Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B07—SEPARATING SOLIDS FROM SOLIDS; SORTING
  • B07C—POSTAL SORTING; SORTING INDIVIDUAL ARTICLES, OR BULK MATERIAL FIT TO BE SORTED PIECE-MEAL, e.g. BY PICKING
  • B07C5/00—Sorting according to a characteristic or feature of the articles or material being sorted, e.g. by control effected by devices which detect or measure such characteristic or feature; Sorting by manually actuated devices, e.g. switches
  • B07C5/02—Measures preceding sorting, e.g. arranging articles in a stream orientating
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B07—SEPARATING SOLIDS FROM SOLIDS; SORTING
  • B07C—POSTAL SORTING; SORTING INDIVIDUAL ARTICLES, OR BULK MATERIAL FIT TO BE SORTED PIECE-MEAL, e.g. BY PICKING
  • B07C99/00—Subject matter not provided for in other groups of this subclass

Definitions

• the invention relates to a method for sorting different ferromagnetic cutlery and a device for carrying out the method.
• a device as well as a method for sorting different ferromagnetic cutlery parts which results from the use of the device are disclosed in DE 195 18 328 C1.
• the cutlery pieces are here transferred via a designed as a conveyor feeder in the range of action of a mounting device.
• the peculiarity of this solution is that the different pieces of cutlery already aligned in the feeder and must be positioned exactly and spaced from each other to allow proper recording by the mounting device.
• the mounting device consists of a rotating about a rotation conveyor, which is a equipped with electromagnet turntable.
• Each sector of the sectored turntable has a plurality of radially oriented electromagnets. In a sector so only one piece of cutlery is tightened so that it adheres below the turntable.
• the turntable is rotated after attachment of the cutlery part about its axis of rotation until the cutlery part has been identified.
• the signal thus generated is then usable to position the cutlery over an associated distributor shaft and to deactivate the electromagnets, so that the affected piece of cutlery is discharged into the corresponding distributor shaft.
• EP 0 213 100 B1 discloses a further device and a method for sorting different ferromagnetic cutlery parts which can be deduced from the use of the device.
• This device consists of a self-contained circuit with a conveyor belt on which a plurality of magnetic waves are provided in the direction of a spaced apart magnetic waves as holding devices, each serving to receive cutlery.
• the different pieces of ferromagnetic cutlery are fed in an aligned position by means of a feeder which has been designed as a conveyor belt in this solution.
• the magnets accept the pieces of cutlery at the end of the feeder, the cutlery parts then, by using gravity, align themselves in a suspended manner on the magnet, so that they are arranged vertically aligned in a partial area of the holding device.
• the magnetic force is increased, it may be the effect that the cutlery parts no longer align under the action of gravity, but adhere to the conveyor in any arrangement.
• EP 0 213 100 B1 For sorting the cutlery parts, it is further proposed in EP 0 213 100 B1 to provide second, separate magnets below the conveyor, which each have a distance from the conveyor which corresponds to the specific length of each cutlery item.
• the cutlery pieces suspended on the conveyor are guided over these separate magnets, so that the cutlery pieces are detachable from the holder device by the magnetic attraction of the separate magnets.
• the cutlery items fall after detachment from the conveyor in existing containers.
• Such a system thus has further disadvantages. For example, there must always be a separation of the cutlery parts within the feed device, so that in each case only one piece of cutlery can be received by the magnets of the holder device.
• the holding force of the magnets must be designed as a result of the only selective adhesion between the cutlery and the magnet so that no automatic detachment of the cutlery can be done during the circulation.
• the removal of the cutlery parts by the length of the cutlery parts additionally arranged magnets must be done with a magnetic force that is greater than that of the holding magnets.
• the cutlery parts do not separate from these detachment magnets and consequently do not fall into the container provided, but several pieces of cutlery adhere to one of these magnets.
• the trouble-free operation of the system would be impaired or prevented.
• cutlery such as the fork and the tablespoon almost identical lengths, so that the distinction of these cutlery by means a sorting realized over the distance is almost impossible and a high error rate in the sorting is to be expected.
• the invention has for its object to provide a method for sorting different ferromagnetic cutlery, which is easy to carry out, continuously and smoothly works and makes additional manual activities unnecessary, in particular the liability of the cutlery and their transfer from the mounting device to a subsequent processing unit to be optimized should.
• a device for carrying out this method should be specified, which is as simple and compact as possible.
• these cutlery pieces are first fed by a feeding device of a holding device, wherein the holding device has a rotatable around at least one axis of rotation conveyor with a surface equipped with a plurality of magnets for adhering the cutlery. After the adhesion of each piece of cutlery to one of the magnets, the transfer of the cutlery piece to a subsequent recognition unit is effected by a continuous enlargement of the distance between the magnet and the piece of cutlery.
• Switching operations such as those required to actuate an electromagnet that implements the adhesion of the cutlery items, can be dispensed with, as well as the control or regulating technology required for this purpose.
• the alignment of the cutlery pieces on the holding device takes place using gravity.
• This feature which is known per se from the prior art, has been further perfected according to the invention in that the cutlery parts orient themselves by the rotation of the conveyor about its axis of rotation as a result of the gravitational effect and thereby create automatically and uniformly on the surface of the mounting device.
• the magnets take the cutlery not only punctually, but with their entire effective area, whereby the adhesion could be significantly improved.
• a further improvement for carrying out the method according to the invention results from the fact that the feed device already feeds the cutlery parts of the holding device in an aligned manner. This allows a faster recording of the cutlery parts are made possible by the mounting device, so that reduces the clocking, that is per unit time more cutlery parts sorting can be supplied.
• the feeder supplies the cutlery parts of the support device isolated. This makes it possible to optimize the adhesion of individual pieces of cutlery to the magnet provided for this purpose of the conveyor. An accumulation of several pieces of cutlery in front of the mounting device and the associated risk of the hooking of the cutlery parts can be reliably prevented in this way by simple means.
• the feeding device can have a separating device with slots corresponding to the width of the cutlery parts, so that the cutlery parts supplied unsorted can fall through these slots, for example onto a conveyor belt located below the separating device.
• a conveyor belt located below the separating device.
• other means of transport can also be used instead of a conveyor belt. In that sense, that term should not be interpreted restrictively.
• the separating device has a surface inclined to the horizontal along which cutlery parts which are not detachably engaged with one another can be removed into a collecting container.
• the separating means between the slots may have wedge-shaped elevations which allow an optimal sliding of the cutlery pieces into the slots. This is sometimes even a separation of inter-engaging cutlery available.
• non-releasably disassembled pieces of cutlery are removed into a suitable receptacle.
• the wedge-shaped elevations thus represent a combinability of the aforementioned method steps. It is thus ensured that the holder device is fed only aligned and separated cutlery parts.
• the cutlery After detection of the cutlery on the mounting device, the cutlery are aligned under the action of gravity and forwarded in accordance with the invention to a detection unit.
• This detection unit allows the detection of the different pieces of cutlery and thus produces an output signal that provides them as input to a sorting device.
• a sorting device For detecting the different cutlery pieces known methods can be used. Thus, for example, according to a further development of the method according to the invention, it is possible to distinguish the items of cutlery by weighing or by means of optical recognition means.
• the sorting device associated with the recognition unit serves to sort the cutlery pieces identified by the recognition unit into containers provided for this purpose.
• a device for sorting different ferromagnetic cutlery pieces for carrying out the method has at least one feed device, a holding device with a rotatable about at least one axis of rotation conveyor, which has a equipped with a plurality of magnets for adhering the cutlery surface and a detection unit.
• the device according to the invention can, according to a further proposal, have a holding device which can be rotated with at least one mounted disc, at least one rotatably mounted drum or at least one guided by two rotatably mounted waves conveyor belt is equipped.
• a holding device which can be rotated with at least one mounted disc, at least one rotatably mounted drum or at least one guided by two rotatably mounted waves conveyor belt is equipped.
• a drum is used for the solution according to the invention, since this allows a very space-saving design of the entire device.
• the magnets may be introduced into the surface of the rotatably mounted disc or the rotatably mounted drum or fixed on this surface. Likewise, such an arrangement of the magnets in an embodiment of the mounting device is possible, are wrapped in the rotatably mounted shafts of a conveyor belt. Here it is within the scope of the invention to provide the magnets on the shafts and / or on the guided around the rotatably mounted shafts conveyor belt or on a present below the conveyor belt sliding surface.
• a particularly advantageous embodiment of the invention is to be seen in that the magnets are mounted pivotably about an axis in the mounting device. This ensures optimum adaptation of the magnet surface to the male piece of cutlery to be picked up, because the magnet can move and align itself with the piece of cutlery. The liability of the cutlery parts is decidedly better with this solution than in known designs.
• the magnets in a magnet holder.
• the storage for the pivoting of the magnets may be provided in this holder.
• the previously described magnet arrangement is preferred.
• the mounting device is equipped with a drum or a two rotatably mounted waves conveyor belt to arrange the magnets according to an alternative structural embodiment also on the cutlery receiving surface opposite underside of the conveyor belt, around the waves or at least partially is guided around the drum.
• the continuous enlargement of the distance between the magnet and the adhesive cutlery part can then take place in the sense of the invention, for example, by transfer to a subsequent conveyor belt which has no magnets.
• a further advantageous embodiment of the invention is that the magnets viewed in the transport direction of the cutlery parts are arranged laterally offset from one another. This can be achieved that only one item of cutlery is reliably and reliably absorbed by the magnet and the cutlery parts do not interfere with each other.
• the magnets In order to ensure that only a single piece of cutlery is picked up by the magnets, another suggestion is that the magnets have a width corresponding to the items of cutlery to be picked up and, as a result, they are made flat.
• the magnets have a weight of the male cutlery corresponding magnetic field strength.
• a continuous and reliable operation of the device is ensured.
• magnets both permanent magnets and electromagnets can be used with an adjustable field strength.
• a very inexpensive execution is that permanent magnets are used.
• Electromagnets with adjustable field strength have the advantage that the device for cutlery of different weights and sizes can be used without a complete conversion or replacement of the mounting device must be done.
• two consecutive magnets viewed in the direction of rotation of the holding device should have a distance from one another which is greater than the length of the longest cutlery piece to be picked up.
• the supply device has at least one conveyor belt and at least one separating device corresponding to this conveyor belt.
• the separating device can have slots and wedge-shaped elevations in the manner described above. For a reliable separation of the cutlery in the sense of alignment and separation is possible.
• the sorting device controlled by the recognition unit can be a program-controlled robot or an ejection mechanism or can have a program-controlled robot or an ejection mechanism.
• FIG. 1 shows a simplified representation of a device according to the invention
• Figure 2 a spatial view in a top view of an inventive device for sorting different ferromagnetic cutlery parts
• Figure 3 shows the view of a mounting device from one side than
• Figure 4 shows the detail IV of Figure 3 in an enlarged view and Figure 5 is the view from the direction of the arrow V in Figure 4.
• the schematically greatly simplified illustration of a device according to the invention for sorting different ferromagnetic cutlery pieces 7 shown in FIG. 1 basically consists of three building units. These are the feeding device 1, the holding device 2 and the detection unit 3.
• the feed device, generally designated 1 has in the present example a first conveyor belt 20 by means of which the cleaned but unsorted, different cutlery parts 7 can be supplied.
• the direction of movement of the first conveyor belt 20 corresponds to the direction of the arrow B in Figure 1.
• the transported over the first conveyor belt 20 cutlery parts 7 then move to a subsequent, with reference to Horizontal, a tendency exhibiting second conveyor belt 10 of the feeder 1.
• This second conveyor belt 10 is located below a separating device 8, which has a plurality of spaced wedge-shaped elevations 13 in the present case.
• the distances between the wedge-shaped elevations 13 of the separating device 8 form slots 9 with a width which allow an aligned falling through the cutlery parts 7 on the present under the singulator 8 conveyor belt 10. Due to the wedge-shaped elevations 13 and the existing slots between these 9, the cutlery parts 7 are not only aligned. There is also due to the standardized geometry of the slots 9 a separation of the cutlery. 7
• the mounting device 2 consists in the present case of a drum-shaped conveyor 5, which is partially wrapped by a conveyor belt 18.
• the conveyor 5 is rotatably mounted about a rotation axis 4, wherein the here intended direction of rotation is indicated by the arrow D.
• Magnets 6 are arranged at a distance from each other on the outer circumference of the drum-shaped conveying device 5. The distance 19 between two circumferentially consecutive magnets 6 is larger than the largest length of a male piece of cutlery.
• a contact surface 27 is arranged, which allows a slight lifting of the cutlery in the direction of movement of the rotating about the rotation axis 4 conveyor 5. As a result, the adhesion of the cutlery parts 7 approaching the conveyor 5 to the magnet 6 can be improved.
• the contact surface 27 serves to bridge a gap between the conveyor belt 10 and the conveyor 5.
• the conveyor belt 18 does not completely wrap around the drum-shaped conveyor 5. Consequently, only a part of the underside 17 of the conveyor belt 18 is located directly on the surface of the drum-shaped conveying device 5. Another part of the conveyor belt 18 also forms part of the supply to the detection unit 3 and thus has a flat portion.
• the sorting of the cutlery parts 7 in accordance with the invention takes place as follows: First, the cleaned, unsorted, different cutlery parts 7 are fed via the conveyor belt 20. After the transfer from the conveyor belt 20 to the separating device 8, if necessary, a separation, but in any case an alignment and separation of the cutlery parts 7 by the wedge-shaped elevations 13, so that the cutlery 7 into the slots 9 of the singulator 8 and through this on the underneath located conveyor belt 10 fall.
• the conveyor belt 10 transports the cutlery pieces to the holder device 2. This is equipped with the previously described in detail conveyor belt 18 and the magnet 6. By the rotation of the conveyor 5 about the rotation axis 4 can be picked up by means of a respective magnet 6 exactly a cutlery 7.
• This piece of cutlery 7 adheres with one of its ends to the magnet 6 and is taken by the rotational movement of the conveyor 5 about the axis of rotation 4. In this movement, the cutlery part 7 aligns due to the gravity effect in the vertical direction. In the upper part, that is in the transition region between the conveyor 5 and the detection unit 3, the conveyor belt 18 is flat.
• an enlargement of the distance between the magnet 6 and the cutlery part 7 is achieved in accordance with the invention. This increase in the distance results from the fact that the conveyor 5 continues to perform its rotational movement, while the conveyor belt 18 merges into a flat area.
• the distance between magnet 6 and cutlery 7 is thereby increased until the magnetic force is no longer sufficient to keep the cutlery 7. It remains in the last occupied position in the aligned position lie on the flat part of the conveyor belt 18 and can thus be the subsequent detection unit 3 is supplied.
• the guide plates 15 shown in FIG. 1 in the region of the holding device 2 serve to stabilize the alignment of the cutlery parts 7.
• these guide plates 15 are dispensable. However, they may be a useful addition.
• FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of an overall system for sorting different ferromagnetic cutlery pieces.
• a conveyor belt 20 is provided to receive cleaned, unsorted, different cutlery in bulk and forward it to a subsequent separating device 8.
• This singulation device 8 consists of wedge-shaped elevations 13, between which slots 9 are formed, below these slots 9 is another conveyor belt 10 of the feeder 1.
• the cutlery 7 After the cutlery 7 have been separated from each other within the singulator 8, separated and aligned, they are by the movement of the Conveyor belt 10 in the direction of mounting device 2 of the conveyor 5 is fed.
• the conveyor 5 is rotatable about the axis of rotation 4 and grouted on the magnets 6.
• the cutlery parts 7 After the attachment of the cutlery parts 7 to the magnet 6, the cutlery parts 7 align themselves automatically due to gravity.
• a guide plate 15 which represents a boundary of the conveyor 5 on the outer sides, acts as a support.
• the cutlery 7 are transported in this isolated, aligned position of the conveyor 5 and by increasing the distance between the magnet 6 and the adhering thereto cutlery 7 due to the transition of the conveyor belt 18 of the drum-shaped conveyor 5 to a flat portion of the magnet. 6 separated.
• the cutlery parts 7 remain in their aligned position and are guided below a detection unit 3 along.
• an identification unit 3 an optical reading device was used in the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 2, which on the basis of the design features of the cutlery parts 7 can distinguish these from one another.
• this detection unit 3 As a result of the optical scanning of the individual cutlery parts 7, this detection unit 3 generates an output signal which is provided as an input signal to the following sorting device 14.
• the cutlery pieces 7 After leaving the detection unit 3, the cutlery pieces 7 are moved on the conveyor belt 23 in the direction of arrow E in Figure 1 until they are in an area in the container 25 or 26 of the sorting device 14 for the respective cutlery parts 7 are present.
• the originating from the detection unit 3 output signal, which forms an input signal for the sorting device 14, now allows, via the pivot lever 24, an assignment to the mentioned containers 25 and 26.
• Die in the FIG. 2 also has a control panel 22 via which adjustments can be made to the device.
• the illustrated operating elements 21 serve this purpose.
• FIG. 3 shows a view of a holding device 2 from one side as an individual part.
• the mounting device 2 is a drum-shaped conveying device 5, which, as has already been explained in connection with FIG. 1, is partially looped around by a conveyor belt (not shown in FIG. 3).
• the conveyor 5 is rotatably mounted about a rotation axis 4.
• the magnets 6 are arranged on the outer circumference of the drum-shaped conveyor 5, the magnets 6 are arranged.
• the magnets 6 have an offset to each other transversely to the direction of rotation of the conveyor, that is, they are not arranged on a common circumferential line of the conveyor 5, but each offset thereto. This allows an optimization of the cutlery recording.
• the magnets 6 are pivotally mounted about an axis 28 in the mounting device 2 and here in the drum-shaped conveyor 5, in order to align in this way in the direction of the male cutlery. To improve the mountability and the storage of the magnets 6, these are each inserted in a magnet holder 29.
• FIG. 5 shows a view of the magnet 6 in the direction of the arrow V in FIG. 4. This again shows the mounting and pivoting of the magnet 6 accommodated in the magnet holder 29.
• the axis 28 is designed as an axle pin 30, wherein the magnet holder 29 is held on two sides by a respective axle pin 30 and thus is mounted pivotably together with the magnet 6 about the axis 28.

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• Specific Conveyance Elements (AREA)
• Feeding Of Articles To Conveyors (AREA)

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• 2006
  • 2006-12-21 DE DE102006061839A patent/DE102006061839B4/de active Active
• 2007
  • 2007-12-21 WO PCT/DE2007/002310 patent/WO2008074318A1/de active Application Filing
  • 2007-12-21 SE SE0900874A patent/SE534139C2/sv unknown

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