WO2010020014A1 - A system for handling and storing rolls of material - Google Patents

A system for handling and storing rolls of material Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2010020014A1
WO2010020014A1 PCT/AU2009/001079 AU2009001079W WO2010020014A1 WO 2010020014 A1 WO2010020014 A1 WO 2010020014A1 AU 2009001079 W AU2009001079 W AU 2009001079W WO 2010020014 A1 WO2010020014 A1 WO 2010020014A1
Authority
WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
roll
arm
selector system
storage cell
carriage
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/AU2009/001079
Other languages
French (fr)
Inventor
David Harris
Original Assignee
Textile Dynamics Pty Ltd
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Priority claimed from AU2008904311A external-priority patent/AU2008904311A0/en
Application filed by Textile Dynamics Pty Ltd filed Critical Textile Dynamics Pty Ltd
Publication of WO2010020014A1 publication Critical patent/WO2010020014A1/en

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Classifications

    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B25—HAND TOOLS; PORTABLE POWER-DRIVEN TOOLS; MANIPULATORS
    • B25J—MANIPULATORS; CHAMBERS PROVIDED WITH MANIPULATION DEVICES
    • B25J9/00—Programme-controlled manipulators
    • B25J9/02—Programme-controlled manipulators characterised by movement of the arms, e.g. cartesian coordinate type
    • B25J9/023—Cartesian coordinate type
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B25—HAND TOOLS; PORTABLE POWER-DRIVEN TOOLS; MANIPULATORS
    • B25J—MANIPULATORS; CHAMBERS PROVIDED WITH MANIPULATION DEVICES
    • B25J5/00—Manipulators mounted on wheels or on carriages
    • B25J5/02—Manipulators mounted on wheels or on carriages travelling along a guideway
    • B25J5/04—Manipulators mounted on wheels or on carriages travelling along a guideway wherein the guideway is also moved, e.g. travelling crane bridge type
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B25—HAND TOOLS; PORTABLE POWER-DRIVEN TOOLS; MANIPULATORS
    • B25J—MANIPULATORS; CHAMBERS PROVIDED WITH MANIPULATION DEVICES
    • B25J9/00—Programme-controlled manipulators
    • B25J9/10—Programme-controlled manipulators characterised by positioning means for manipulator elements
    • B25J9/104—Programme-controlled manipulators characterised by positioning means for manipulator elements with cables, chains or ribbons
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65G—TRANSPORT OR STORAGE DEVICES, e.g. CONVEYORS FOR LOADING OR TIPPING, SHOP CONVEYOR SYSTEMS OR PNEUMATIC TUBE CONVEYORS
    • B65G1/00—Storing articles, individually or in orderly arrangement, in warehouses or magazines
    • B65G1/02—Storage devices
    • B65G1/04—Storage devices mechanical
    • B65G1/0442—Storage devices mechanical for elongated articles
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65G—TRANSPORT OR STORAGE DEVICES, e.g. CONVEYORS FOR LOADING OR TIPPING, SHOP CONVEYOR SYSTEMS OR PNEUMATIC TUBE CONVEYORS
    • B65G2201/00—Indexing codes relating to handling devices, e.g. conveyors, characterised by the type of product or load being conveyed or handled
    • B65G2201/02—Articles
    • B65G2201/0214—Articles of special size, shape or weigh
    • B65G2201/0217—Elongated

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to the area of handling and storing rolls of material.
  • the present invention has particular but not exclusive application for handling and storing rolls of fabric for window blinds and rolls of carpet.
  • rolls of fabric or carpet are stored in storage racks.
  • a forklift is used to remove a roll of fabric or carpet from the storage rack to a cutting table or workstation where a desired length of fabric or carpet can be cut from the roll.
  • the person driving the forklift has to locate the particular roll of fabric or carpet in the storage rack, retrieve and transport the roll to the cutting workstation and then replace the roll to its allocated position in the storage rack. This is a labor intensive and time consuming method of handling the roll of fabric or carpet.
  • the time taken to locate, retrieve and transport a particular roll of fabric or carpet to the cutting workstation causes delays in cutting operations.
  • US Patent Number 4674948 describes an automated system for picking and placing pallets of goods and thereby avoids the need of using a forklift.
  • the automated system described in US Patent Number 4674948 uses a robot with a grabbing arm to move the pallets of goods from one location to another.
  • the robot disclosed in US Patent Number 4674948 is complicated and cannot be used to move rolls of fabric or carpet. At present, there is no suitable system for moving rolls of materials such as rolls of fabric or carpet.
  • the present invention broadly resides in a roll selector system for handling and storing rolls of material
  • a storage rack having a plurality of storage cells, each of the plurality of storage cells adapted to accommodate a single roll of material, the plurality of storage cells are arranged in an array that has a plurality of rows and columns of storage cells; handling means including one or more tracks, a carriage, a mounting assembly and an arm wherein the carriage is supported on the one or more tracks, the mounting assembly is supported on the carriage and the arm is supported on the mounting assembly; the mounting assembly has a moveable hoist member that can raise or lower the arm along a vertical axis, the mounting assembly is moveable along the carriage to move the arm in a first horizontal axis, the carriage is moveable along the one or more tracks to move the arm in a second horizontal axis, wherein the first horizontal axis is at substantially 90 degrees to the second horizontal axis; and a processor operatively associated with the storage rack and the handling means; wherein the processor is programmed with coordinates of each
  • material includes fabric, plastics, textiles, cloth, silk, carpet and other suitable materials.
  • the coordinates of each of the plurality of storage cells are preferably defined by a column reference and a row reference of the array.
  • Each roll of material is preferably allocated one of the storage cells by the programming on the processor.
  • the one or more tracks are preferably two parallel tracks.
  • the one or more tracks are preferably parallel to the storage rack.
  • the carriage is preferably positioned at substantially 90 degrees to the one or more tracks.
  • the carriage is preferably a linear rail that has two opposed rail ends whereby each of the rail ends are supported on one of the two parallel tracks.
  • the carriage preferably has a rack and pinion arrangement that enables the mounting assembly to move along the carriage.
  • the mounting assembly preferably moves along the carriage by a carriage motor driving the pinion along the rack.
  • the longitudinal axis of the carriage preferably defines the first horizontal axis.
  • the carriage moves along the parallel tracks preferably actuated by a linked chain about a track sprocket which is driven by a track motor.
  • the longitudinal axis of the parallel tracks preferably defines the second horizontal axis. - A -
  • the mounting assembly preferably has a mounting frame that is supported on the carriage.
  • the mounting frame preferably supports the hoist member in an arrangement whereby the hoist member is raised or lowered relative to the mounting frame.
  • the hoist member preferably moves up and down in a vertical axis.
  • the hoist member is preferably raised and lowered by a mounting assembly linked chain about a mounting assembly sprocket which is driven by a mounting assembly motor.
  • the arm is preferably mounted to the hoist member in a manner that when the hoist member is raised the arm is also raised and when the hoist member is lowered the arm is also lowered.
  • the arm is preferably a rigid rod that is mounted on the hoist member at substantially 90 degrees to the hoist member.
  • the arm is fixed to the hoist member. In a different embodiment, the arm is moveable about the vertical axis in the horizontal plane.
  • the rotation of the arm is preferably driven by an arm motor.
  • the arm is rotatable about the longitudinal axis of the arm.
  • the rotation of the arm about the longitudinal axis of the arm is preferably driven by the arm motor.
  • the arm has a base plate slideable along a hoist member track.
  • the base plate is attached to one end of a guide chain.
  • the guide chain travels over a guide sprocket and the other end of the guide chain is attached to the mounting frame.
  • the hoist member is raised the base plate slides up the hoist member track and thereby raises the arm.
  • the guide chain moves passively and in response to the driven movement of the mounting assembly linked chain.
  • the arm is preferably positionable in the central aperture of each roll of material to remove a particular roll of material from the allocated storage cell.
  • the arm preferably has locking means to secure the roll of material to the arm.
  • the arm is preferably rotatable about the longitudinal axis of the arm to thereby rotate the roll of material that has been secured to the arm.
  • the arm is rotatable in a first direction to rewind material onto the roll of material that has been secured to the arm.
  • the arm is rotatable in the first direction to rewind material onto the roll of material that has been secured to the arm and rotatable in a second direction to unwind material from the roll of material.
  • the arm motor includes a rewind gear and a one way clutch.
  • the one way clutch preferably enables material to be freely unwound from the roll of material by pulling on a free end of the material.
  • the arm motor includes the rewind gear, an unwind gear and a selector to switch between the rewind gear and the unwind gear.
  • the locking means preferably includes an expandable section of the arm that expands to engage an inner surface of the roll of material about the central aperture of the roll of material.
  • the expandable section is pneumatically operated. In another embodiment, the expandable section is mechanically operated.
  • the expandable section is preferably 100 mm in length.
  • the arm preferably has a flange at a rearward end of the arm that is adjacent the hoist member.
  • the processor is preferably programmed to position the arm relative to the coordinates of a particular storage cell.
  • the programming preferably calculates a distance the arm moves in each of the three axes.
  • the distance the arm moves in an axis is calculated in terms of the number of chain links passing a set point.
  • the distance the arm moves in an axis is calculated in terms of the number of revolutions of a motor.
  • the processor preferably aligns the arm to move the arm into or out of the one of the plurality of storage cells.
  • the processor actuates alignment of the arm in the one of the plurality of storage cells to enable the arm to be positioned in the aperture of each roll of material for removing the roll of material from the allocated storage cell.
  • the positioning of the arm in the aperture of each roll of material is preferably dependent on the amount of material on the roll of material accommodated by the allocated storage cell.
  • the processor preferably actuates the alignment of the arm at substantially the center of any one of the plurality of storage cells for retracting the arm from the one of the plurality of storage cells with the roll of material supported on the arm.
  • the processor with the programming preferably uses an information record to record the type of material and the amount of material on the roll of material.
  • the information record is preferably updatable to keep an inventory of the roll of material in each of the plurality of storage cells.
  • the processor preferably uses the amount of material from the information record to position the arm in the one of the plurality of storage cells.
  • the processor preferably uses the information about the amount of material on the roll of material to calculate the height that the arm is raised or lowered for aligning the arm to the allocated storage cell.
  • the removal of a particular roll of material from the allocated storage cell preferably includes moving the arm to the coordinates of the allocated storage cell, aligning the arm to move into the allocated storage cell to position the arm in the aperture of the particular roll of material, raising the arm to substantially the center of the allocated storage cell and retracting the arm from the allocated storage cell with the particular roll of material supported on the arm.
  • the return of the particular roll of material to the allocated storage cell preferably includes using information from the information record, moving the arm with the particular roll of material to the coordinates of the allocated storage cell, aligning the arm to move into the allocated storage cell, aligning the arm to replace the particular roll of material in the allocated storage cell, and retracting the arm from the allocated storage cell.
  • the roll selector system may include a cutting workstation for cutting a desired amount of material from the roll of material removed from the allocated storage cell.
  • the cutting workstation is preferably programmable to cut the desired amount of material from the roll of material removed from the allocated storage cell.
  • the cutting workstation is preferably programmable to cut a required design or shape from the material.
  • the cutting workstation is preferably operatively associated with the processor.
  • the cutting workstation preferably has a grabber to grab the free end of the material of any roll of material.
  • the cutting workstation preferably has a holder designed to hold more than two rolls of material.
  • the holder preferably has a cassette-type arrangement to enable the rolls of material to be held in an order of arrival of each of the rolls of material to the cutting workstation.
  • the holder preferably holds the rolls of material in an orientation that presents the end of the material of each roll of material to the grabber.
  • the processor preferably actuates movement of the handling means to transport the roll of material removed from the allocated storage cell to the cutting workstation and back to the allocated storage cell.
  • the removal and return of the particular roll of material is preferably automated whereby a sequence of steps is programmed into the processor.
  • the sequence of steps preferably includes moving the arm to the coordinates of the allocated storage cell, aligning the arm in the allocated storage cell to remove the particular roll of material, retracting the arm from the allocated storage cell with the particular roll of material supported on the arm, transporting the particular roll of material to the cutting workstation, placing the roll of material onto the cutting workstation, collecting the particular roll of material from the cutting workstation, transporting the particular roll of material from the cutting workstation to the coordinates of the allocated storage cell, aligning the arm supporting the particular roll of material in the allocated storage cell to replace the particular roll of material and retracting the arm from the allocated storage cell.
  • the sequence of steps further includes cutting the desired amount of material from the particular roll of material and cutting the material to a customer order.
  • the customer order is preferably relayed to the processor from a remote computer terminal.
  • the sequence of steps is preferably actuated upon the activation of an initial command key of the processor.
  • the processor is programmed with an arrival sequence of each roll of material to the cutting workstation and a return sequence of each roll of material to the allocated storage cells.
  • the roll of material remains on the arm after the roll of material is transported adjacent the cutting workstation.
  • the grabber grabs the free end of the material and the desired amount of material is unwound from the roll of material.
  • the grabber pulls the free end of the material to thereby unwind the desired amount of material.
  • the arm motor having the rewind gear and the unwind gear, the arm rotates to unwind a predetermined length of material from the roll of material in addition to the desired amount of material to be cut.
  • the predetermined length of material preferably enables the free end of the material to be easily accessible to the grabber.
  • the predetermined length of material that is unwound is preferably about 0.2 m to 1 m.
  • the predetermined length of material is entered into the programming and is added automatically to the desired amount of material that is to be cut.
  • the arm is rotated to rewind the free end of the material onto the roll of material.
  • the roll selector system is preferably has an emergency stop to switch off the system.
  • the roll selector system has a barrier to restrict access to moving parts of the system.
  • the handling means has one or more sensors to align the arm in the one of the plurality of storage cells.
  • the one or more sensors preferably include a proximity sensor or a weight sensor.
  • the proximity sensor preferably senses the distance of the arm from a target such as an end of the storage cells.
  • the weight sensor is located on the arm to detect a weight of the roll of material when the roll of material is supported by the arm.
  • the weight sensor preferably detects a zero weight when the roll of material is not supported by the arm.
  • the roll selector system has two storage racks that are arranged in a manner whereby the handling means is positioned between the two storage racks.
  • Figure 1A is a diagrammatic view of a roll selector system for handling and storing rolls of fabric for window blinds according to one embodiment of the invention
  • Figure 1 B is a diagrammatic view of a robot of the roll selector system of Figure 1 A shown positioned to remove a roll of fabric from a allocated storage cell of a storage rack;
  • Figure 1 C is a diagrammatic view of the robot of Figure 1 B with the roll of fabric removed from the allocated storage cell;
  • Figure 1 D is a diagrammatic view of the robot of Figure 1 C moved along the tracks
  • Figure 1 E is a diagrammatic view of the robot of Figure 1 D moved in a perpendicular direction to the tracks;
  • Figure 1 F is a diagrammatic view of the robot of Figure 1 E shown with a hoist arm lowered to position the roll of fabric on a cutting table
  • Figure 1 G is a diagrammatic view of the robot of Figure 1 F shown with the hoist arm raised to lift the roll of material from the cutting table;
  • Figure 1 H is a diagrammatic view of the robot of Figure 1 G showing the robot returning the roll of fabric to the allocated storage cell;
  • Figure 2 is a diagrammatic front view of the robot of the roll selector system of Figure 1 ;
  • Figure 3 is a diagrammatic rear view of the robot of the roll selector system of Figure 1 ;
  • Figure 4 is a diagrammatic partial front view of a mounting assembly of the robot of Figure 2;
  • Figure 5 is a diagrammatic partial rear view of the mounting assembly of the robot of Figure 2;
  • Figure 6 is a diagrammatic partial front view of the hoist motor, hoist sprocket and linked chain of the robot of Figure 2;
  • Figure 7 is a diagrammatic front view of a support arm of the robot of Figure 2;
  • Figure 8 a diagrammatic view of a roll selector system for handling and storing rolls of fabric for window blinds according to a different embodiment of the invention.
  • FIG 9 is a diagrammatic view of the roll selector system of Figure 8 shown with the support arm rotated about a hoist arm of the robot.
  • a roll selector system 10 that has a storage rack 12 with multiple storage cells 14 and a robot 13 that is capable of removing a roll of fabric from any one of the storage cells 14 and returning the roll of fabric to the same storage cell from which it was removed.
  • the robot 13 is programmed by a computer processor (not shown in the figures) to remove and return a roll of fabric, respectively, from and to any one of the storage cells 14.
  • the storage cells 14 of the storage rack 12 are arranged in an array that is a series of rows and columns of storage cells 14. Each of the storage cells 14 has coordinates that are defined by a column reference and a row reference of the array. Each of the storage cells 14 accommodates a single roll of fabric 15 whereby each storage cell is allocated a specific roll of fabric. The allocated storage cell is identified by its specific coordinates of the array. In this embodiment, the rolls of fabric are rolls of fabric for window blinds.
  • the robot 13 includes two straight tracks 19, a carriage 18, a mounting assembly 17 and a support arm 16. The various parts of the robot 13 are shown in further detail in Figures 2 to 7.
  • the two tracks 19 are positioned to be parallel with one another and parallel to the longitudinal side of the storage rack 12.
  • the carriage 18 is positioned at substantially 90 degrees to each of the two tracks 19 and supported on the two tracks 19.
  • the mounting assembly 17 is supported on the carriage 18 and the support arm 16 is supported on the mounting assembly 17.
  • the carriage 18 is a linear rail that has two opposed rail ends 27, 28. Each one of the opposed rail ends 27, 28 is supported on one of the two parallel tracks 19. Each of the opposed rail ends 27, 28 is also fixed to a shaft 22.
  • the shaft 22 has two opposed shaft ends 24, 25 whereby each shaft end 24, 25 is mounted to respective opposed rail ends 27, 28 of the carriage 18. Each of the shaft ends 24, 25 is associated with a track sprocket 26 and linked chain 29 respectively.
  • the shaft 22 is rotated by a track motor 23 and rotation of the shaft 22 moves the carriage 18 along the length of the tracks 19 via the associated track sprockets 26 and linked chains 29.
  • Movement of the carriage 18 along the tracks 19 moves the carriage 18 forwards and backwards in a horizontal axis (herein referred to as the X axis) that is defined by the longitudinal axis of the tracks 19.
  • the X axis is depicted in Figure 3 by arrow X.
  • the carriage 18 has a rack and pinion 21 that is positioned along the length of the carriage 18.
  • the rack and pinion 21 enables the mounting assembly 17 to move in a horizontal axis (herein referred to as the Y axis) that is defined by the length of the carriage 18 and substantially 90 degrees to the longitudinal sides of the tracks 19.
  • the Y axis is depicted in Figure 3 by arrow Y. Movement of the mounting assembly 17 is operated by a carriage motor 20 that drives the rack and pinion 21.
  • the mounting assembly 17 has a mounting frame 31 and a hoist arm 30.
  • the mounting frame 31 is supported on the carriage 18 while the hoist arm 30 is supported on the mounting frame 31.
  • the hoist arm 30 can move relative to the mounting frame 31 in order to raise or lower the hoist arm 30 in a vertical axis (herein referred to as the Z axis and depicted in Figure 3 by arrow Z).
  • the hoist arm 30 is attached to a linked chain 32 by a chain clip 33 in an arrangement whereby movement of the mounting assembly sprocket and thus linked chain 32 raises or lowers the hoist arm 30 in the vertical or Z axis. Movement of the mounting assembly sprocket and linked chain 32 is operated by a mounting assembly motor 34.
  • the support arm 16 is a rigid rod that is mounted on the hoist arm 30 and positioned at substantially 90 degrees to the hoist arm 30.
  • the support arm 16 is supported by an arm holder 43 which is mounted on the hoist arm 30.
  • the support arm 16 can rotate in a horizontal plane relative to the hoist arm 30.
  • the arm holder 43 is attached to a guide link chain 44 that is of a fixed length.
  • the guide link chain 44 is positioned about a guide sprocket 48 that is located at a top end of the hoist arm 30 thereby straddling the guide linked chain 44 over two opposite longitudinal faces of the hoist arm 30.
  • One end 45 of the guide link chain 44 is anchored to the arm holder 43 by an anchor point 47, while the other end of the guide link chain is attached to another anchor point 46 on the mounting frame 31.
  • the arm holder 43 When the hoist arm 30 is raised in the vertical axis the arm holder 43 is also raised in the vertical axis and when the hoist arm 30 is lowered in the vertical axis the arm holder 43 is also lowered in the vertical axis.
  • the support arm 16 As the support arm 16 is mounted to the arm holder 43, the support arm 16 is raised in the vertical axis when the arm holder 43 is raised in the vertical axis and the support arm 16 is lowered in the vertical axis when the arm holder 43 is lowered in the vertical axis.
  • An arm motor 36 is mounted on the arm holder 43 and connected to the support arm 16.
  • the arm motor 36 has an axle 37 and the support arm 16 is mounted to the axle 37 via a collar 38.
  • the arm motor 36 drives the axle 37 to rotate the support arm 16 about the hoist arm 30.
  • the support arm 16 can therefore rotate about the vertical axis.
  • the direction of rotation of the support arm 16 is depicted by arrow R in Figure 3.
  • the robot 13 is electronically associated with a computer processor that actuates movement of the robot 13 to remove a particular roll of fabric from an allocated storage cell and return the roll of fabric to its allocated storage cell.
  • the computer processor has programming that is programmed with the coordinates of each of the storage cells 14.
  • the programming also includes an information record of the roll of fabric of each of the storage cells 14. A description of the fabric and the quantity of fabric is recorded on the information record which can be updated. The information record can be updated.
  • the information record therefore serves as an inventory of the type and amount of material on each roll of fabric in each of the storage cells 14.
  • the programming determines the position of the support arm 16 relative to the coordinates of an allocated storage cell by calculating the distance traveled by the support arm 16 in the X, Y and Z axes.
  • the distance traveled by the support arm 16 along the Y axis is calculated in terms of revolutions of the carriage motor 20.
  • the distance traveled by the support arm 16 along the X axis is calculated in terms of number of chain links of the track sprocket and linked chain 26 or 29 while the distance traveled by the support arm 16 in the Z axis is calculated in terms of number of chain links of the mounting assembly sprocket and linked chain 32.
  • the number of revolutions of the various motors can provide a measure of distance.
  • Each roll of fabric 15 has an aperture and the support arm 16 can be positioned in the aperture by actuation of the processor using the programming.
  • the programming uses the quantity of fabric recorded on the information record of a allocated storage cell to calculate the height that the support arm 16 is to be raised or lowered for aligning the support arm 16 in the aperture of the roll of fabric.
  • Figures 1 A to 1 H show the robot 13 removing a particular roll of fabric 15 from a allocated storage cell of the storage rack 12 and then returning the roll of fabric to its allocated storage cell.
  • the removal of the roll of fabric 15 involves the following steps in sequence. Firstly, the programming moves the support arm 16 to the coordinates of the allocated storage cell. Secondly, the programming aligns the support arm 16 to move into the allocated storage cell to position the support arm 16 in the aperture of the roll of fabric 15. The quantity of fabric on the roll recorded on the information record of the allocated storage cell is used by the programming to position the support arm 16 in the aperture of the roll of fabric 15. Thirdly, the support arm 16 is raised to substantially the centre of the allocated storage cell. Fourthly, the support arm 16 is retracted from the allocated storage cell with the roll of fabric supported on the support arm 16.
  • the roll of fabric 15 that is removed from the allocated storage cell is transported to a cutting workstation 51 where a desired amount of material is cut from the roll of fabric 15.
  • the roll of fabric 15 is removed from the support arm 16 and placed onto the cutting workstation 51.
  • the workstation 51 is electronically connected to the processor and the processor actuates the workstation 51 to cut a specified amount of fabric from the roll of fabric 15.
  • the roll of fabric 15 is replaced onto the support arm 16 and returned to its allocated storage cell. Movement of the robot 13 to transport the roll of fabric 15 from the allocated storage cell to the cutting workstation 51 and back to the allocated storage cell is actuated by the processor.
  • the processor also actuates the cutting workstation 51 to cut and design the fabric cut from each roll of fabric 15 according to a customer order.
  • the return of the roll of fabric 15 involves the following steps in sequence. Firstly, the programming moves the support arm 16 supporting the roll of fabric 15 to the coordinates of the allocated storage cell. Secondly, the support arm 16 is aligned to move into the allocated storage cell at substantially the centre of the allocated storage cell. Thirdly, the support arm 16 is aligned by lowering the support arm 16 until the roll of fabric 15 is supported by a base of the allocated storage cell. The quantity of fabric recorded on the information record of the allocated storage cell is used by the programming to calculate the height that the support arm 16 is to be lowered in order that the roll of fabric 15 is supported by a base of the allocated storage cell. Fourthly, the support arm 16 is retracted from the allocated storage cell.
  • the removal of particular rolls of fabric from allocated storage cells and the return of the rolls of fabric to their respective allocated storage cells is automated by programming the processor with the above mentioned sequence of steps that direct movement of the support arm 16. All the steps of the sequence of steps can be actuated upon activation of an initial command key of the processor.
  • the sequence of steps programmed in the processor may also include cutting and designing a particular fabric to a customer order.
  • the roll selector system 60 is similar to the roll selector system 10 except that roll selector system 60 has two storage racks 61 , 62.
  • the roll selector system 60 has a robot 63 that is positioned between the two storage racks 61 , 62.
  • the robot 63 includes two straight tracks 64, a carriage 65, a mounting assembly 66 and a support arm 67.
  • the mounting assembly 66 has a hoist arm 68 that can raise the support arm 67.
  • the support arm 67 can be rotated to be substantially in line with the tracks 64 to avoid collision with the storage racks 61 , 62 during transfer of the roll of fabric to and from the cutting station.
  • the roll selector system is similar to the roll selector system 10, except that the robot has a support arm with two additional features. Firstly, the support arm has a locking section that can be activated to secure a roll of material to the support arm. Secondly, the support arm is rotatable about the longitudinal axis of the support arm to thereby rotate the roll of material that has been secured to the arm.
  • the locking section is an inflatable section of the support arm that can be expanded by passing air into the inflatable section. When inflated, the locking section engages the inner surface of the roll of material about the central aperture of the roll of material. Engagement of the locking section with the inner surface of the roll of material secures the roll of material to the support arm by friction.
  • the rotation of the support arm about the longitudinal axis is driven by an arm motor that enables the support arm to rotate in either a clockwise or an anticlockwise direction.
  • the support arm can rotate in both the clockwise and the anticlockwise directions. Rotation of the support arm in one direction unwinds material from the roll of material that has been secured to the support arm whereas rotation in the opposite direction rewinds material back onto the roll of material.
  • the arm motor has an unwind gear to unwind the material from the roll of material and a rewind gear to rewind material back onto the roll.
  • the arm motor includes a switch that enables engagement and disengagement between the unwind gear and the rewind gear.
  • An advantage of the preferred embodiment of the roll selector system includes having a robot that handles rolls of material and thereby reduces human handling of the rolls of material. Consequently, the time taken to locate, remove and replace rolls of material is significantly shortened compared to human handling of the rolls of material. The risk of injuries to persons that may be caused by lifting heavy rolls of material is also reduced.
  • Another advantage of the preferred embodiment of the roll selector system includes having computerized system whereby information regarding the roll of material in each and every storage cell of the storage rack is recorded on the computer processor.
  • the computerized system enables easy location of any particular roll of material.
  • the computerized system also reduces the instances of incorrect replacement of a particular roll of material which may arise if the rolls of fabric are manually replaced by a person.
  • Another advantage of the preferred embodiment of the roll selector system is that information regarding the roll of material in each and every storage cell can be updated to keep an inventory of the rolls of material stored in the storage rack.
  • Another advantage of the preferred embodiment of the roll selector system is that it is an automated system.
  • a further advantage of the roll selector system is having an associated cutting workstation that is also automated to increase the reproducibility of cutting the fabric to a custom ordered design.
  • a further advantage of the preferred embodiment of the roll selector system is the ability of the storage rack to store rolls of material in a space saving manner.

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  • Warehouses Or Storage Devices (AREA)

Abstract

The present invention relates to a roll selector system for handling and storing rolls of material such as fabric, plastics, textiles, cloth, and carpet. The roll selector system includes a storage rack with a plurality of storage cells to store the rolls of material, a robot to handle a roll of material and a processor programmed to actuate the robot to remove or return the rolls of material from or to the storage cells respectively. The roll of material that is removed from the allocated storage cell is transported by the robot to a cutting workstation where a desired amount of material is cut from the roll. After the desired amount of material is cut, the robot returns the roll of material to its allocated storage cell. Each of the plurality of storage cells is adapted to accommodate a single roll of material. The plurality of storage cells are arranged in an array that has a plurality of rows and columns of storage cells. Each cell and hence each roll is defined by a set of coordinates having a column reference and a row reference. The robot includes one or more tracks, a carriage, a mounting assembly and an arm. The carriage is supported on the one or more tracks, the mounting assembly is supported on the carriage, and the arm is supported on the mounting assembly. The carriage is moveable along the one or more tracks to move the arm in a horizontal axis (X axis) along the length of the tracks. The mounting assembly is moveable along the carriage to move the arm in another horizontal axis (Y axis) that is substantially at right angles to the one or more tracks. The mounting assembly has a moveable hoist member that can raise or lower the arm in a vertical axis (Z axis). The processor is programmed with coordinates of each of the storage cells and actuates movement of the arm in the three axes to remove or return the roll from and to one of the plurality of storage cells respectively. The programming determines the position of the arm relative to the coordinates of an allocated storage cell by calculating the distance travelled by the arm in the X, Y and Z axes.

Description

A SYSTEM FOR HANDLING AND STORING ROLLS OF MATERIAL
FIELD OF INVENTION
The present invention relates to the area of handling and storing rolls of material. The present invention has particular but not exclusive application for handling and storing rolls of fabric for window blinds and rolls of carpet.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In a fabric or carpet warehouse, rolls of fabric or carpet are stored in storage racks. A forklift is used to remove a roll of fabric or carpet from the storage rack to a cutting table or workstation where a desired length of fabric or carpet can be cut from the roll. The person driving the forklift has to locate the particular roll of fabric or carpet in the storage rack, retrieve and transport the roll to the cutting workstation and then replace the roll to its allocated position in the storage rack. This is a labor intensive and time consuming method of handling the roll of fabric or carpet. The time taken to locate, retrieve and transport a particular roll of fabric or carpet to the cutting workstation causes delays in cutting operations.
An automated system for the placement and removal of goods from storage racks has been developed in respect of goods placed on pallets. US Patent Number 4674948 describes an automated system for picking and placing pallets of goods and thereby avoids the need of using a forklift. The automated system described in US Patent Number 4674948 uses a robot with a grabbing arm to move the pallets of goods from one location to another. The robot disclosed in US Patent Number 4674948 is complicated and cannot be used to move rolls of fabric or carpet. At present, there is no suitable system for moving rolls of materials such as rolls of fabric or carpet.
OBJECT OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a roll selector system which overcomes at least in part one or more of the above mentioned disadvantages.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In one aspect the present invention broadly resides in a roll selector system for handling and storing rolls of material including a storage rack having a plurality of storage cells, each of the plurality of storage cells adapted to accommodate a single roll of material, the plurality of storage cells are arranged in an array that has a plurality of rows and columns of storage cells; handling means including one or more tracks, a carriage, a mounting assembly and an arm wherein the carriage is supported on the one or more tracks, the mounting assembly is supported on the carriage and the arm is supported on the mounting assembly; the mounting assembly has a moveable hoist member that can raise or lower the arm along a vertical axis, the mounting assembly is moveable along the carriage to move the arm in a first horizontal axis, the carriage is moveable along the one or more tracks to move the arm in a second horizontal axis, wherein the first horizontal axis is at substantially 90 degrees to the second horizontal axis; and a processor operatively associated with the storage rack and the handling means; wherein the processor is programmed with coordinates of each of the plurality of storage cells and actuates movement of the arm in the three axes to remove or return the roll of material from or to one of the plurality of storage cells respectively.
The term material includes fabric, plastics, textiles, cloth, silk, carpet and other suitable materials.
The coordinates of each of the plurality of storage cells are preferably defined by a column reference and a row reference of the array.
Each roll of material is preferably allocated one of the storage cells by the programming on the processor. The one or more tracks are preferably two parallel tracks.
The one or more tracks are preferably parallel to the storage rack.
The carriage is preferably positioned at substantially 90 degrees to the one or more tracks.
The carriage is preferably a linear rail that has two opposed rail ends whereby each of the rail ends are supported on one of the two parallel tracks.
The carriage preferably has a rack and pinion arrangement that enables the mounting assembly to move along the carriage.
The mounting assembly preferably moves along the carriage by a carriage motor driving the pinion along the rack. The longitudinal axis of the carriage preferably defines the first horizontal axis.
The carriage moves along the parallel tracks preferably actuated by a linked chain about a track sprocket which is driven by a track motor.
The longitudinal axis of the parallel tracks preferably defines the second horizontal axis. - A -
The mounting assembly preferably has a mounting frame that is supported on the carriage.
The mounting frame preferably supports the hoist member in an arrangement whereby the hoist member is raised or lowered relative to the mounting frame. The hoist member preferably moves up and down in a vertical axis.
The hoist member is preferably raised and lowered by a mounting assembly linked chain about a mounting assembly sprocket which is driven by a mounting assembly motor.
The arm is preferably mounted to the hoist member in a manner that when the hoist member is raised the arm is also raised and when the hoist member is lowered the arm is also lowered.
The arm is preferably a rigid rod that is mounted on the hoist member at substantially 90 degrees to the hoist member.
In one embodiment, the arm is fixed to the hoist member. In a different embodiment, the arm is moveable about the vertical axis in the horizontal plane.
The rotation of the arm is preferably driven by an arm motor.
In yet another embodiment, the arm is rotatable about the longitudinal axis of the arm. The rotation of the arm about the longitudinal axis of the arm is preferably driven by the arm motor.
In one preferred embodiment the arm has a base plate slideable along a hoist member track. The base plate is attached to one end of a guide chain. The guide chain travels over a guide sprocket and the other end of the guide chain is attached to the mounting frame. When the hoist member is raised the base plate slides up the hoist member track and thereby raises the arm. The guide chain moves passively and in response to the driven movement of the mounting assembly linked chain.
The arm is preferably positionable in the central aperture of each roll of material to remove a particular roll of material from the allocated storage cell. The arm preferably has locking means to secure the roll of material to the arm.
In the embodiment with the locking means, the arm is preferably rotatable about the longitudinal axis of the arm to thereby rotate the roll of material that has been secured to the arm. In one embodiment the arm is rotatable in a first direction to rewind material onto the roll of material that has been secured to the arm.
In another embodiment the arm is rotatable in the first direction to rewind material onto the roll of material that has been secured to the arm and rotatable in a second direction to unwind material from the roll of material. In the embodiment with the arm that is rotatable only in the first direction, the arm motor includes a rewind gear and a one way clutch.
The one way clutch preferably enables material to be freely unwound from the roll of material by pulling on a free end of the material.
In the embodiment with the arm that is rotatable in the first direction and the second direction, the arm motor includes the rewind gear, an unwind gear and a selector to switch between the rewind gear and the unwind gear.
The locking means preferably includes an expandable section of the arm that expands to engage an inner surface of the roll of material about the central aperture of the roll of material. In one embodiment, the expandable section is pneumatically operated. In another embodiment, the expandable section is mechanically operated.
The expandable section is preferably 100 mm in length.
The arm preferably has a flange at a rearward end of the arm that is adjacent the hoist member. The processor is preferably programmed to position the arm relative to the coordinates of a particular storage cell.
The programming preferably calculates a distance the arm moves in each of the three axes.
In one embodiment where there is a link chain, the distance the arm moves in an axis is calculated in terms of the number of chain links passing a set point.
In an alternate embodiment, the distance the arm moves in an axis is calculated in terms of the number of revolutions of a motor.
The processor preferably aligns the arm to move the arm into or out of the one of the plurality of storage cells. Preferably, the processor actuates alignment of the arm in the one of the plurality of storage cells to enable the arm to be positioned in the aperture of each roll of material for removing the roll of material from the allocated storage cell.
The positioning of the arm in the aperture of each roll of material is preferably dependent on the amount of material on the roll of material accommodated by the allocated storage cell.
The processor preferably actuates the alignment of the arm at substantially the center of any one of the plurality of storage cells for retracting the arm from the one of the plurality of storage cells with the roll of material supported on the arm.
The processor with the programming preferably uses an information record to record the type of material and the amount of material on the roll of material. The information record is preferably updatable to keep an inventory of the roll of material in each of the plurality of storage cells.
The processor preferably uses the amount of material from the information record to position the arm in the one of the plurality of storage cells. The processor preferably uses the information about the amount of material on the roll of material to calculate the height that the arm is raised or lowered for aligning the arm to the allocated storage cell.
The removal of a particular roll of material from the allocated storage cell preferably includes moving the arm to the coordinates of the allocated storage cell, aligning the arm to move into the allocated storage cell to position the arm in the aperture of the particular roll of material, raising the arm to substantially the center of the allocated storage cell and retracting the arm from the allocated storage cell with the particular roll of material supported on the arm.
The return of the particular roll of material to the allocated storage cell preferably includes using information from the information record, moving the arm with the particular roll of material to the coordinates of the allocated storage cell, aligning the arm to move into the allocated storage cell, aligning the arm to replace the particular roll of material in the allocated storage cell, and retracting the arm from the allocated storage cell. The roll selector system may include a cutting workstation for cutting a desired amount of material from the roll of material removed from the allocated storage cell.
The cutting workstation is preferably programmable to cut the desired amount of material from the roll of material removed from the allocated storage cell. The cutting workstation is preferably programmable to cut a required design or shape from the material.
The cutting workstation is preferably operatively associated with the processor. The cutting workstation preferably has a grabber to grab the free end of the material of any roll of material.
The cutting workstation preferably has a holder designed to hold more than two rolls of material.
The holder preferably has a cassette-type arrangement to enable the rolls of material to be held in an order of arrival of each of the rolls of material to the cutting workstation.
The holder preferably holds the rolls of material in an orientation that presents the end of the material of each roll of material to the grabber.
The processor preferably actuates movement of the handling means to transport the roll of material removed from the allocated storage cell to the cutting workstation and back to the allocated storage cell.
The removal and return of the particular roll of material is preferably automated whereby a sequence of steps is programmed into the processor.
The sequence of steps preferably includes moving the arm to the coordinates of the allocated storage cell, aligning the arm in the allocated storage cell to remove the particular roll of material, retracting the arm from the allocated storage cell with the particular roll of material supported on the arm, transporting the particular roll of material to the cutting workstation, placing the roll of material onto the cutting workstation, collecting the particular roll of material from the cutting workstation, transporting the particular roll of material from the cutting workstation to the coordinates of the allocated storage cell, aligning the arm supporting the particular roll of material in the allocated storage cell to replace the particular roll of material and retracting the arm from the allocated storage cell.
Preferably, the sequence of steps further includes cutting the desired amount of material from the particular roll of material and cutting the material to a customer order.
The customer order is preferably relayed to the processor from a remote computer terminal.
The sequence of steps is preferably actuated upon the activation of an initial command key of the processor.
In the embodiment where the cutting workstation has a holder designed to hold more than two rolls of material, the processor is programmed with an arrival sequence of each roll of material to the cutting workstation and a return sequence of each roll of material to the allocated storage cells. In the embodiment where the arm is rotatable about the longitudinal axis of the arm, the roll of material remains on the arm after the roll of material is transported adjacent the cutting workstation.
After the roll of material is transported adjacent the cutting workstation, the grabber grabs the free end of the material and the desired amount of material is unwound from the roll of material.
In the embodiment with the arm motor having the rewind gear and one way clutch, the grabber pulls the free end of the material to thereby unwind the desired amount of material. In the embodiment with the arm motor having the rewind gear and the unwind gear, the arm rotates to unwind a predetermined length of material from the roll of material in addition to the desired amount of material to be cut.
The predetermined length of material preferably enables the free end of the material to be easily accessible to the grabber.
The predetermined length of material that is unwound is preferably about 0.2 m to 1 m.
Preferably, the predetermined length of material is entered into the programming and is added automatically to the desired amount of material that is to be cut.
After the desired amount of material is cut at the cutting workstation, the arm is rotated to rewind the free end of the material onto the roll of material.
The roll selector system is preferably has an emergency stop to switch off the system. Preferably, the roll selector system has a barrier to restrict access to moving parts of the system.
In an alternate embodiment, the handling means has one or more sensors to align the arm in the one of the plurality of storage cells.
The one or more sensors preferably include a proximity sensor or a weight sensor.
The proximity sensor preferably senses the distance of the arm from a target such as an end of the storage cells.
In one embodiment, there is a proximity sensor located at a forward end of the arm that is distal from the hoist member. In another embodiment, there is a proximity sensor located at a rearward end of the arm that is adjacent the hoist member.
In yet another embodiment, the weight sensor is located on the arm to detect a weight of the roll of material when the roll of material is supported by the arm. The weight sensor preferably detects a zero weight when the roll of material is not supported by the arm.
In one embodiment, the roll selector system has two storage racks that are arranged in a manner whereby the handling means is positioned between the two storage racks.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION QF THE DRAWINGS
In order that the present invention can be more readily understood reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings which illustrate preferred embodiments of the invention and wherein: Figure 1A is a diagrammatic view of a roll selector system for handling and storing rolls of fabric for window blinds according to one embodiment of the invention;
Figure 1 B is a diagrammatic view of a robot of the roll selector system of Figure 1 A shown positioned to remove a roll of fabric from a allocated storage cell of a storage rack;
Figure 1 C is a diagrammatic view of the robot of Figure 1 B with the roll of fabric removed from the allocated storage cell;
Figure 1 D is a diagrammatic view of the robot of Figure 1 C moved along the tracks; Figure 1 E is a diagrammatic view of the robot of Figure 1 D moved in a perpendicular direction to the tracks;
Figure 1 F is a diagrammatic view of the robot of Figure 1 E shown with a hoist arm lowered to position the roll of fabric on a cutting table; Figure 1 G is a diagrammatic view of the robot of Figure 1 F shown with the hoist arm raised to lift the roll of material from the cutting table;
Figure 1 H is a diagrammatic view of the robot of Figure 1 G showing the robot returning the roll of fabric to the allocated storage cell;
Figure 2 is a diagrammatic front view of the robot of the roll selector system of Figure 1 ;
Figure 3 is a diagrammatic rear view of the robot of the roll selector system of Figure 1 ;
Figure 4 is a diagrammatic partial front view of a mounting assembly of the robot of Figure 2; Figure 5 is a diagrammatic partial rear view of the mounting assembly of the robot of Figure 2;
Figure 6 is a diagrammatic partial front view of the hoist motor, hoist sprocket and linked chain of the robot of Figure 2;
Figure 7 is a diagrammatic front view of a support arm of the robot of Figure 2; Figure 8 a diagrammatic view of a roll selector system for handling and storing rolls of fabric for window blinds according to a different embodiment of the invention; and
Figure 9 is a diagrammatic view of the roll selector system of Figure 8 shown with the support arm rotated about a hoist arm of the robot. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT With reference to Figure 1 to 7, there is shown a roll selector system 10 that has a storage rack 12 with multiple storage cells 14 and a robot 13 that is capable of removing a roll of fabric from any one of the storage cells 14 and returning the roll of fabric to the same storage cell from which it was removed. The robot 13 is programmed by a computer processor (not shown in the figures) to remove and return a roll of fabric, respectively, from and to any one of the storage cells 14.
The storage cells 14 of the storage rack 12 are arranged in an array that is a series of rows and columns of storage cells 14. Each of the storage cells 14 has coordinates that are defined by a column reference and a row reference of the array. Each of the storage cells 14 accommodates a single roll of fabric 15 whereby each storage cell is allocated a specific roll of fabric. The allocated storage cell is identified by its specific coordinates of the array. In this embodiment, the rolls of fabric are rolls of fabric for window blinds. The robot 13 includes two straight tracks 19, a carriage 18, a mounting assembly 17 and a support arm 16. The various parts of the robot 13 are shown in further detail in Figures 2 to 7.
The two tracks 19 are positioned to be parallel with one another and parallel to the longitudinal side of the storage rack 12. The carriage 18 is positioned at substantially 90 degrees to each of the two tracks 19 and supported on the two tracks 19. The mounting assembly 17 is supported on the carriage 18 and the support arm 16 is supported on the mounting assembly 17.
The carriage 18 is a linear rail that has two opposed rail ends 27, 28. Each one of the opposed rail ends 27, 28 is supported on one of the two parallel tracks 19. Each of the opposed rail ends 27, 28 is also fixed to a shaft 22. The shaft 22 has two opposed shaft ends 24, 25 whereby each shaft end 24, 25 is mounted to respective opposed rail ends 27, 28 of the carriage 18. Each of the shaft ends 24, 25 is associated with a track sprocket 26 and linked chain 29 respectively. The shaft 22 is rotated by a track motor 23 and rotation of the shaft 22 moves the carriage 18 along the length of the tracks 19 via the associated track sprockets 26 and linked chains 29. Movement of the carriage 18 along the tracks 19 moves the carriage 18 forwards and backwards in a horizontal axis (herein referred to as the X axis) that is defined by the longitudinal axis of the tracks 19. The X axis is depicted in Figure 3 by arrow X. The carriage 18 has a rack and pinion 21 that is positioned along the length of the carriage 18. The rack and pinion 21 enables the mounting assembly 17 to move in a horizontal axis (herein referred to as the Y axis) that is defined by the length of the carriage 18 and substantially 90 degrees to the longitudinal sides of the tracks 19. The Y axis is depicted in Figure 3 by arrow Y. Movement of the mounting assembly 17 is operated by a carriage motor 20 that drives the rack and pinion 21.
The mounting assembly 17 has a mounting frame 31 and a hoist arm 30. The mounting frame 31 is supported on the carriage 18 while the hoist arm 30 is supported on the mounting frame 31. The hoist arm 30 can move relative to the mounting frame 31 in order to raise or lower the hoist arm 30 in a vertical axis (herein referred to as the Z axis and depicted in Figure 3 by arrow Z). The hoist arm 30 is attached to a linked chain 32 by a chain clip 33 in an arrangement whereby movement of the mounting assembly sprocket and thus linked chain 32 raises or lowers the hoist arm 30 in the vertical or Z axis. Movement of the mounting assembly sprocket and linked chain 32 is operated by a mounting assembly motor 34. The support arm 16 is a rigid rod that is mounted on the hoist arm 30 and positioned at substantially 90 degrees to the hoist arm 30. The support arm 16 is supported by an arm holder 43 which is mounted on the hoist arm 30. The support arm 16 can rotate in a horizontal plane relative to the hoist arm 30. The arm holder 43 is attached to a guide link chain 44 that is of a fixed length.
The guide link chain 44 is positioned about a guide sprocket 48 that is located at a top end of the hoist arm 30 thereby straddling the guide linked chain 44 over two opposite longitudinal faces of the hoist arm 30. One end 45 of the guide link chain 44 is anchored to the arm holder 43 by an anchor point 47, while the other end of the guide link chain is attached to another anchor point 46 on the mounting frame 31.
When the hoist arm 30 is raised in the vertical axis the arm holder 43 is also raised in the vertical axis and when the hoist arm 30 is lowered in the vertical axis the arm holder 43 is also lowered in the vertical axis. As the support arm 16 is mounted to the arm holder 43, the support arm 16 is raised in the vertical axis when the arm holder 43 is raised in the vertical axis and the support arm 16 is lowered in the vertical axis when the arm holder 43 is lowered in the vertical axis.
An arm motor 36 is mounted on the arm holder 43 and connected to the support arm 16. The arm motor 36 has an axle 37 and the support arm 16 is mounted to the axle 37 via a collar 38. The arm motor 36 drives the axle 37 to rotate the support arm 16 about the hoist arm 30. The support arm 16 can therefore rotate about the vertical axis. The direction of rotation of the support arm 16 is depicted by arrow R in Figure 3.
The robot 13 is electronically associated with a computer processor that actuates movement of the robot 13 to remove a particular roll of fabric from an allocated storage cell and return the roll of fabric to its allocated storage cell. The computer processor has programming that is programmed with the coordinates of each of the storage cells 14. The programming also includes an information record of the roll of fabric of each of the storage cells 14. A description of the fabric and the quantity of fabric is recorded on the information record which can be updated. The information record can be updated. The information record therefore serves as an inventory of the type and amount of material on each roll of fabric in each of the storage cells 14.
The programming determines the position of the support arm 16 relative to the coordinates of an allocated storage cell by calculating the distance traveled by the support arm 16 in the X, Y and Z axes. The distance traveled by the support arm 16 along the Y axis is calculated in terms of revolutions of the carriage motor 20. The distance traveled by the support arm 16 along the X axis is calculated in terms of number of chain links of the track sprocket and linked chain 26 or 29 while the distance traveled by the support arm 16 in the Z axis is calculated in terms of number of chain links of the mounting assembly sprocket and linked chain 32.
Alternately the number of revolutions of the various motors can provide a measure of distance.
Each roll of fabric 15 has an aperture and the support arm 16 can be positioned in the aperture by actuation of the processor using the programming. The programming uses the quantity of fabric recorded on the information record of a allocated storage cell to calculate the height that the support arm 16 is to be raised or lowered for aligning the support arm 16 in the aperture of the roll of fabric.
Figures 1 A to 1 H show the robot 13 removing a particular roll of fabric 15 from a allocated storage cell of the storage rack 12 and then returning the roll of fabric to its allocated storage cell. The removal of the roll of fabric 15 involves the following steps in sequence. Firstly, the programming moves the support arm 16 to the coordinates of the allocated storage cell. Secondly, the programming aligns the support arm 16 to move into the allocated storage cell to position the support arm 16 in the aperture of the roll of fabric 15. The quantity of fabric on the roll recorded on the information record of the allocated storage cell is used by the programming to position the support arm 16 in the aperture of the roll of fabric 15. Thirdly, the support arm 16 is raised to substantially the centre of the allocated storage cell. Fourthly, the support arm 16 is retracted from the allocated storage cell with the roll of fabric supported on the support arm 16.
The roll of fabric 15 that is removed from the allocated storage cell is transported to a cutting workstation 51 where a desired amount of material is cut from the roll of fabric 15. At the cutting workstation 51 , the roll of fabric 15 is removed from the support arm 16 and placed onto the cutting workstation 51. The workstation 51 is electronically connected to the processor and the processor actuates the workstation 51 to cut a specified amount of fabric from the roll of fabric 15. After the desired amount of fabric is cut, the roll of fabric 15 is replaced onto the support arm 16 and returned to its allocated storage cell. Movement of the robot 13 to transport the roll of fabric 15 from the allocated storage cell to the cutting workstation 51 and back to the allocated storage cell is actuated by the processor. The processor also actuates the cutting workstation 51 to cut and design the fabric cut from each roll of fabric 15 according to a customer order.
The return of the roll of fabric 15 involves the following steps in sequence. Firstly, the programming moves the support arm 16 supporting the roll of fabric 15 to the coordinates of the allocated storage cell. Secondly, the support arm 16 is aligned to move into the allocated storage cell at substantially the centre of the allocated storage cell. Thirdly, the support arm 16 is aligned by lowering the support arm 16 until the roll of fabric 15 is supported by a base of the allocated storage cell. The quantity of fabric recorded on the information record of the allocated storage cell is used by the programming to calculate the height that the support arm 16 is to be lowered in order that the roll of fabric 15 is supported by a base of the allocated storage cell. Fourthly, the support arm 16 is retracted from the allocated storage cell.
The removal of particular rolls of fabric from allocated storage cells and the return of the rolls of fabric to their respective allocated storage cells is automated by programming the processor with the above mentioned sequence of steps that direct movement of the support arm 16. All the steps of the sequence of steps can be actuated upon activation of an initial command key of the processor. The sequence of steps programmed in the processor may also include cutting and designing a particular fabric to a customer order.
With reference to Figures 8 and 9 there is shown a different embodiment of a roll selector system 60. The roll selector system 60 is similar to the roll selector system 10 except that roll selector system 60 has two storage racks 61 , 62. The roll selector system 60 has a robot 63 that is positioned between the two storage racks 61 , 62. The robot 63 includes two straight tracks 64, a carriage 65, a mounting assembly 66 and a support arm 67. The mounting assembly 66 has a hoist arm 68 that can raise the support arm 67. The support arm 67 can be rotated to be substantially in line with the tracks 64 to avoid collision with the storage racks 61 , 62 during transfer of the roll of fabric to and from the cutting station. In another embodiment (not shown in the Figures), the roll selector system is similar to the roll selector system 10, except that the robot has a support arm with two additional features. Firstly, the support arm has a locking section that can be activated to secure a roll of material to the support arm. Secondly, the support arm is rotatable about the longitudinal axis of the support arm to thereby rotate the roll of material that has been secured to the arm.
In one embodiment, the locking section is an inflatable section of the support arm that can be expanded by passing air into the inflatable section. When inflated, the locking section engages the inner surface of the roll of material about the central aperture of the roll of material. Engagement of the locking section with the inner surface of the roll of material secures the roll of material to the support arm by friction.
The rotation of the support arm about the longitudinal axis is driven by an arm motor that enables the support arm to rotate in either a clockwise or an anticlockwise direction. In one embodiment, the support arm can rotate in both the clockwise and the anticlockwise directions. Rotation of the support arm in one direction unwinds material from the roll of material that has been secured to the support arm whereas rotation in the opposite direction rewinds material back onto the roll of material. The arm motor has an unwind gear to unwind the material from the roll of material and a rewind gear to rewind material back onto the roll. The arm motor includes a switch that enables engagement and disengagement between the unwind gear and the rewind gear.
The ability to unwind or rewind material whilst the roll of material is secured to the support arm removes the requirement to place and lift the roll of material onto and from the cutting workstation, respectively. ADVANTAGES
An advantage of the preferred embodiment of the roll selector system includes having a robot that handles rolls of material and thereby reduces human handling of the rolls of material. Consequently, the time taken to locate, remove and replace rolls of material is significantly shortened compared to human handling of the rolls of material. The risk of injuries to persons that may be caused by lifting heavy rolls of material is also reduced.
Another advantage of the preferred embodiment of the roll selector system includes having computerized system whereby information regarding the roll of material in each and every storage cell of the storage rack is recorded on the computer processor. The computerized system enables easy location of any particular roll of material. The computerized system also reduces the instances of incorrect replacement of a particular roll of material which may arise if the rolls of fabric are manually replaced by a person.
Another advantage of the preferred embodiment of the roll selector system is that information regarding the roll of material in each and every storage cell can be updated to keep an inventory of the rolls of material stored in the storage rack.
Another advantage of the preferred embodiment of the roll selector system is that it is an automated system.
A further advantage of the roll selector system is having an associated cutting workstation that is also automated to increase the reproducibility of cutting the fabric to a custom ordered design.
A further advantage of the preferred embodiment of the roll selector system is the ability of the storage rack to store rolls of material in a space saving manner. VARIATIONS
It will of course be realised that while the foregoing has been given by way of illustrative example of this invention, all such and other modifications and variations thereto as would be apparent to persons skilled in the art are deemed to fall within the broad scope and ambit of this invention as is herein set forth.
Throughout the description and claims this specification the word "comprise" and variations of that word such as "comprises" and "comprising", are not intended to exclude other additives, components, integers or steps.

Claims

1. A roll selector system for handling and storing rolls of material including a storage rack having a plurality of storage cells, each of the plurality of storage cells adapted to accommodate a single roll of material, the plurality of storage cells are arranged in an array that has a plurality of rows and columns of storage cells; handling means including one or more tracks, a carriage, a mounting assembly and an arm wherein the carriage is supported on the one or more tracks, the mounting assembly is supported on the carriage and the arm is supported on the mounting assembly; the mounting assembly has a moveable hoist member that can raise or lower the arm along a vertical axis, the mounting assembly is moveable along the carriage to move the arm in a first horizontal axis, the carriage is moveable along the one or more tracks to move the arm in a second horizontal axis, wherein the first horizontal axis is at substantially 90 degrees to the second horizontal axis; and a processor operatively associated with the storage rack and the handling means; wherein the processor is programmed with coordinates of each of the plurality of storage cells and actuates movement of the arm in the three axes to remove or return the roll of material from or to one of the plurality of storage cells respectively.
2. A roll selector system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the coordinates of each of the plurality of storage cells are defined by a column reference and a row reference of the array and each roll of material is allocated one of the storage cells by the programming on the processor.
3. A roll selector system as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein one or more tracks are two parallel tracks and that are also parallel to the storage rack.
4. A roll selector system as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the carriage is a linear rail positioned at substantially 90 degrees to the one or more tracks.
5. A roll selector system as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the carriage moves along the one or more tracks actuated by a linked chain about a track sprocket which is driven by a track motor.
6. A roll selector system as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the carriage has a rack and pinion arrangement that enables the mounting assembly to move along the carriage; the mounting assembly moves along the carriage by a carriage motor driving the pinion along the rack.
7. A roll selector system as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the longitudinal axis of the carriage defines the first horizontal axis and the longitudinal axis of the one or more tracks defines the second horizontal axis.
8. A roll selector system as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the mounting assembly has a mounting frame that is supported on the carriage, the mounting frame supports the hoist member in an arrangement whereby the hoist member is raised or lowered relative to the mounting frame and wherein the hoist member moves up and down in a vertical axis.
9. A roll selector system as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the hoist member is raised and lowered by a mounting assembly linked chain about a mounting assembly sprocket which is driven by a mounting assembly motor.
10. A roll selector system as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the arm is mounted to the hoist member in a manner that when the hoist member is raised the arm is also raised and when the hoist member is lowered the arm is also lowered.
11. A roll selector system as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the arm is a rigid rod that is mounted on the hoist member at substantially 90 degrees to the hoist member.
12. A roll selector system as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the arm has a flange at a rearward end of the arm that is adjacent the hoist member.
13. A roll selector system as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the arm is fixed to the hoist member.
14. A roll selector system as claimed in any one of the claims 1 to 12, wherein the arm is moveable about the vertical axis in the horizontal plane by an arm motor.
15. A roll selector system as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the arm has a base plate slideable along a hoist member track, wherein when the hoist member is raised, the base plate slides up the hoist member track and thereby raises the arm.
16. A roll selector system as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the arm is positionable in a central aperture of each roll of material to remove a particular roll of material from the allocated storage cell.
17. A roll selector system as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the processor is programmed to position the arm relative to the coordinates of a particular storage cell.
18. A roll selector system as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the processor has programming that calculates a distance the arm moves in each of the three axes.
19. A roll selector system as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the distance the arm moves in an axis is calculated in terms of the number of chain links passing a set point.
20. A roll selector system as claimed in any one of claims 1 to18, wherein the distance the arm moves in an axis is calculated in terms of the number of revolutions of a motor.
21. A roll selector system as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the processor actuates to move the arm into or out of the one of the plurality of storage cells.
22. A roll selector system as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the processor actuates alignment of the arm in the one of the plurality of storage cells to enable the arm to be positioned in the central aperture of each roll of material for removing the roll of material from the allocated storage cell; and the positioning of the arm in the aperture of each roll of material is dependent on the amount of material on the roll of material accommodated by the allocated storage cell.
23. A roll selector system as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the processor actuates alignment of the arm at substantially the center of any one of the plurality of storage cells for retracting the arm from the one of the plurality of storage cells with the roll of material supported on the arm.
24. A roll selector system as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the processor uses an information record to record the type of material and the amount of material on the roll of material; and the information record is updatable to keep an inventory of the roll of material in each of the plurality of storage cells.
25. A roll selector system as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the processor uses the amount of material from the information record to calculate the height that the arm is raised or lowered and thereby align the arm in the allocated storage cells.
26. A roll selector system as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the removal of a particular roll of material from the allocated storage cell includes moving the arm to the coordinates of the allocated storage cell, aligning the arm to move into the allocated storage cell to position the arm in the aperture of the particular roll of material, raising the arm to substantially the center of the allocated storage cell and retracting the arm from the allocated storage cell with the particular roll of material supported on the arm.
27. A roll selector system as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the return of the particular roll of material to the allocated storage cell preferably includes using information from the information record, moving the arm with the particular roll of material to the coordinates of the allocated storage cell, aligning the arm to move into the allocated storage cell, aligning the arm to replace the particular roll of material in the allocated storage cell, and retracting the arm from the allocated storage cell.
28. A roll selector system as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, further including a cutting workstation for cutting a desired amount of material from the roll of material removed from the allocated storage cell.
29. A roll selector system as claimed in claim 28, wherein the cutting workstation is programmable to cut the desired amount of material from the roll of material removed from the allocated storage cell.
30. A roll selector system as claimed in claim 28 or 29, wherein the cutting workstation is programmable to cut a required design or shape from the material.
31. A roll selector system as claimed in any one of claims 28 to 30, wherein the cutting workstation is operatively associated with the processor.
32. A roll selector system as claimed in any one of claims 28 to 31 , wherein the cutting workstation has a grabber to grab an end of the material of any roll of material.
33. A roll selector system as claimed in any one of claims 28 to 32, wherein the cutting workstation has a holder designed to hold more than two rolls of material; and the holder holds the rolls of material in an orientation that presents the end of the material of each roll of material to the grabber.
34. A roll selector system as claimed in claim 33, wherein the holder has a cassette-type arrangement to enable the rolls of material to be held in an order of arrival of each of the rolls of material to the cutting workstation.
35. A roll selector system as claimed in any one of claims 28 to 34, wherein the processor is programmed with a sequence of steps that automates movement of the handling means to transport the roll of material removed from the allocated storage cell to the cutting workstation and back to the allocated storage cell.
36. A roll selector system as claimed in claim 35, wherein the sequence of steps includes moving the arm to the coordinates of the allocated storage cell, aligning the arm in the allocated storage cell to remove the particular roll of material, retracting the arm from the allocated storage cell with the particular roll of material supported on the arm, transporting the particular roll of material to the cutting workstation, collecting the particular roll of material from the cutting workstation, transporting the particular roll of material from the cutting workstation to the coordinates of the allocated storage cell, aligning the arm supporting the particular roll of material in the allocated storage cell to replace the particular roll of material and retracting the arm from the allocated storage cell.
37. A roll selector system as claimed in claim 36, wherein the sequence of steps further includes cutting the desired amount of material from the particular roll of material and cutting the material to a customer order.
38. A roll selector system as claimed in claim 37, wherein the customer order is relayed to the processor from a remote computer terminal.
39. A roll selector system as claimed in claim 38, wherein the sequence of steps is actuated upon the activation of an initial command key of the processor.
40. A roll selector system as claimed in any one of claims 34 to 40, wherein the processor is programmed with an arrival sequence of each roll of material to the cutting workstation and a return sequence of each roll of material to the allocated storage cells.
41. A roll selector system as claimed in any one of the preceding claims further including an emergency stop to switch off the system.
42. A roll selector system as claimed in any one of the preceding claims further including a barrier to restrict access to moving parts of the system.
43. A roll selector system as claimed in any one of the preceding claims including a second storage rack wherein the handling means is positioned between the two storage racks.
44. A roll selector system as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the handling means has one or more sensors to align the arm in the one of the plurality of storage cells.
45. A roll selector system as claimed in claim 44, wherein the one or more sensors include a proximity sensor or a weight sensor.
46. A roll selector system as claimed in claim 46, wherein proximity sensor senses the distance of the arm from a target such as an end of the storage cells.
47. A roll selector system as claimed in claim 45 or 46, wherein the proximity sensor is located at a forward end of the arm that is distal from the hoist member.
48. A roll selector system as claimed in claim 45 or 46, wherein the proximity sensor is located at a rearward end of the arm that is adjacent the hoist member.
49. A roll selector system as claimed in any one of the Claims 45 to 48 wherein the weight sensor is located on the arm to detect a weight of the roll of material when the roll of material is supported by the arm; and wherein the weight sensor detects a zero weight when the roll of material is not supported by the arm.
PCT/AU2009/001079 2008-08-22 2009-08-21 A system for handling and storing rolls of material WO2010020014A1 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

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AU2008904311A AU2008904311A0 (en) 2008-08-22 A system for handling and storing rolls of material

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CN102259760A (en) * 2010-05-26 2011-11-30 钱雷 Automatic feeding system
CN102294616A (en) * 2011-08-30 2011-12-28 成都科盛石油科技有限公司 Two-dimensional conveying device for workpieces
CN102303264A (en) * 2011-08-30 2012-01-04 成都科盛石油科技有限公司 Workpiece lifting and descending device
CN102320468A (en) * 2011-08-30 2012-01-18 成都科盛石油科技有限公司 Device for conveying workpieces in three-dimensional space
CN102371501A (en) * 2011-08-30 2012-03-14 成都科盛石油科技有限公司 Workpiece positioning device
CN102778349A (en) * 2012-07-16 2012-11-14 芜湖市中兴机械技术开发有限公司 MTS rack test powder head fixing and regulating device
CN103723416A (en) * 2013-12-20 2014-04-16 苏州鑫帛泰纺织科研有限公司 Textile storage device
CN105501781A (en) * 2015-12-28 2016-04-20 英德欧姆智能机械有限公司 Intelligent station transposition device of industrial automatic production line
CN105883413A (en) * 2016-06-15 2016-08-24 佛山市顺德区高力威机械有限公司 Intelligent glass storage system
CN108438706A (en) * 2018-03-27 2018-08-24 佛山市顺德区高力威机械有限公司 Intelligence reason frame system connecting line equipment and its glass access technique
CN113581719A (en) * 2021-07-23 2021-11-02 燕山大学 Stereoscopic warehouse capable of carrying out internal transportation and freely storing and taking strip coils in two directions
US11248273B2 (en) * 2014-05-28 2022-02-15 National Beef Packing Company, Llc Hide customization systems and methods

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Cited By (13)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
CN102259760A (en) * 2010-05-26 2011-11-30 钱雷 Automatic feeding system
CN102259760B (en) * 2010-05-26 2012-12-05 钱雷 Automatic feeding system
CN102320468A (en) * 2011-08-30 2012-01-18 成都科盛石油科技有限公司 Device for conveying workpieces in three-dimensional space
CN102303264A (en) * 2011-08-30 2012-01-04 成都科盛石油科技有限公司 Workpiece lifting and descending device
CN102371501A (en) * 2011-08-30 2012-03-14 成都科盛石油科技有限公司 Workpiece positioning device
CN102294616A (en) * 2011-08-30 2011-12-28 成都科盛石油科技有限公司 Two-dimensional conveying device for workpieces
CN102778349A (en) * 2012-07-16 2012-11-14 芜湖市中兴机械技术开发有限公司 MTS rack test powder head fixing and regulating device
CN103723416A (en) * 2013-12-20 2014-04-16 苏州鑫帛泰纺织科研有限公司 Textile storage device
US11248273B2 (en) * 2014-05-28 2022-02-15 National Beef Packing Company, Llc Hide customization systems and methods
CN105501781A (en) * 2015-12-28 2016-04-20 英德欧姆智能机械有限公司 Intelligent station transposition device of industrial automatic production line
CN105883413A (en) * 2016-06-15 2016-08-24 佛山市顺德区高力威机械有限公司 Intelligent glass storage system
CN108438706A (en) * 2018-03-27 2018-08-24 佛山市顺德区高力威机械有限公司 Intelligence reason frame system connecting line equipment and its glass access technique
CN113581719A (en) * 2021-07-23 2021-11-02 燕山大学 Stereoscopic warehouse capable of carrying out internal transportation and freely storing and taking strip coils in two directions

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