the blanking line (130) can be regarded as the second line of the system. In the actual situation, the second pipeline of the system (including the feeding pipeline and the discharging pipeline) may be a part of the processing equipment, or be independent of the processing equipment.

In step S1108, N materials on the second pipeline are pushed away from the second pipeline at the same time, and the materials are pushed out by the unloading platform. For example, the pushing mechanism (132) of the first figure pushes N cargo baskets on the blanking line (130) simultaneously or sequentially. The unloading platform (133) connected to the unloading line (130) receives the N cargo baskets, and the restriction mechanism (904) provided on the unloading platform (133) guides each cargo basket to fall into the corresponding stay area, ending Step S1108. Preferably, the ejection arm of the ejection mechanism (132) can be provided with N release rails, the function of which is to limit the operation range of each cargo basket in the ejection mechanism (132), to ensure that each cargo basket will be successfully ejected The pipeline (130) falls into the blanking platform (133) in the desired direction.

In step S1110, each material from the second pipeline is clamped to align the plurality of materials. For example, the third finishing device (1000) in the tenth figure clamps the delivery baskets in the staying area on the blanking platform (133), so that the orientation of the N delivery baskets on the blanking platform (133) are kept consistent and The delivery baskets are neatly arranged, waiting to be transferred to the discharge area (1032) by the second reclaiming device (131) in the first picture. The third finishing device (1000) performs a horizontal direction (x direction) clamping. However, in other possible embodiments, the third sorting device (1000) or more other sorting devices may provide corrections to the delivery basket in more directions.

In step S1104, the stacks are simultaneously clamped by a second sorting device to align the stacks. The multiple stacks sorted by the first sorting device (150) are collectively parked in the feed area (1031), which is set to allow N trolleys to be parked in a row. Of course, in other possible embodiments, the feed zone (1031) may be configured to allow N trolleys to be parked in multiple rows. As mentioned above, the number of N can be determined by a maximum grab amount of the system. As shown in the sixth figure, a second finishing device (600) can be provided around the feeding area (1031), which is configured to hold N stacks carried by N trolleys, and in particular the second finishing device (600) is configured as The clamping operation is performed in a manner of simultaneously contacting N stacks to make the alignment of the N stacks more orderly, and step S1104 is ended. In addition, the second sorting device (600) can grasp the N stacks, so that the stack is not easily deformed by external forces (such as during the process of being taken).

In step S1106, a first retrieving device performs a picking action and a releasing action so that the stacked pieces of materials are neatly transferred to a second pipeline of the system. The first reclaiming device (121) as in the first figure is configured to transfer the N delivery baskets of the pipeline (103) from the N stacks of the feed zone (1031) to the loading pipeline (120) at a time. The feeding line (120) can be regarded as the second line of the system.

Referring to the twelfth figure, step S1106 further includes steps S1200 to S1206. In step S1200, the first retrieving device (121) performs a picking action. A plurality of picking devices (703) in a row as shown in the seventh figure respectively mark the center of the bottom of the delivery basket through the lifting and displacing means and perform a picking action, wherein the picking includes gripping, sucking and spreading In other ways, especially the pick-up action is completed in the interior space of the delivery basket. This is important. In order to improve the feeding capacity, the number of parts received each time is of course one of the keys. For delivery baskets or similar materials, the design of the pick-up device (703) aimed at the center of the bottom and performing actions in the internal space can relatively increase the number of pick-up device configurations (703), while at the same time obtaining the best grip effect. The N picking devices (703) synchronize with the N delivery baskets to complete picking, and end step S1200. In step S1202, under the control of the lifting means, the N picking devices (703) can simultaneously perform a tiny swinging action, so that the picked N delivery basket can be loosened from its underlying structure, making it easier to remove from the stack To end step S1202. Since the second sorting device (600) can hold the stack, the swing does not easily deform the stack. In step S1204, a tilting action can be performed by the first reclaiming device (121), which means that the N cargo baskets picked up by the lifting and displacement mechanism are simultaneously tilted by a relative angle, and then restored to the original state, ending Step S1204. This action is optional. In the application of cleaning the cargo basket, the tilting action can initially pour out large debris in the container. In step S1206, through the lifting and displacement means, the received N cargo baskets are placed above the loading line (120), and the N receiving devices (703) then perform a release action to make the N The delivery basket self-acquisition device (703) is disconnected, and step S1206 is ended. The release action is still done in the internal space of the cargo basket.

In step S1106, the first retrieving device (121) completes the retrieving action and the releasing action in a cycle time by taking N items at a time as a unit. In an embodiment, the feeding line (120) pushes the N pieces to the processing device (110) as shown in the first figure in units of N pieces at a time. Preferably, the processing device (110) can design a compatible pipeline transportation mechanism per unit quantity defined by the system, and also output to the blanking pipeline (130) as shown in the first figure in units of N materials. For convenience of explanation, the blanking line (130) can be regarded as the second line of the system. In the actual situation, the second pipeline of the system (including the feeding pipeline and the discharging pipeline) may be a part of the processing equipment, or be independent of the processing equipment.

In step S1108, N materials on the second pipeline are pushed away from the second pipeline at the same time, and the materials are pushed out by the unloading platform. For example, the pushing mechanism (132) of the first figure pushes N cargo baskets on the blanking line (130) simultaneously or sequentially. The unloading platform (133) connected to the unloading line (130) receives the N cargo baskets, and the restriction mechanism (904) provided on the unloading platform (133) guides each cargo basket to fall into the corresponding stay area, ending Step S1108. Preferably, the discharge line (130) can be provided with N release rails, the function of which is to limit the operation range of each cargo basket in the ejection mechanism (132) to ensure that each cargo basket will be successfully pushed out of the discharge line (130) ) And fall into the blanking platform (133) in the desired direction.

In step S1110, each material from the second pipeline is clamped to align the plurality of materials. For example, the third finishing device (1000) in the tenth figure clamps the delivery baskets in the staying area on the blanking platform (133), so that the orientation of the N delivery baskets on the blanking platform (133) are kept consistent and The delivery baskets are neatly arranged, waiting to be transferred to the discharge area (1032) by the second reclaiming device (131) in the first picture. The third finishing device (1000) performs a horizontal direction (x direction) clamping. However, in other possible embodiments, the third sorting device (1000) or more other sorting devices may provide corrections to the delivery basket in more directions.

The terms "aligned" and "aligned" as used herein refer to all units stacked or arranged, whether in a horizontal or vertical direction, as much as possible to cut a straight line or a plane. Or, the columns or rows in an arrangement are evenly distributed, and the relationship between layers is clear. It should be understood that the "alignment" and "alignment" should take into account the structural defects of the material itself.

In summary, the reclaiming device and method provided by the present invention can effectively increase the number of feeds, such as seven or more, and the action execution in the internal space can effectively grab each material. More importantly, the feeding and discharging system and method provided by the present invention provide a mechanism for stacking, arranging and arranging materials, so that the materials can be maintained within a mechanically operable range on the path of the feeding end and the discharging end, which relatively improves the inlet and outlet. The efficiency of the material means to reduce the mechanical error rate.

The foregoing provides a complete description of the manufacture and use of combinations of these specific embodiments. Since many specific embodiments can be produced without departing from the spirit and scope of this description, these specific embodiments will exist within the scope of the patent applications appended below.

100‧‧‧Incoming and outgoing material system 110‧‧‧Processing equipment 101‧‧‧Inlet 140‧‧‧Controller 102‧‧‧Outlet 150‧‧‧First finishing device 103‧‧‧Pipeline 200‧‧‧Stacking structure 1031‧ ‧‧Feeding area 202‧‧‧Trolley 1032‧‧‧Discharge area 300‧‧‧Stacking 120‧‧‧Feeding line 400‧‧‧Delivery basket 121‧‧‧First reclaimer 401‧‧‧Internal Space 122‧‧‧Collecting container 402‧‧‧Bottom 130‧‧‧ Feeding line 403A, 403B ‧‧‧ Side 131‧‧‧Second retrieving device 132‧‧‧ Launching mechanism 133‧‧‧Unloading platform 501‧ ‧‧First movable part 900‧‧‧Feeding platform 502‧‧‧Second movable part 901‧‧‧Slope 503‧‧‧‧ Third movable part 902‧‧‧Roller 504‧‧‧ Fourth movable part 903‧‧ ‧Blocking mechanism 505‧‧‧ Arrangement position 904‧‧‧Restriction mechanism 600‧‧‧Second finishing device 905‧‧‧Notch 700‧‧‧Fixed frame 1000‧‧‧Third finishing device 701‧‧‧beam S1100-S1110 ‧‧‧Step 702‧‧‧Connection structure S1200-S1206‧‧‧Step 703‧‧‧Access device 7031‧‧‧Finger 800 ‧‧‧ Arm 801‧‧‧Delivery basket 802‧‧‧ Empty Piece

The foregoing and other features and advantages of the present invention will be more clearly understood with reference to the following embodiment descriptions and drawings.

The first figure shows a schematic diagram of the feeding and discharging (referred to as feeding and discharging) system of the present invention.

The second figure illustrates the stacking structure of a plurality of baskets.

The third figure illustrates the stacking of two baskets.

The fourth figure illustrates a perspective view of a single basket.

Figures 5A-5C show schematic diagrams of the first sorting device in the feed and discharge system of the present invention.

The sixth figure shows a schematic diagram of the second sorting device in the feeding and discharging system of the present invention.

The seventh figure shows a partial perspective view of the reclaiming device in the feeding and discharging system of the present invention.

The eighth figure shows a picking mode of the reclaiming device of the present invention.

The ninth figure illustrates the discharging device in the feeding and discharging system of the present invention.

The tenth figure shows the partial features of the blanking device.

Figure 11 is a flow chart of the feed and discharge system of the present invention.

Figure 12 is a flow chart of the reclaiming device of the present invention.

S1100-S1110‧‧‧Step

Claims (15)

A pipeline retrieving device that simultaneously receives a plurality of materials from a first pipeline or moves a plurality of materials to a second pipeline at the same time, and each material has an internal space. The pipeline reclaiming device includes : A fixing frame, which fixes a plurality of picking devices; a lifting and lowering mechanism, which raises and lowers the height of the fixing frame and shifts the position of the fixing frame; and a controller, which controls the picking devices to perform a picking action or a synchronously Release action; wherein, the controller controls each pick-up device to perform the pick-up action or the release action in the internal space of each material. The device as described in item 1 of the scope of the patent application, wherein the lifting and displacing mechanism keeps the plurality of receiving devices at substantially the same height during the lifting and displacing of the fixing frame. The device as described in item 1 of the patent application scope, wherein the controller controls the picking devices to simultaneously pick up the materials or release the materials synchronously. The device as described in item 1 of the scope of patent application, wherein the internal space of each material is formed by a bottom and a plurality of sides connected to the bottom. The device as described in item 5 of the patent application scope, wherein the bottom of the internal space is a flat surface, and the pick-up device is a suction device to suck the bottom of the material to perform the pick-up action. The device as described in item 5 of the patent application scope, wherein the bottom of the internal space has a plurality of hollow lattices, the access device is a gripper device having at least one pair of gripping fingers, the pair of gripping fingers is worn Enter the hollow lattices to perform the picking action. The device as described in item 5 of the patent application scope, wherein the internal space has opposite sides connected to the bottom, and the receiving device is a spreading type clamp having a pair of support arms, the pair of support arms spreading against Hold the opposite side of the internal space to perform the picking action. A pipeline retrieving method, which simultaneously picks up a plurality of materials and each material has an internal space. The method includes: arranging a plurality of pick-up devices to be fixed on a fixing frame; and a lifting displacement mechanism to lift the fixed The height of the rack, and displacing the plurality of pick-up devices of the fixing rack to the corresponding inner spaces of the plurality of materials; wherein, the method further includes: controlling each pick-up device in the corresponding inner space of each material Perform a pick-up action. The method as described in item 8 of the patent application scope further includes: maintaining a plurality of access devices at substantially the same height during the displacement of the fixing frame. The method as described in item 8 of the patent application scope further includes: after the pick-up device performs the pick-up action, the fixing frame is displaced by the lifting and displacing mechanism, and the second material is displaced by a second pipeline, and then Each picking device is controlled to perform a release action in the corresponding internal space of each material to place the materials on the second pipeline. The method as described in item 8 of the patent application scope, in which the materials are placed substantially equidistantly on a first pipeline conveyor belt. The method as described in item 8 of the patent application scope, wherein the internal space of each material is formed by a bottom and a plurality of sides connected to the bottom. The method as described in item 12 of the patent application range, wherein the bottom of the internal space is a flat surface, and the pick-up device is a suction device to suck the bottom of the material to perform the pick-up action. The method as described in item 12 of the patent application range, wherein the bottom of the internal space has a plurality of hollow lattices, the pick-up device is a gripper device having at least one pair of gripping fingers, the pair of gripping fingers is worn through Enter the hollow lattices to perform the picking action. The method as described in item 12 of the patent application scope, wherein the internal space has opposite sides connected to the bottom, and the receiving device is a spreading clamp with a pair of support arms, the pair of support arms spreading against Hold the opposite side of the internal space to perform the picking action.

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