TWI531519B - Feeding device - Google Patents

Description

Feeding device

The present invention provides a feeding device, and more particularly to a feeding device suitable for a multi-layer tray.

Traditional feeders include both chain and non-chain silos. Since the common trays of the automation equipment manufacturers are usually made of plastic materials which are soft in texture and easy to be distorted, if a non-chain type silo is used, a large number of trays are likely to cause structural deformation and mutual engagement, resulting in rapid and smooth automation equipment. For feeding, manual work is required to separate the jammed trays. If the chain type silo is used, although the disadvantages of multiple trays being engaged in the non-chain silo can be solved, the chain silo cannot provide an operating platform capable of supporting the robot arm, and the equipment manufacturer needs to separately configure the robot arm. On the side of the chain silo, it takes a lot of equipment space and reduces the utilization rate of the overall equipment for feeding and reclaiming.

The present invention provides a feeding device suitable for a multi-layer tray to solve the above problems.

The patent application scope of the present invention discloses a feeding device comprising a support frame, a lifting module, a resisting module, a separating module and a controller. The lifting module is disposed on the support frame. The lifting module is capable of carrying a multi-layer tray and enabling the multi-layer tray to be moved relative to the support frame to an initial position or a take-up position. The resisting module is disposed on the support frame. The resisting module includes at least one abutting baffle capable of resisting the upper surface of the first layer of the multi-layer tray located at the reclaiming position. The separation module is disposed on the support frame and located Between the lifting module and the resisting module. The separation module can be moved relative to the support frame to an operating position or a non-operating position. The separation module includes a separate piece. When the multi-layer tray is in the reclaiming position and the separation module is in the operating position, the separating member can be inserted between the first layer tray and the second layer tray of the multi-layer tray and carry the lower surface of the first layer tray. The controller is coupled to the lifting module, the resisting module and the separating module. When the separation module is in the non-operating position, the controller drives the lifting module to move the multi-layer tray from the initial position to the reclaiming position. The controller drives the separation module to move to the operating position such that the separating member carries the lower surface of the first layer of tray. The controller drives the lifting module to move the remaining multi-layer tray downward from the take-up position to the initial position to separate the first layer tray from the multi-layer tray.

The feeding device of the present invention uses the lifting module to raise or lower the tray for loading and unloading operations. When the tray is moved to the predetermined reclaiming position, the resisting plate of the resisting module resists the upper surface of the tray on the tray to provide a limit, and the positioning signal of the sensor notifies the lifting module to stop moving the tray. In this way, the tray positioned at the reclaiming position can be taken by the gripping module, which has better convenience of use. After the reclaiming is completed, the separating piece of the separating module is inserted into the gap between the uppermost layer tray and the lower layer tray; at this time, the lifting module drives the tray to descend, and the uppermost tray is held against the baffle and the separating member. At the material position, the other trays other than the uppermost tray are separated from the finished tray (ie, the uppermost tray) as the tray is lowered, so that multiple trays on the tray can be effectively prevented from moving during the movement. The misalignment is stuck to each other, improving the operation accuracy and operational efficiency of the feeding device.

10‧‧‧Feeding device

12‧‧‧Support frame

14‧‧‧Tray

16‧‧‧ Lifting module

18‧‧‧Resistance module

20‧‧‧Separation module

22‧‧‧ Controller

24‧‧‧Tray

24A‧‧‧First layer tray

24B‧‧‧Second layer tray

26‧‧‧Sensor

28‧‧‧Resist the baffle

30‧‧‧Mobile agencies

32‧‧‧Separate parts

34‧‧‧Pushing mechanism

36‧‧‧Grab module

38‧‧‧Hands

40‧‧‧ Door panel

42‧‧‧ Upper surface of the first layer tray

44‧‧‧The lower surface of the first layer of tray

P1‧‧‧ initial position

P2‧‧‧Receiving position

P3‧‧‧Operational position

P4‧‧‧Non-operating position

Figure 1 is a schematic view showing the feeding device positioning the tray at an initial position according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 2 is a schematic view showing the feeding device of the embodiment of the present invention moving the tray to the take-up position.

FIG. 3 is a partial structural diagram of the resisting module and the separating module respectively located at the resisting position and the non-operating position according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a partial structural diagram of the resisting module and the separating module respectively located at the resisting position and the operating position according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a partial structural diagram of the separation module and the tray respectively in an operation position and an initial position according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Please refer to FIG. 1 to FIG. 5 . FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing the feeding device 10 positioning the tray 24 at the initial position P1 according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a feeding device 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a schematic structural view of a portion of the resisting module 18 and the separating module 20 in the resisting position and the non-operating position, respectively. FIG. 4 is a schematic structural view of the embodiment of the present invention. The structure of the resisting module 18 and the separating module 20 are respectively located at the resisting position and the operating position. FIG. 5 is a partial structure of the separating module 20 and the tray 24 respectively located at the operating position and the initial position P1 according to the embodiment of the present invention. schematic diagram.

The feeding device 10 includes a support frame 12, a tray 14, a lifting module 16, a resisting module 18, a separating module 20, and a controller 22. The tray 14 is coupled to the lift module 16 for placing at least one tray 24, or a plurality of trays 24 stacked on each other. The lifting module 16 is disposed on the support frame 12, and the lifting module 16 can carry the multi-layer tray 24, and can move the multi-layer tray 24 relative to the support frame 12 to the initial position P1 or the reclaiming position P2. The resisting module 18 is disposed on the support frame 12 . The resisting module 18 includes a sensor 26, a baffle 28 and a moving mechanism 30. The sensor 26 is located on one side surface (for example, the lower surface) of the abutting shutter 28 and is disposed on the moving mechanism 30 together with the abutting shutter 28. The sensor 26 is used to generate a sensing signal. The moving mechanism 30 is configured to drive the damper 28 to move and resist the upper surface 42 of the first layer of trays 24A of the multi-layer tray 24 at the take-up position P2. The first layer tray 24A is the uppermost tray located in the multilayer tray 24. The number of the abutment baffles 28 can be at least one or more that can withstand the upper surface 42 of the first layer of trays 24A of the multi-layer tray 24 at the take-up position P2. The sensor 26 may be disposed only on the lower surface of one of the abutment baffles 28 or on the lower surface of each of the abutment baffles 28, but is not limited thereto, depending on actual needs.

The separation module 20 is disposed on the support frame 12 and located in the lifting module 16 and the resisting module 18 between. The separation module 20 is movable relative to the support frame 12 to the operating position P3 or the inoperative position P4. The separation module 20 includes a separating member 32 and a side pushing mechanism 34, and the separating member 32 is disposed on the side pushing mechanism 34. The side push mechanism 34 is used to drive the separating member 32 to be inserted between the first layer tray 24A and the second layer tray 24B of the multilayer tray 24 and to carry the lower surface 44 of the first layer tray 24A. The number of the separating members 32 may be one or more, may be adjacently located on one side of the tray 14, or respectively located on the symmetrical side of the tray 14, and is not limited to the foregoing embodiment. When the multi-layer tray 24 is located at the take-up position P2 and the separation module 20 is located at the operation position P3, the separating member 32 can be inserted between the first layer tray 24A and the second layer tray 24B of the multilayer tray 24, and carries the first A lower surface 44 of the tray 24A. The controller 22 is coupled to the lifting module 16 , the resisting module 18 and the separating module 20 . When the separation module 20 is in the non-operating position P4, the controller 22 drives the lifting module 16 to move the multi-layer tray 24 from the initial position P1 to the reclaiming position P2; then the controller 22 drives the separation module 20 to move to the operating position. P3, the separating member 32 carries the lower surface 44 of the first layer tray 24A. The controller 22 can further drive the lifting module 16 to move the remaining multi-layer tray 24 downward from the take-up position P2 to the initial position P1 to separate the first layer tray 24A from the multi-layer tray 24, avoiding plural Unexpected mis-engagement of the tray 24 due to a large accumulation. When the separating member 32 carries the lower surface 44 of the first layer tray 24A, and the controller 22 drives the lifting module 16 to move, and moves the remaining multilayer tray 24 to the initial position P1, the first layer tray 24A is self-multilayered. Separating from the disk 24, the gripping module 36 is capable of grasping objects on the first layer of trays 24A.

As shown in Fig. 1, the tray 14 and its tray 24 are in the initial position P1 (lower position), and the separating member 32 of the separation module 20 is in the non-operating position P4, meaning that the separating member 32 is away from the tray 24. The user can open the door panel 40 through the handle 38 to place one or more trays 24 on or off the tray 14. As shown in Figures 2 and 3, after the tray 24 is placed in the tray 14, the controller 22 drives the lifting module 16 so that the lifting module 16 can move the tray 14 up because the separating member 32 is still in the inoperative position. P4, the tray 14 does not interfere with the structure of the separating member 32, so the tray 14 and the multi-layer tray 24 can be directly moved to the take-up position P2 from the initial position P1. The resisting module 18 is moved to arrive In the blocking position and when the tray 24 contacts the resisting module 18, the abutting shutter 28 abuts against the upper surface 42 of the first layer tray 24A of the multilayer tray 24 at the take-up position P2. At the same time, the sensor 26 senses the first layer tray 24A, and the sensor 26 generates a sensing signal and transmits it to the lifting module 16 via the controller 22 to stop the lifting module 16 from moving to make the multilayer tray 24 is located at the take-up position P2.

After the gripping module 36 completes the reclaiming operation, the controller 22 can drive the separating module 20 to move from the non-operating position P4 shown in FIG. 3 to the operating position P3 shown in FIG. 4, so that the separating member 32 can be inserted into the multi-layer. Between the first layer tray 24A of the tray 24 and a second layer tray 24B, the separating member 32 carries the lower surface 44 of the first layer tray 24A; in addition, the controller 22 also drives the lifting module 16 The tray 14 is lowered relative to the support frame 12, meaning that the remaining multi-layer tray 24 is moved away from the take-up position P2. As a result, the upper surface 42 and the lower surface 44 of the first layer tray 24A are respectively abutted against the baffle plate 28 and the separating member 32, and can be suspended at the reclaiming position P2, and the remaining portion other than the first layer tray 24A. The multi-layer tray 24 moves away from the take-up position P2 by gravity (for example, to the initial position P1), so the first layer tray 24A can be easily separated from the other lower trays 24, and the plurality of trays 24 are not The phenomenon of mutual jamming occurs.

In this case, the material can be reclaimed in other ways. When the lifting module 16 stops moving and the multi-layer tray 24 is located at the reclaiming position P2, the controller 22 can drive the separation module 20 to move from the non-operating position P4 shown in FIG. The operation position P3 shown in Fig. 4 enables the separating member 32 to be inserted between the first layer tray 24A and the second layer tray 24B of the multilayer tray 24, and the separating member 32 carries the lower portion of the first layer tray 24A. The surface 44, then the controller 22 drives the lifting module 16 to move, and the remaining multi-layer tray 24 is moved to the initial position P1, and the first layer tray 24A is separated from the multilayer tray 24, and then the grab module 36 is grasped again. The object on the first layer tray 24A is taken to complete the take-up action, wherein the first layer tray 24A is the uppermost tray located in the multilayer tray 24.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the feeding device uses the lifting module to raise or lower the tray. Carrying and unloading operations. When the tray is moved to the predetermined reclaiming position, the resisting plate of the resisting module resists the upper surface of the tray on the tray to provide a limit, and the positioning signal of the sensor notifies the lifting module to stop moving the tray. In this way, the tray positioned at the reclaiming position can be taken by the gripping module, which has better convenience of use. After the reclaiming is completed, the separating member of the separating module is inserted into the gap between the first layer tray and the lower layer tray; at this time, the lifting module drives the tray to descend, and the first layer tray is held against the baffle and the separating member to maintain In the reclaiming position, the trays other than the first layer tray are separated from the finished tray (ie, the first layer tray) as the tray descends, so that multiple trays on the tray can be effectively avoided. In the process of moving, the misalignment is stuck with each other, which improves the operation accuracy and operational efficiency of the feeding device.

The above are only the preferred embodiments of the present invention, and all changes and modifications made to the scope of the present invention should be within the scope of the present invention.

10‧‧‧Feeding device

12‧‧‧Support frame

14‧‧‧Tray

16‧‧‧ Lifting module

18‧‧‧Resistance module

20‧‧‧Separation module

22‧‧‧ Controller

24‧‧‧Tray

28‧‧‧Resist the baffle

32‧‧‧Separate parts

36‧‧‧Grab module

38‧‧‧Hands

40‧‧‧ Door panel

P2‧‧‧Receiving position

Claims (6)

A feeding device comprising: a support frame; a lifting module disposed on the support frame, the lifting module capable of carrying a multi-layer tray, and the multi-layer tray being movable relative to the support frame to an initial position or a a receiving position; a resisting module disposed on the supporting frame, the resisting module comprising at least one abutting baffle, the at least one abutting baffle being capable of resisting the first layer of the one of the plurality of multi-layer trays at the reclaiming position An upper surface; a separation module disposed between the lifting frame and the resisting module, the separating module being movable relative to the supporting frame to an operating position or an inoperative position, the separating The module includes a separating member capable of inserting the first layer tray and a second layer of the multilayer tray when the multilayer tray is in the reclaiming position and the separation module is in the operating position Between the disks, and carrying a lower surface of the first layer of the tray; and a controller coupled to the lifting module, the resisting module and the separating module, when the separating module is located at the non-operating position, Controller drives the liter The module moves the multi-layer tray from the initial position to the reclaiming position, and the controller drives the separation module to move to the operating position, so that the separating member carries the lower surface of the first layer tray, The controller drives the lifting module to move the remaining multi-layer tray downward from the reclaiming position to the initial position to separate the first layer tray from the multi-layer tray. The feeding device of claim 1, wherein the resisting module further comprises a sensor for generating a sensing signal, and when the sensor senses the first layer of the tray, the sensor generates The sensing signal is transmitted to the lifting module via the controller, so that the lifting module stops moving to position the multi-layer tray at the reclaiming position. The feeding device of claim 1, wherein the resisting module further comprises a moving mechanism for driving the resisting plate to move and resist the first layer of the multi-layer tray located at the reclaiming position. The upper surface of the tray, wherein the first layer tray is the uppermost tray located in the multilayer tray. The feeding device of claim 1, wherein the separating module further comprises a side pushing mechanism for driving the separating member to be inserted into the first layer tray and the second layer tray of the multilayer tray And carrying the lower surface of the first layer of trays, wherein the first layer of trays is the uppermost tray located in the plurality of layers of trays. The feeding device of claim 1, further comprising a gripping module, wherein the separating member carries the lower surface of the first layer of the tray, and the controller drives the lifting module to move, so that the remaining When the multi-layer tray is moved to the initial position, the first layer tray is separated from the multi-layer tray, and the gripping module is capable of grasping an object on the first layer tray, wherein the first layer tray is The uppermost tray in the multi-layer tray. The feeding device of claim 1, further comprising a gripping module, wherein the multi-layer tray is located at the reclaiming position, the gripping module is capable of grasping an object on the first layer of the tray, and then The controller drives the separation module to move to the operating position, so that the separating member carries the lower surface of the first layer tray, and the controller drives the lifting module to make the remaining multi-layer tray self-receive The position is moved down to the initial position to separate the first layer tray from the multilayer tray, wherein the first layer tray is the uppermost tray in the multilayer tray.