WO2013026867A1

WO2013026867A1 - Brush belt conveyor

Info

Publication number: WO2013026867A1
Application number: PCT/EP2012/066314
Authority: WO
Inventors: Peter HEMBERGER
Original assignee: SSI Schäfer Noell GmbH Lager- und Systemtechnik
Priority date: 2011-08-24
Filing date: 2012-08-22
Publication date: 2013-02-28
Also published as: DE102011111548A1

Abstract

A brush belt conveyor (10) is disclosed, for feeding a piece good (22) that is automatically picked up by a packaging robot (32) and packed onto a transport loading carrier (56), wherein the brush belt conveyor (10) comprises: a frame (12); deflection rollers (16) rotatably mounted in the frame (12); a belt (18), circulating (20) longitudinally in a conveyance direction (24) about the deflection rollers (16); wherein the belt (18) has a transport side (19) provided with fibers (26) and each fiber (26) has a first and a second end (64, 66), the first end (64) of each fiber (26) being fixedly connected to the belt (18) and the second end (66) of each fiber (26) projecting freely from the transport side (19) of the belt (18); wherein each fiber (26) projects sufficiently far from the transport side (19) that tines (28) of a gripper (30) of the packaging robot (32) can be moved under the piece good (22) situated on the fibers (26); and wherein the fibers (26) are sufficiently hard and thick and are arranged in a sufficient density on the belt (18) that the piece good (22) is situated on the second ends (66) of the fibers (26) without substantially bending the fibers (26).

Description

Brush belt conveyors

The present invention relates to a brush belt conveyor, which is used in a picking system to piece goods in any orientation, that is, without the piece goods before specifically align, a fully automated packing robot to serve, which takes the cargo and to a pack or Shipping stack layers. The invention further relates to a packing station comprising a fully automated packing robot in combination with the brush belt conveyor of the invention. The German patent application DE 102 03 191 AI shows a bristle conveyor for separating and aligning brush bodies, which can be lifted at a downstream end of the bristle conveyor by a gripper from the bristle conveyor.

The German patent application DE 10 2006 053 695 AI shows a Palletiergreifer with hold-down. British Patent GB 853 449 A shows a brush conveyor for gently transporting plates. The German patent application DE 37 18 206 AI shows a conveying device for rotating sheet stacks of paper.

Many conventional conveyors consist of multi-track conveyor systems, which only allow a gripper of a packing robot to receive bulked cargo in a single preferred direction. Therefore, it is necessary that the piece goods before being picked up by the gripper according to a specification of a pack software either exactly longitudinally or exactly transversely aligned, that is, be aligned either parallel to the longitudinal direction or parallel to the transverse direction of the conveyor. For these alignment operations, there are corresponding devices and assemblies along the conveyors, such as e.g. Alignment straps, measuring stations, directional stops, pre-turning stations, belt curves and turning stations.

The large number of these modules required results in an increased susceptibility to interference. The system is not sufficiently reliable. Another disadvantage is seen in the high cost of the various modules.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a conveyor that allows a conventional packing robot to pick up the piece goods to be picked from any direction.

This object is achieved by a brush belt conveyor for Andienen a piece goods, which automatically picked up by a packing robot and being packed on a shipping carrier, the brush belt conveyor comprising: a rack; Pulleys rotatably mounted in the frame; a belt which rotates in a conveying direction along the pulleys; the belt having a transport side provided with fibers; each fiber having first and second ends, the first end of each fiber being fixedly connected to the belt and the second end of each fiber projecting freely out of the transport side of the belt; wherein each fiber protrudes so far from the transport side that tines of a gripper of the packing robot are movable under the piece goods standing on the fibers; and wherein the fibers are so hard and strong and are arranged in a density on the belt that the cargo stands on the second ends of the fibers without substantially deflecting the fibers.

The brush belt conveyor of the invention lifts the piece goods slightly from the upper strand (transport side) of the conveyor. The lifting is made possible by fibers that can push the gripper sideways, while tines of the gripper are driven under the tendered piece goods. Even if the tines push a plurality of fibers to the side, so that the stuffed piece goods can no longer be held by the remaining, not bent fibers, this state is not a problem, since the stuffed cargo then falls to the tines themselves.

The tines of the gripper can be driven from any direction, preferably in an angular range of minus 90 ° to plus 90 °, under the tendered cargo. For this purpose, the gripper is positioned at the correct angle relative to the conveyor and then, preferably in the horizontal plane, moved linearly under the cargo.

Preferably, the fibers are attached in discrete groups, in particular in rows, on the transport side of the belt. In this way, free spaces form between the fiber groups, which facilitate the retraction of the tines under the supplied cargo.

In a preferred embodiment, the band is made of an elastic material which is preferably extensible in the longitudinal direction of the brush belt conveyor. Alternatively, a non-stretchable tape may be used, e.g. a link belt as it is distributed by the company Habasit.

An extensible belt has the advantage that it can be mounted in a prestressed state on the pulleys of the conveyor. As a result, separate clamping stations can be omitted, with which usually the band is held at a predetermined voltage to prevent slippage of the band around the pulleys.

Moreover, it is advantageous if a receiving area is defined on the transport side, from which the packing robot receives the cargo, which arbitrarily oriented arrives in the receiving area.

The brush belt conveyor may be formed segment-like in this case, wherein a, preferably the most downstream segment comprises the receiving area. In this case, it is sufficient if this most downstream segment is formed as a brush belt conveyor.

In a further advantageous embodiment, the fibers are so hard that the tines of the gripper bend the fibers in case of contact to the side and that the fibers then, when the contact is completed, automatically bend back to its original upright position ,

The fibers have a modulus of elasticity and a corresponding length, which are sufficient to hold the bagged piece goods, without the fibers "collapsing", ie being bent over and following the weight of the piece goods. ben. It is understood that the design of the fiber is dependent on the weight and the weight distribution of the piece goods.

Furthermore, the object is achieved by a packing station for the automated packing of a piece goods to be delivered on a conveying device onto a shipping load carrier, comprising: a packing robot with gripper; and a brush belt conveyor according to the invention; wherein the gripper has a plurality of, preferably parallel, prongs, which are arranged in a plane and which are moved parallel to the transport side under the cargo at a reception of the piece goods from the brush belt conveyor, the piece goods prior to recording arbitrarily oriented on the brush belt conveyor is.

Preferably, the packing robot is set up to move parallel to the transport side and at a distance to the transport side under the cargo when receiving the piece goods, the fibers have a length so that the fibers protrude during the recording of the piece over the tines ,

This measure ensures that the tines can be driven with a sufficient clearance in the stroke direction under the cargo.

Further, it is advantageous if an orientation detection unit is provided which is adapted to detect an orientation of the piece goods upstream relative to the gripper, to compare the detected orientation with a desired orientation of the piece goods and the recognized orientation in control commands for the gripper to convert, so that the gripper is moved in the retraction under the cargo.

Further, it is advantageous if the retraction is oriented perpendicular to a reference surface of the piece goods. It is understood that the features mentioned above and those yet to be explained not only in the combination specified, but also in other combinations or alone, without departing from the scope of the present invention.

Embodiments of the invention are illustrated in the drawing and are explained in more detail in the following description. Show it:

Fig. 1 is a side view of a brush belt conveyor shown schematically according to the invention;

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal perspective view of the brush belt conveyor of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a sectional side view of a loaded with a piece goods

Brush belt conveyor according to the invention;

Fig. 4 is a block diagram of a packing station according to the invention; and

Fig. 5 is a block diagram of a picking system.

Fig. 1 shows a side view of a brush belt conveyor 10 of the invention.

The brush belt conveyor 10 (hereinafter also referred to as "conveyor 10") has a frame 12, wherein by way of example legs 14 are indicated by dashed lines, which can stand on a (hall) floor. The brush belt conveyor 10 further includes first and second pulleys 16-1 and 16-2. At least one of the deflection rollers 16-1 and 16-2 is usually driven. Between the pulleys 16-1 and 16-2, which are arranged at the longitudinal ends of the conveyor 10, more, preferably loosely rotating, idlers or be arranged continuous support or support plates, which are indicated in Fig. 1 by dashed lines and not designated. The carrying rollers can also be driven. In the guide rollers 16 shown in FIG. 1 and the support rollers may be so-called motor rollers, which have integrated a motor in its interior. However, the rollers may also be moved by an external drive connected, for example via O-rings or poly-V belts, to at least one of the rollers, which in turn may be connected to the other rollers in the same manner ,

The conveyor 10 has a belt or strap 18. In the classical sense, the brush belt conveyor 10 is a belt conveyor and has an endless, usually biased and driven on at least one roller belt 18, which is guided over the pulleys and / or sliding on a substructure and on its upper side (upper strand), which will also be referred to below as the transport side 19 promotes cargo 22, such as Containers, boxes, boxes or other article units. The belt 22 lies during transport on the belt 18. The belt 18 extends substantially in the longitudinal direction X of the conveyor 10. The belt 10 has a predetermined width in the transverse direction Z. The thickness (extension in the vertical direction Y) is selected depending on the loads to be transported (piece goods). The material from which the belt 18 is made may be elastic and / or reinforced to wind the belt 18 on the pulleys 16, preferably without a (re) tensioning station. The reinforcement of the belt 18 supports the transport of heavy cargo 22 and reduces wear.

The side on which piece goods 22 are transported is referred to below as the transport side 19. The transport side 19 is located relative to the guide rollers 16 outside. The transport side 19 of the band 18 defines a self-contained surface, so that the band 18 rotates endlessly, as indicated in FIG. 1 by an arrow 20. It is understood that the belt 18 can be moved in any direction of rotation. With the belt 18 piece goods 22 are transported, of which in Fig. 1 by way of example a single cargo 22 is shown. The piece goods 22 has a plurality of pages, one side of which defines a reference page 23 (marked dark). The reference page 23 is the side of the article 22 that is used by pack software to set an orientation of the article 22 in a pack stack. From this orientation, control commands are again derived, as the piece goods 22 on its way from a (not shown) storage area towards a packing robot 32 aligned and oriented (eg by tilting and / or turning) must be to the by the Pack software predetermined orientation on a shipping carrier 56, as will be explained in more detail below with reference to FIG. 3.

It is understood that the reference page 23 may also be defined by a feature other than one side of the piece 22. The cargo 22, for example, a label (barcode, RFID tag, etc.) are glued or be. As a reference, a corner of the piece 22 or any other feature on, on or in the piece goods can be selected. As a reference, e.g. a label or logo on a package of the piece goods 22 serve.

Since the belt 18 rotates about the deflection rollers 16-1 and 16-2 in the direction of rotation 20, the cargo 22 is transported downstream in a conveying direction 24 which preferably extends parallel to the longitudinal direction X of the conveyor 10. During transport, the cargo 22 is on fibers 26 which are mounted on the transport side 19 of the belt 18. The fibers 26 preferably all have almost the same length L and protrude from the belt 18. The length L essentially determines a distance between the transport side 19 and a lower side of the piece goods 22 when the piece goods 22 lie on the fibers 26 or stands.

The fibers 26 may be obtained, for example, via the company Mink. The fibers 26 are usually made of plastic. The fibers 26 are preferably mounted perpendicular to the transport side 19 on or in the belt 18. The fibers 26 have a length L and a thickness (thickness), which are adapted to the piece goods 22, which are usually transported by the conveyor 10. The length L should be chosen so that tines 28 of a gripper 30, which is part of the packing robot 32, can be retracted horizontally into a space. The gap is defined between a bottom of the piece 22 and a top (transport side 19) of the band 18. In this space then the fibers 26 are arranged.

The tines 28 of the gripper 30 are usually rod-shaped, oriented parallel to each other, relatively stiff and are next to each other in a unspecified support plane, which during a recording of the piece 22 from the conveyor 10 by the packing robot 32 parallel to the upper strand of the conveyor 10 is oriented. The gripper 30 is preferably designed as described in the patent application DE 10 2006 053 695 AI. Reference is made to said patent application.

Referring to Figure 2, a perspective view of the belt 18 of the conveyor 10 of Figure 1 is shown from above.

A downstream end 33-1 of the conveyor 10, which is right in Fig. 1, defines a 0 ° position, from which the gripper 30, which is not shown in Fig. 2, under a piece 22nd can be driven. The opposite end 33-2 of the conveyor 10 (see the left part of Fig. 1) defines a 180 ° position from which the gripper 30 can be driven under a cargo 22. If the gripper 30 is moved laterally, that is to say parallel to the transverse direction Z, under the article 22, then the gripper 30 is in a 90 ° position (right in FIG. 2) or in a -90 ° in order to start a corresponding picking process. or 270 ° position (left in Fig. 2). In the four positions mentioned, the prongs 28 extend parallel to the longitudinal direction X or to the transverse direction Z. In the 0 ° position, the free ends of the prongs 28 are oriented upstream and in the negative X direction under the cargo 22 in the space between the General cargo 22 and the transport side 19 of the band 18 retracted. A cargo 22 can be switched on or under from any angular position.

In FIG. 2, three exemplary retraction directions 38-1, 38-2 and 38-3 are indicated in the form of arrows. The retraction directions 38 represent an alignment of the prongs 28 and a direction of movement and lie in a plane which extends parallel to the upper run of the belt 18. It is understood that the tines 28 of the gripper 30 can be retracted from any angular position under the cargo 22. The retraction 38-1 illustrates an angular position which is between the 270 ° position and the 0 ° position. The retraction 38-2 illustrates an angular position which is between the 0 ° position and the 90 ° position. The retraction 38-3 illustrates the 90 ° position and is oriented parallel to the Z direction.

Furthermore, it can be seen in FIG. 2 that the fibers 26 are preferably arranged in groups (eg brushes or tufts) 34. The groups 34 in turn are preferably arranged geometrically or symmetrically on the belt 18. Fig. 2 shows the conveyor 10, in which the groups 34 are arranged in rows 36, wherein each row 36 preferably extends parallel to the longitudinal direction X. In FIG. 2, seven rows 36-1 to 36-7 are shown by way of example. It is understood that more or less rows 36 can be provided. The rows 36 are spaced apart in the transverse direction Z by a distance Az. The distance Az is chosen to be constant here. It is understood that the distances Az between adjacent rows 36 may be different. In this way, regions can be imaged on the transport side 19 of the belt 19, which have a higher or a lower fiber density. The denser the fibers 26 are positioned, the higher the weights of the piece goods 22 can be before the piece goods 22 compress the fibers 26 in such a way that the tines 28 can no longer be moved under the piece goods 22. It is understood that the material thickness and the modulus of elasticity of the fibers 26 also affect a load capacity of the fibers 26 before the fibers 26 "collapse" under the impact of the weight of a piece goods 22. The rows 36 define free spaces 37 between them into which the tines 28 can be moved along the retraction directions 38 without colliding with the fibers 26. This will be explained in more detail with reference to FIG. 4.

However, the groups 34 can be arranged symmetrically not only in the longitudinal direction X but also in the transverse direction Z. In the example of FIG. 2, the groups 34 of a row 36 have a, preferably constant, distance Ax in the longitudinal direction X relative to one another. The size of the distance Ax may vary with the size of the distance Az. The groups 34 are then arranged "matrix-shaped" on the transport side 19.

It is understood that the fibers 26 may also be distributed chaotically on the transport side 19. The fibers 26 may alternatively be provided very tightly, similar to a carpet, on the transport side 19, so that small or only very few free spaces 37 are formed between adjacent fibers 26 or (fiber) groups 34. The more fibers 26 are provided, that is, the greater the fiber density, the lower will be a positioning accuracy of the tines 28 relative to the tenderized 22. The greater a resistance that exert the fibers 26 on retraction of the gripper 30 on the tines 28, the less accurate can the gripper 30 during the picking of the piece 22 of the conveyor 10 below the bottom of the piece 22 position.

Fig. 3 shows a side view of the conveyor 10 of Fig. 2, wherein the gripper 30 is retracted with its prongs 28 in the retraction 38-3 under a cargo 22. Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken along the longitudinal direction X.

By way of example, only two prongs 28-3 and 28-4 are shown, each having a diameter D. The tines 28-3 and 28-4 are retracted in Fig. 3 in the space between the bottom of the piece 22 and the transport side 19 of the belt 18. An underside of the tines 28 is located in a height ET (entrance depth), which is indicated by a dashed line 70. An upper side of the tines 28 lies at the level of an auxiliary line 68. Between the top of the tines 28 and the underside of the piece 22 there is an air layer with the height H. When the gripper is raised by H, the piece goods is lifted from the conveyor 10 and recorded ,

The fibers 26 have from their first end 64, which is connected to the band 18, to its free end 66 a length L on. The fibers 26 shown in FIG. 3 are compressed by the cargo 22 due to its weight (depending also on fiber density). Fibers 26 ', which extend in the region of the tines 28-3 and 28-4, are bent by the tines 28 to the side. In this case, the remaining vertical fibers 26 carry the cargo 22 alone. The fibers 26 are so flexible that they can be bent by the tine 28 to the side and then move back to their original starting position.

Referring to Fig. 4, there is shown a block diagram of a packing station 50 used in a picking unit, as will be described in more detail below with reference to Fig. 5.

The packing station 50 has a brush belt conveyor 10 and a packing robot 32 with a gripper 30. The conveyor 10 couples to one or more upstream conveyor elements 52 through which the parcels 22 are fed in any orientation. The packing robot 32 grips with its gripper 30 under the piece goods 22, lifts the piece goods 22 from the conveyor 10 and transports the piece goods 22 in a packing area 54, which is indicated in Fig. 4 with a dashed line and positioned away from the conveyor 10 can. A shipping load carrier 56, such as a Euro pallet 57, is provided in the packing area 54. The Euro pallet 57 shown in FIG. 4 is already loaded with four piece goods 22, which each point with their reference sides 23 in the negative X direction. The orientation of the cargo 22 on the Euro pallet 57 was in advance with determined by a pack software. It is understood that the piece goods 22 are loaded on the Euro pallet 57 in the most diverse orientations.

The packing robot 32 may be attached to a hall floor or a hall ceiling. The packing robot 32 may have a gantry frame, which is not shown in detail in FIG. The gripper can be moved along the arrows 58 of FIG. 4 in an arbitrary angular position. The gripper 30 can rotate about its vertical axis (perpendicular to the plane of the drawing), as indicated by an arrow 60. The gripper 30 can be moved linearly (in the drawing plane of FIG. 4) to be moved under the cargo 22. The gripper 30 can be moved vertically (perpendicular to the plane of the drawing of FIG. 4) in order to lift the piece goods 22 out of a receiving region 62 on the conveyor 10. For further details on the function and operation of the gripper 30 reference is made to the above-mentioned German patent application DE 10 2006 053 695 AI.

Furthermore, an orientation recognition unit 80 may be provided. The orientation recognition unit 80 can have a camera 82 or another sensor that can detect an orientation, in particular the reference side 23, of the piece goods 22 on one of the conveyor elements 52 and / or the conveyor 10. The orientation recognition unit 80 has a computing unit 86 which is connected to the camera 82 via a fixed line 84 and / or wirelessly 88.

The orientation recognition unit 80 may be in terms of data technology with a controller (not shown), which is responsible for the pack software. However, the orientation recognition unit 80 may also execute the pack software itself. Based on the data generated by the orientation recognition unit 80, it can be determined by way of comparison with a predetermined packing pattern that specifies a desired orientation, from which direction (angular position) the gripper 30 moves under the piece goods 22 must in order to settle the male cargo 22 in a predetermined or desired orientation on the Euro pallet 57 can.

It is understood that the orientation recognition unit 80 can also be arranged further upstream relative to the conveyor 10. However, the orientation recognition unit 80 is preferably located in the vicinity of the conveyor 10 in order to be able to rule out that the orientation of a piece of goods 22 already recognized changes until this piece goods 22 has reached the receiving area 62 of the conveyor 10. Ideally, the receiving area 62 is also monitored directly by the orientation recognition unit 80.

Alternatively to the camera 82, e.g. Barcode readers, RFID readers, photocells, light curtains or the like can be used.

Referring to FIG. 5, a block diagram of a picking system 90 is shown. The picking system 90 has a goods receipt (WE) 92, which is connected via the conveyor elements 52 with a bearing 94 and a goods issue (WA) 96 in connection. Possibly, the packing station 50 of FIG. 4 is arranged in the goods outlet 96.

In the above description of the figures, the choice of the orientation of the coordinate systems is generally held to the usual designation in the storage logistics, so that the longitudinal direction of a shelf with X, the depth of the shelf (or the transverse direction of a RBG) with Z and the (vertical) height of the shelf was designated Y.

Furthermore, the same parts and features have been given the same reference numerals. The disclosures contained in the description are mutatis mutandis to the same parts and features with the same reference numerals. Location and orientation information (eg "top", "bottom", "side", "longitudinal", "transverse", "horizontal", "vertical" and the like) are to the figure immediately described based. In the event of a change in the situation or orientation, this information shall be transferred analogously to the new situation or orientation.

Claims

claims

A brush belt conveyor (10) for launching a piece (22) automatically picked up by a packing robot (32) and packed on a shipping load carrier (56), said brush belt conveyor (10) comprising: a frame (12) ;

Pulleys (16) rotatably mounted in the frame (12); a belt (18), which in a conveying direction (24) along the deflection rollers (16) rotates (20); the belt (18) having a transport side (19) provided with fibers (26); each fiber (26) having first and second ends (64, 66), the first end (64) of each fiber (26) being fixedly connected to the tape (18) and the second end (66) of each fiber (26). 26) protrudes freely from the transport side (19) of the band (18); wherein each fiber (26) protrudes so far from the transport side (19) that prongs (28) of a gripper (30) of the packing robot (32) are movable under the article (22) resting on the fibers (26); and wherein the fibers (26) are so hard and strong and are placed in a density on the belt (18) such that the cargo (22) rests on the second ends (66) of the fibers (26) without the fibers (26 ) substantially durchzubiegen.

A brush belt conveyor according to claim 1, wherein the fibers (26) are mounted in discrete groups (34), preferably in rows (36), on the transport side (19) such that there is clearance (37) between the groups (34). are.

A brush belt conveyor according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the belt (18) is made of an elastic material which is stretchable in the longitudinal direction (X) of the brush belt conveyor (10).

4. brush belt conveyor according to one of claims 1 to 3, wherein on the transport side (19) a receiving area (62) is defined, from which the packing robot (32) receives the piece goods (22), which arbitrarily oriented in the receiving area (62) is.

A brush belt conveyor according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the fibers (26) are so hard that the prongs (28) of the gripper (30) bend the fibers (26 ') sideways in the event of contact, and that the fibers (26) then, when the contact is terminated, automatically bend back to its original protruding position.

6. Packing station (50) for automatically packing a piece goods (22) on a conveyor belt (52) onto a shipping load carrier, comprising: a packing robot (32) with gripper (30); and a brush belt conveyor (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 5; wherein the gripper (30) has a plurality of, preferably parallel, tines (28) which are arranged in a plane (68, 70) and which, when the piece goods (22) are picked up by the brush belt conveyor (10) parallel to the transport side (19 ) are moved under the cargo (22), wherein the parcel (22) before receiving arbitrarily oriented on the brush belt conveyor (10).

7. packing station according to claim 6, wherein the packing robot (32) is adapted to move the gripper (20) linearly from a predetermined retraction direction (38) under the cargo (22) in a receiving area (62), wherein the predetermined retraction direction (38 ) corresponds to a desired orientation of the piece goods (22) relative to the gripper (30).

8. Packing station according to one of claims 6 or 7, wherein the packing robot (32) is arranged, when receiving the piece goods (32) parallel to the flat transport side (19) and with a fixed distance (ET) to the transport side (19) below to move the piece goods (22), and wherein the fibers (26) have a length (L), so that the fibers (26) protrude beyond the prongs (28) during the reception of the piece goods (22).

The packing station according to any one of claims 6 to 8, further comprising an orientation detecting unit (80) arranged to detect an orientation of the article (22) upstream relative to the gripper (30), the detected orientation direction having a desired orientation of the piece goods (22) and to convert the recognized orientation into control commands for the gripper (30), so that the gripper (30) in the retraction direction (38) under the cargo (22) is moved.

10. Packing station according to one of claims 6 to 9, wherein the retraction direction (38) perpendicular to a reference surface (23) of the piece goods (22) is oriented.