WO2017027909A1 - Palettiseur - Google Patents

Palettiseur Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2017027909A1
WO2017027909A1 PCT/AU2016/050739 AU2016050739W WO2017027909A1 WO 2017027909 A1 WO2017027909 A1 WO 2017027909A1 AU 2016050739 W AU2016050739 W AU 2016050739W WO 2017027909 A1 WO2017027909 A1 WO 2017027909A1
Authority
WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
abutments
abutment
groups
corner
palletised
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/AU2016/050739
Other languages
English (en)
Inventor
Peter Geoffrey Marks
Seyed Ali Mirfendereski
Justin Illingworth Hindle
Scott Alan Anderson
Kenneth James Orr
Jordan LEO
Original Assignee
Foodmach 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 AU2015903269A external-priority patent/AU2015903269A0/en
Application filed by Foodmach Pty Ltd filed Critical Foodmach Pty Ltd
Priority to AU2016309947A priority Critical patent/AU2016309947A1/en
Priority to CN201680048089.6A priority patent/CN107922131A/zh
Publication of WO2017027909A1 publication Critical patent/WO2017027909A1/fr

Links

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
    • B25J9/0093—Programme-controlled manipulators co-operating with conveyor means
    • 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
    • B65G61/00—Use of pick-up or transfer devices or of manipulators for stacking or de-stacking articles not otherwise provided for
    • 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
    • B65G47/00—Article or material-handling devices associated with conveyors; Methods employing such devices
    • B65G47/74—Feeding, transfer, or discharging devices of particular kinds or types
    • B65G47/90—Devices for picking-up and depositing articles or materials
    • B65G47/904—Devices for picking-up and depositing articles or materials provided with rotary movements only

Definitions

  • the present invention relates palletising systems and equipment, for palletising objects for transport and/or storage. It will be convenient to describe the invention as is relates to the palletising of cartons, such as cardboard cartons which are generally square or rectangular in shape, within which objects are packaged, although it is to be appreciated that the invention is not limited just to the palletising of cartons.
  • the present invention can be employed for palletising shrink wrapped drink containers.
  • the function of a palletiser is to manipulate the position of objects on a moving conveyor into a position so that a particular pattern of objects can be formed for placement on a shipping pallet.
  • the objects generally arrive at the palletiser in a uniform orientation and the gripping or clamping head of the palletiser is rotated on a robotic arm into a position in which it can grip or clamp one or more objects and thereafter, the object or objects are rotated to the appropriate orientation by rotation of the palletising head.
  • the palletising head in some forms will then place the object or objects on a pallet, or in other forms, the palletising head will release the object or objects once correctly oriented for further conveyance to a pallet loading position. For example, the object or objects can be released on the conveyor for travel on the conveyor to a waiting pallet.
  • Various different pallet patterns are assembled depending on the side and shape of the objects.
  • Palletising systems and equipment are used for positioning objects on pallets for transport and storage.
  • the objects are often single cardboard cartons of square or rectangular configuration within which are packaged a plurality of items, such as foods items or drink containers.
  • the objects alternatively can comprise a group of items which are assembled, grouped or placed together to form a square or rectangular body of items, but which are not otherwise fixed to each other.
  • These items could be a plurality of small individual cartons for example, that are assembled for palletising into a larger group of cartons which group has an overall square or rectangular configuration or perimeter.
  • objects for palletising can often be closely adjacent each other on a conveyer belt that feeds a palletiser and prior art palletisers often have palletising heads (the part of the palletiser that grips or clamps an object to be palletised) that are sufficiently bulky that either the palletising head will interfere with objects that are adjacent to the object that is to be clamped or gripped, or the adjacent objects will interfere with the palletising head. This can prevent an object from being properly clamped or gripped by the palletiser, thus affecting proper palletisation.
  • palletising heads the part of the palletiser that grips or clamps an object to be palletised
  • the systems employ a pick and place arrangement in which an object on a conveyer is lifted from the conveyer and placed on a pallet in the correct orientation.
  • Other forms of the palletising systems utilise grippers or clamps to grip or clamp objects and to rotate the objects on the conveying surface rather than lifting them from that surface.
  • the present invention relates to the latter form of palletiser in which an object is manipulated as it remains on the conveying surface rather than being lifted from that surface.
  • a palletiser including: a conveyor for conveying generally square or rectangular objects to be palletised towards a palletising head; a palletising head which is rotatable and which includes an abutment arrangement for engaging side surfaces of objects to be palletised, the abutment arrangement comprising first and second abutment groups which are spaced apart on opposite sides of a centre line of the palletising head and each of which includes two spaced apart abutments which are operable to engage side surfaces of an object to be palletised , the spacing between the first and second abutment groups being adjustable and the spacing between the abutments of each of the first and second abutment groups being adjustable; upon engagement of an object to be palletised by the abutment arrangement, the palletising head being operable to orientate the object through rotation of the palletising head in order to form a selected pattern of objects on a pallet.
  • a palletiser according to the invention is operable to engage side surfaces of objects to be palletised in order to clamp or grip the object or objects.
  • the palletising head can then orientate the object or objects so that they are in an orientation suitable to form a particular pattern when loaded on a pallet.
  • a palletiser according to the invention can actually place the objects on a pallet, or it can position or orientate the objects for loading onto a pallet thereafter.
  • a palletiser according to the invention can also advantageously position the first and second abutment groups and the abutments of those groups appropriately in order to properly clamp or grip the object or objects to be palletised.
  • the two spaced apart abutments of the first and second abutment groups of can comprise two corner abutments which are operable to engage the respective corners of an object to be palletised.
  • the side surfaces of the object that are engaged by the abutments are the side surfaces at the corners of the object.
  • the first and second abutment groups can include at least one intermediate abutment that is positioned between the corner abutments.
  • a palletiser according to the invention is operable to more securely clamp or grip the object or objects to be palletised than some prior art arrangements.
  • the abutments can be positioned optimally for engaging the sides of the object or objects to be palletised.
  • the sides of the object can be engaged by both of the abutments.
  • a respective abutment can engage the side of each object.
  • a palletiser according to the invention is operable to more securely clamp or grip the object or objects compared to some prior art arrangements in which clamping or gripping occurs only on opposite sides of the object or objects, rather than at the corners.
  • the palletising head of the present invention includes corner abutments which engage corners of an object or objects to be palletised, the object or objects are gripped or clamped in two different directions (X and Y directions), so that movement of an object relative to the palletiser during clamping or gripping by the palletising head is prevented.
  • the palletising head can therefore be driven at a much faster rate than in some prior art arrangements. Increases in speed of drive have been estimated to be between 50% and 100%.
  • the abutments of a palletiser according to the invention can be such as to only add marginally to the perimeter dimensions of the object or objects to be palletised. This means that the abutments will not ordinarily interfere with adjacent objects to be palletised, or in other words, adjacent objects to be palletised will not interfere with the proper gripping or clamping of an object or objects by the palletising head.
  • the additional dimension added by the abutments of the first and second abutment groups to the perimeter dimensions of the object or objects to be palletised is in the order of an extra 20mm, which is extremely minor and much less than many prior art arrangements.
  • corner abutments are provided, these can take any suitable form.
  • the corner abutments are formed of a right angle section so as to include sections that extend perpendicular to each other for engaging facing surfaces of the corner of an object to be palletised.
  • Those facing surfaces of the object to be palletised are the faces on each side of the apex of the corner of the object to be palletised.
  • the perpendicular length or depth of the respective sections of the right angle section can be equal or different, while the overall length or depth of the corner abutments must be sufficient to provide appropriate gripping or clamping load against the corners of the object to be palletised.
  • the corner abutments can also be of any suitable length to engage any suitable height portion of the corners of the object to be palletised.
  • the corner abutments can be elongate to extend along a substantial length of the corner of the object, or they can engage the object only towards the top or bottom end or surface of the object.
  • the elongate length of the corner abutments will be dependent on the type of objects to be palletised and the security of clamping engagement or gripping required.
  • the overall length of the corner abutments might therefore vary depending on the dimensions of the objects to be palletised, and in some forms of the invention, the overall length of the corner abutments might be adjustable, telescopically adjustable for example.
  • intermediate abutments can also be of any suitable shape or configuration.
  • the intermediate abutments can be of the same elongate length as the corner abutments.
  • the intermediate abutments can be generally flat or planar given that they are for engaging or gripping a flat face of an object rather than the corner of an object.
  • just the surface that will engage the objects to be palletised can be generally flat or planar.
  • the shape of the portion of the intermediate abutment that does not engage the objects to be palletised can be of a different shape and can for example, include stiffening ribs for stiffening the intermediate abutments.
  • the intermediate abutments can have a generally rectangular cross-section, with the long sides of the cross-section being significantly longer than the short side.
  • the intermediate abutments can be elongate rods that have a circular cross-section.
  • each abutment group including where provided the corner abutments and the intermediate abutments of each abutment group, can be aligned in the same general plane.
  • the corner abutments are formed to have a right-angle section, only one part of that section will strictly lie in the general plane mentioned above. The other part of that section will extend generally perpendicular to that plane.
  • the corner abutments will be generally in the same plane.
  • the abutment groups can be aligned generally parallel to each other so that during adjustment of the spacing between the abutment groups, the abutments groups remain parallel.
  • the adjustment in spacing can be a small relative movement between the abutment groups.
  • the movement can be in the order of 50mm.
  • the adjustment in spacing can be by one of the abutment groups moving toward and away from the other, so that one of the abutment groups remains stationary and the other moves, or both of the abutment groups can move. Where both of the abutment groups move, the movement can be to the same extent or to different extents. In most forms of the invention however, adjustment in spacing between the abutment groups is effected by simultaneous movement of both of the abutment groups to the same extent.
  • each abutment group can be connected to a bridging member and at least at one of the abutment groups can be moveable along the bridging member to adjust the spacing between the abutment groups. Any suitable arrangement can be provided to move the moveable abutment group.
  • each of the abutment groups is moveable so that adjustment of the spacing between the abutment groups comprises movement of the abutment groups towards and away from each other
  • the abutment groups can be connected to the bridging member along tracks that restrict the abutment movement to linear movement.
  • the drive for the abutment groups can be by connection to a toothed belt, Vee belt or chain or the like, which extends about a pair of pulleys, wheels or gears, one of which is drivable in each of clockwise and anti-clockwise directions.
  • Other forms of drive are applicable, including, hydraulic or pneumatic ram drive, worm gear drive and rack and pinion drive.
  • Adjustment of the spacing between the abutments of each of the first and second abutment groups can be made in the same or a similar manner to adjustment in the spacing between the abutment groups.
  • each of the abutments can be connected to a toothed belt, Vee belt or chain which extends about a pair of pulleys, wheels or gears, one of which is driven.
  • the other forms listed above for the abutment groups can be employed for the abutments to drive the abutments toward and away from each other.
  • the abutments of the two abutment groups can be moved together through a single drive arrangement, and this is typically desirable for objects for palletisation that are square or rectangular, as the abutments of the respective abutment groups generally will be positioned at the same position, such as at either ends of a square or rectangular object.
  • the respective abutments at each end of the abutment groups can be connected together and the connection can be driven inwardly or outwardly to shift the positon of the abutments simultaneously.
  • the corner abutments at one end of the respective abutment groups are mounted on rods that extend inwardly to a mounting block and the mounting block is moved along a track resulting in movement of the two corner abutments with it.
  • those corner abutments at the other end of the abutment groups are also to be moveable, those corner abutments can be connected in the same manner as the other corner abutments and the respective mounting blocks of each pair of corner abutments can be connected to opposite sides of a belt in a drive arrangement of the kind discussed above which employs a toothed belt, Vee belt or chain or the like.
  • the track can be mounted on a supporting member such as to which the palletising head is connected to a robot arm.
  • the supporting member and the bridging member referred to earlier can be orientated perpendicular to each other to facilitate the different directions of movement that the respective members allow.
  • the rods can be mounted to the mounting blocks for movement into and out of the mounting blocks to facilitate movement of the corner abutments and thus the abutment groups towards and away from each other as described above.
  • This arrangement can also apply to abutments that are not corner abutments but that are at the same position in the respective abutment groups and that are intended to move together.
  • the present invention covers arrangements in which all of the abutments are movable to vary the spacing between them.
  • the present invention also covers arrangements in which not all abutments are movable.
  • a palletising head according to the invention can thus alter the spacing between spaced apart abutment groups and between abutments that form part of those abutment groups. By this arrangement, opposite sides of a square or rectangular object can readily be gripped or clamped at appropriate positions.
  • corner abutments are provided, the length and width, or X and Y dimensions of a square or rectangular object, such as a carton, can be gripped or clamped in each of the X and Y directions by the corner abutments and intermediate faces or surfaces of the carton can be gripped or clamped by any intermediate abutments that are provided.
  • This has the benefit of providing a clamping or gripping force in two different directions and differs from the prior art that grips only on two opposite sides of an object at fixed positions.
  • the present invention therefore does not rely on frictional engagement between the abutments and an object which is clamped or gripped, to maintain the position of an object in the direction in which there is no direct clamping or gripping load.
  • a single intermediate abutment can be provided or a plurality of intermediate abutments can be provided.
  • each abutment group includes three intermediate abutments, and in other forms of the invention, eight or ten intermediate abutments are provided.
  • the number of intermediate abutments can be influenced by the size of the palletising head and by the size of the objects that the palletising head is envisaged to work with.
  • the palletiser does not include any intermediate abutments.
  • the palletiser includes four abutments only and these can be four end or corner abutments only.
  • the palletiser does not include corner abutments for engaging the corners of an object to be palletised, but rather, includes separate side abutments and optionally, end abutments in order to engage the ends of an object rather than the corners of the object.
  • This arrangement enables an object to be engaged in one or two different and perpendicular directions (X and Y directions) by engagement of the sides and ends of an object. The engagement thus can be inboard of the corners of the objects rather than being at the corners.
  • the palletiser includes a single intermediate abutment in each of the abutment groups, that intermediate abutment of each group might be fixed rather than moveable.
  • the intermediate abutment can therefore be positioned at a mid-point between the two end or corner abutments and remain in that position when the spacing between the end or corner abutments is altered.
  • intermediate abutments where provided could be fixed and other intermediate abutments might be moveable with the end or corner abutments.
  • one end or corner abutment can be movable and one can be fixed and one or more intermediate abutments can be movable and others fixed.
  • each of the end or corner abutments and the intermediate abutment or abutments are movable to adjust the spacing between all of the respective abutments as required.
  • any suitable arrangement can be employed to cause that movement.
  • a geared arrangement can be employed for example.
  • the applicant has developed a relatively simple arrangement that employs a flexible connector that can be resilient in addition to flexible.
  • the flexible connector can connect to each of the end or corner abutments and the intermediate abutments and can act as a spacer and a spring. When the end or corner abutments and the intermediate abutments are at their maximum spacing, the flexible connector can be straight or at maximum extension. As the spacing between the corner abutments and the intermediate abutments reduces, the flexible connector can slacken.
  • the flexible connector can droop and have no influence over the movement of the abutments, or in some forms the material of the flexible connector can be such as to resiliently displace away from straight into a sinusoidal or other relatively uniform shape between the abutments, while also maintaining a substantially equal distance between the abutments as they move.
  • the flexible connector can operate to maintain a generally uniform spacing between abutments by its own resilience.
  • the flexible connector can return towards a straight condition, and in some resilient forms can continue to maintain a substantially equal distance between the abutments as they move.
  • the flexible connector is not required to be resilient. Applicant has employed webbing as the flexible connector and when webbing is used, the intermediate abutments will not necessarily move uniformly as the abutments move towards and away from each other. Rather, the intermediate abutments can float, so that the spacing between them will not be uniform, but ultimately they will return to maximum spacing when the webbing is at its maximum extension. This point of maximum spacing will also result in uniform spacing. This arrangement is simple and the movement of the abutments has been found to be acceptable.
  • Figure 1 is a perspective view of a palletising system according to the invention.
  • Figure 2 is a perspective view of the palletising head of Figure 1 in a fully expanded position.
  • Figure 3 is a perspective view of the palletising head of Figure 1 in an intermediate position.
  • Figure 4 is a perspective view of the palletising head of Figure 1 in a fully retracted position.
  • Figures 5, 6 and 7 are underneath views of the palletiser head of Figures 2 to 4, in the fully expanded, intermediate and retracted positions respectively.
  • Figure 8 is a partial view of an abutment group of the palletiser head of the earlier figures.
  • Figure 9 is a sequential illustration showing a partial view of the palletiser arrangement of Figure 1 manipulating cartons into a pallet pattern.
  • Figure 1 illustrates in perspective view, a palletising system 10 which includes a conveyor 1 1 (only a portion of which is shown), that has a pair of belt conveyor sections 12 and 13.
  • the conveyor sections 12 and 13 are separate sections that can be operated independently to run at different speeds.
  • a group of three cartons 14 which have been assembled together upstream of the conveyor 12 are illustrated on the conveyor 12 with the direction of progress along the conveyor 1 1 being towards the conveyor 13.
  • the group of three cartons 14 can be considered to constitute an "object" to be palletised as hereinbefore described.
  • the palletising system 10 includes a plurality of pallets in a pallet stack 19 which are loaded into the stacked position shown by forklift and which are fed to a palletising region 28 of the system 10 by an automated arrangement, and as each pallet of the pallet stack 19 is loaded to capacity, it is conveyed out of the system 10 to a dispatch position.
  • the stacked pallet 21 is illustrated as being conveyed in that manner.
  • the pallet 21 is shown loaded with 7 layers of cartons, each layer including 8 groups of 3 cartons (or 8 groups of 3 objects).
  • the pallet 21 can be shifted to the end of the conveyor 22 for access by a forklift to be taken to a position either for transport or storage.
  • the manner in which the pallets of the pallet stack 19 are stacked and conveyed into the palletising region 28 and thereafter moved to the position of the pallet 21 is important for the operation of the palletising system 10 overall, but does not have significant influence on the invention described herein. Accordingly, there will be no further discussion in relation to the mechanisms provided for movement of pallets through the palletising system 10 as it is expected that a person skilled in the art would understand how those mechanisms operate.
  • the palletising system 10 includes a robotic arm 25 and a robotic head 26.
  • the robotic arm 25 is rotatable and is articulated, so that the head 26 can engage the carton group 14 and shift and rotate the group 14 as required to form the appropriate carton pattern as is being formed at the assembly section 27.
  • a carton group 15 is currently engaged by the head 26 for orientation.
  • the carton group 15 is then conveyed to the assembly section 27, where groups of pre-orientated cartons are assembled into a particular pattern for conveying onto the palletising region 28.
  • the palletising region 28 is formed on what is known as a "stripper", which is a supporting surface that is extended to support a layer of cartons conveyed thereto, and which can be withdrawn to allow the assembled layer to be loaded either directly on to the upper surface of a pallet of the pallet stack 19, or on top of a layer which has already been loaded on to a pallet.
  • the operation of a stripper would be known to a person skilled in the art.
  • the operation of the system 10 is to load a pallet of the pallet stack 19 into position below the palletising region 28 and to then lay cartons onto the pallet.
  • the pallet on which the cartons have been loaded is progressively lowered as carton layers are added until such time as seven layers have been loaded onto the pallet.
  • the loaded pallet is then conveyed away from the palletising region 28 as is initially shown by pallet 29.
  • the robotic arm 25 can rotate about a vertical axis, and the articulated sections of the arm 25 allow the arm 25 to raise and lower the head 26. Thus, the head 26 can be shifted through three-dimensional movement.
  • the head 26 of the palletising system 10 has a unique construction which offers significant benefits to the operation of the system 10.
  • the robotic head 26 is illustrated individually and separate from the other components of the system 10 in Figures 2 to 4.
  • Figures 2 to 4 show the head 26 in three different configurations, being a fully open position in Figure 2, and fully closed position in Figure 4, and an intermediate position between open and closed in Figure 3.
  • the head 26 includes abutments for engaging side surfaces of objects, such as the cartons shown in Figure 1 , which are to be palletised.
  • the abutments comprise first and second abutment groups 31 and 32 which are spaced apart on opposite sides of a centre line C of the head 26 and which comprise a pair of corner abutments 33 and a plurality of intermediate abutments 34. Three intermediate abutments 34 are shown but there could be more or less.
  • the corner abutments 33 are formed to have a right-angled cross-section, while the intermediate abutments 34 are flat.
  • the cross-section of the intermediate abutments 34 could be altered to increase the stiffness of the abutments if required, such that the intermediate abutments 34 could be T-shaped in cross-section for example.
  • the corner abutments 33 are intended to engage corners of an object to be palletised, while the intermediate abutments 34 are intended to engage against side surfaces of the object, inboard of the corners.
  • the corner abutments 33 therefore are intended to engage on either side of the apex of a corner, being surfaces at the corner which are substantially perpendicular to each other.
  • the abutment groups 31 and 32 can move toward and away from each other in the X direction, while the corner abutments 33 and the intermediate abutments 34 can move in the Y direction.
  • Figures 3 and 4 in which in Figure 3, the abutment groups 31 and 32 have been moved together in the X direction and the corner abutments 33 and intermediate abutments 34 have been moved together in the Y direction.
  • Figure 3 there is still further movement that can be provided through the abutment groups 31 and 32 and the corner and intermediate abutments 33 and 34, and that further movement is shown in Figure 4.
  • the smallest form of object that can be gripped or engaged by the abutment groups 31 and 32 is shown, while the maximum form of object is that which is shown in Figure 2.
  • the abutment groups 31 and 32 are mounted on rods 36 and 37 at each end of the groups 31 and 32.
  • the rods 36 and 37 are fixed at either end to the abutment groups 31 and 32 and at opposite ends, are slidably accommodated within mounting blocks 38.
  • Figure 5 which is an underneath view of the palletising head 26.
  • the rods 36 and 37 are slightly offset in the Y direction and each extends through a dedicated opening through the respective mounting blocks 38. As shown in Figures 6 and 7, as the rods 36 and 37 push through the mounting blocks 38, they extend towards opposite sides of the palletising head 26.
  • the mechanism that drives movement of the abutment groups 31 and 32 towards each other is illustrated in Figures 5 to 7 and include toothed wheels 40 and 41 about which a toothed 42 belt extends.
  • the toothed wheel 40 is driven by an electric servo motor 43.
  • the position of the toothed wheel 41 is adjustable via a simple adjustment mechanism 44 (see Figure 2 to 4), so that the tension in the toothed belt 42 can be appropriately set.
  • the respective abutment groups 31 and 32 are attached to opposite sides of the belt 42, so that rotation of the toothed wheel 40 in clockwise direction moves the belt 42 in the directions shown by the arrows of Figure 5 and so that the abutments groups 31 and 32 will move towards each other. Rotation of the toothed wheel 40 in an anti-clockwise direction will move the abutment groups 31 and 32 in the opposite direction away from each other.
  • the respective abutment groups 31 and 32 are attached to mounting brackets 55, which are slidably fixed to tracks 57 which extend lengthwise along the underside of the bridging member 56. The abutment groups 31 and 32 are thus connected to the rods 36 and 37, to the belt 42 and to the tracks 57 of the bridging member 56 via the mounting brackets 55.
  • a servo motor 50 (also seen in Figures 2 to 4), is operable to rotate a first toothed wheel 51 which drives toothed belt 52 about a second toothed wheel 51 .
  • the respective mounting blocks 38 are fixed to opposite sides of the toothed belt 42, so that rotation of the toothed wheel 51 in a clockwise direction as shown in Figure 5, moves the mounting blocks 38 towards each other, while movement in the anti-clockwise direction, moves them apart.
  • the mounting blocks 38 can be moved towards each other (or away from each other), and by that movement, the corner abutments 33 which are attached to the rods 36 and 37, also move towards each other. That movement is along tracks 53 on which each of the corner and intermediate abutments 33 and 34 are mounted for sliding movement. While the tracks 53 are shown in Figures 2 and 5, they are also apparent from Figures 3, 4, 6 and 7.
  • the tracks 53 are connected to mounting plates 54 which attach to the mounting brackets 55, which, as described earlier, are slidably fixed to the underside of the bridging member 56 on tracks 57.
  • the flexible connector 60 can just be flexible, or it can be resilient in that it applies a movement load to the intermediate abutments 34 as the corner abutments 33 move relative to each other, to either move the intermediate abutments 34 towards each other and thus towards the position shown in Figure 7, or away from each other, back to the position shown in Figure 5.
  • the flexible connector 60 thus acts in the manner of a spring so that the spacing between the respective abutments 33 and 34 is generally even between the extended and retracted positions of Figures 5 and 7.
  • the flexible connector 60 is fixed to the corner and intermediate abutments 33 and 34 at fixing positions 61 , so that as the corner abutments 33 begin to move towards each other from the extended position of Figure 2, the connector 60 starts to flex towards the sinusoidal position of Figure 6 and in doing so, the flexible connector 60 causes the intermediate abutments 34 to shift towards each other.
  • the flexible connector 60 has reached its maximum point at which it is operable to move the intermediate abutments 34, given that the sections of the connector 60 not connected to the abutments 33 or 34 are generally parallel.
  • the flexible connector 60 can be formed from any suitable material, such as fabric webbing, polyurethane, rubber or similar.
  • the objects to be manipulated by the palletising head 26 will all be of the same dimensions for each palletising job, so that the same repetitive movement between open and gripping or clamping positions will be made by the abutment groups 31 and 32 over and over again.
  • the palletising head is required to grip or clamp multiple cartons and the number of cartons per grip or clamp will vary, so that a different movement between open and gripping or clamping positions will be made by the abutment groups 31 and 32 for each gripping or clamping movement. This can occur when a particular palletising pattern requires different numbers of cartons to be grouped together in different sections of the pattern. Where the objects are cartons, the variation in dimensions from one carton to the next will be negligible, but the dimension of the carton group will change.
  • the principle function of the palletising head 26 is to grip or clamp an object (a carton or group of cartons for example) and to orient the object for proper loading onto a pallet.
  • Figure 9 illustrates a sequence of movements of the palletising head 26 in order to complete one layer of cartons for loading onto a pallet.
  • the first image of Figure 9 shows cartons 14 being conveyed toward the palletising head 26 and subsequent images show the cartons 14 being shifted and rotated.
  • the images show additional cartons 14 being shifted and rotated to form the final pallet pattern illustrated in the final image of Figure 9. All of the cartons in this example are of the same dimension and simply require appropriate positioning and orientation.
  • a major advantage of the pallet head 26 as illustrated and described above, is that the cartons illustrated in Figure 9 are gripped in each of two directions at the corners of the carton. This differs from some prior art arrangements in which gripping or clamping of a carton is only against one pair of opposite sides of the carton and not against the carton ends. With that prior art arrangement, when the head is moved rapidly, the cartons can shift relative to the head, so that the final position they assume for palletising is incorrect.
  • palletising heads are used to clamp or grip groups of cartons or objects, and again, upon rapid movement of the palletising head, cartons or objects within the group can shift relative to the remainder of the group.
  • the invention provides for gripping or clamping cartons at their corners or at each of the ends and sides of the cartons so that in each case, gripping or clamping occurs in the X and Y directions.
  • the speed of palletising is limited by the friction between the palletiser and the object, or between the plurality of items that might make up an object.
  • the present invention dispenses reliance on friction by gripping the object in two directions.
  • the corner and intermediate abutments 33 and 34 are very slim and therefore do not add significantly to the dimensions of the objects being clamped or gripped.
  • the extended Figure 2 arrangement can be suitable to grip an object or multiple objects having an overall dimension of 1200mm x 600mm, while the Figure 4 retracted arrangement can define internal dimensions of 150mm x 100mm.
  • the thickness of the intermediate abutments 34 only adds about another 20mm on each side of the object or objects. Accordingly, the abutments 33 and 34 are unlikely to interfere with objects that are closely adjacent the object which is being gripped or clamped because the spacing between objects on conveyers tends to be much greater than 20mm.
  • the palletising head 26 illustrated in the figures is more compact than some prior art arrangements, and can operate at a faster rate than comparable prior art arrangements. Despite this, the cost of the palletising head in not significantly greater than prior art arrangements and the advantages that the palletising head 26 provides are considered to greatly outweigh any increase in cost.

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Robotics (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Pallets (AREA)
  • Stacking Of Articles And Auxiliary Devices (AREA)
  • Escalators And Moving Walkways (AREA)

Abstract

L'invention concerne un palettiseur (10) comprenant un convoyeur (11) pour transporter des objets généralement carrés ou rectangulaires à palettiser vers une tête de palettisation (26). La tête de palettisation (26) peut tourner et comporte un agencement de butée pour mettre en prise des surfaces latérales d'objets à palettiser. L'agencement de butée comprend des premier et second groupes de butées (31) et (32) qui sont espacés sur des côtés opposés d'une ligne centrale C de la tête de palettisation (26), et dont chacun comprend deux butées espacées (33, 34) qui sont conçues pour mettre en prise des surfaces latérales d'un objet à palettiser. L'espacement entre les groupes de butées (31) et (32) est réglable, et l'espacement entre les butées (33, 34) de chacun des premier et second groupes de butées (31) et (32) est réglable. Lors de la prise d'un objet à palettiser par l'agencement de butée, la tête de palettisation (26) est conçue pour orienter l'objet par l'intermédiaire de la rotation de la tête de palettisation (26) de façon à former un motif sélectionné d'objets sur une palette.
PCT/AU2016/050739 2015-08-14 2016-08-12 Palettiseur WO2017027909A1 (fr)

Priority Applications (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
AU2016309947A AU2016309947A1 (en) 2015-08-14 2016-08-12 A palletiser
CN201680048089.6A CN107922131A (zh) 2015-08-14 2016-08-12 码垛机

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
AU2015903269 2015-08-14
AU2015903269A AU2015903269A0 (en) 2015-08-14 A palletiser

Publications (1)

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WO2017027909A1 true WO2017027909A1 (fr) 2017-02-23

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WO2020088980A1 (fr) * 2018-10-31 2020-05-07 Khs Gmbh Unité de préhension pour une couche inférieure
WO2022165568A1 (fr) * 2021-02-06 2022-08-11 Máquinas Sanmartin Ltda Agencement structural pour tête de palettisation et système en mouvement continu

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