CA2156640A1 - Multipalletizer of robot type - Google Patents
Multipalletizer of robot typeInfo
- Publication number
- CA2156640A1 CA2156640A1 CA 2156640 CA2156640A CA2156640A1 CA 2156640 A1 CA2156640 A1 CA 2156640A1 CA 2156640 CA2156640 CA 2156640 CA 2156640 A CA2156640 A CA 2156640A CA 2156640 A1 CA2156640 A1 CA 2156640A1
- Authority
- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- multipalletizer
- gripper units
- gripper
- movable jaw
- packages
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status 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 status listed.)
- Abandoned
Links
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Classifications
-
- 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
Landscapes
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
- Manipulator (AREA)
Abstract
The invention relates to a multipalletizer of robot type including a grasping device, and a means of moving the grasping device between at least one package grabbing area and at least one package depositing area.
According to the invention, the grasping device includes a plurality of gripper units (100) arranged side by side and each including two jaws (101), at least one of which is movable, an actuation device (102) which moves at least one movable jaw of each gripper unit in a first direction, and a separation device (105, 106, 107) for moving the gripper units (100) relative to one another in a second direction. The computing means and a mass memory in which programs determining palletizing layouts are stored enable the multipalletizers to be configured for the execution of a specified palletizing layout.
According to the invention, the grasping device includes a plurality of gripper units (100) arranged side by side and each including two jaws (101), at least one of which is movable, an actuation device (102) which moves at least one movable jaw of each gripper unit in a first direction, and a separation device (105, 106, 107) for moving the gripper units (100) relative to one another in a second direction. The computing means and a mass memory in which programs determining palletizing layouts are stored enable the multipalletizers to be configured for the execution of a specified palletizing layout.
Description
~15~
The subject of the present invention i8 a multi-palletizer of robot type including a grasping device, and a means of moving the grasping device between at least one package grabbing area and at least one package depositing area.
Multipalletizing is a palletizing technique according to which one and the same machine produces several models of pallets at the same time or in suc-cession.
Several multipalletizing techniques are known.
On the one hand, layer depositing multipallet-izers are known which deposit several layers on pallets during loading and which are carried by a shuttle-carriage (for example the model sold under the trademark OCME). These palletizers can produce layers of different products in succession and require, upstream of the palletizers, only small stockpiles of each type of product, of an amount correspon~;ng to around two complete layers.
On the other hand, conventional layer depositing multipalletizers are known, the equipment of which makes it possible, however, to deal with several types of whole pallets in succession. In this case, the products upstream of the palletizers have to be stored in large expensive stockpiles of each type of product correspond-ing to around 1.5 pallets.
Finally, robot type multipalletizers are known which may be of several types, firstly multipalletizers of polar type, that is to say whose movements are organ-ized according to polar coordinates, for example such asthose which are manufactured under the trademarks VEGA, ACMA, STAUBLI etc., the robots of "SCARA" type which have a rotary central mast to which one or two arms are attached, one of which may be rotary, and finally the so-called cartesian robots, that is to say whose dis-placements are organized in accordance with cartesian coordinates X, Y, Z.
Robot multipalletizers include a grasping member, for example a gripper or alternatively suckers, which in most cases grab one or two packages only. Certain robot 21~G~ ~O
multipalletizers are capable merely of grabbing complete rows of identically oriented packages, and this technique therefore enormously limits the possibilities of varie-ties of palletizing layouts. Robot multipalletizers according to other technologies enable rows of non-identically oriented packages to be grabbed. Finally, certain robot multipalletizers are capable of grabbing complete layers. These robot multipalletizers all have the advantage of a minimal stockpile of each category of product, this being limited to a few packages.
In general, employing a robot multipalletizer is a beneficial compromise since it is of low bulk, but its drawback is of not allowing a fast rate since it can only adapt to a large variety of dimensions of packages and of palletizing layouts for the numerous different pallets being palletized (around 3 to 8) at the cost of a reduction in the rate of grasping which usually has to be unitary (package by package) precisely to allow the said adaptation. If, however, it is wished to operate a robot multipalletizer at a high rate in terms of the number of packages per hour, the solution is to grab the packages in complete rows. However, given that the existing graspers find difficulty in grabbing packages of different sizes in succession, the multipalletizer is no longer in this case a true multipalletizer, since its adaptability is limited to one or two similar sizes of different packages and just to a few palletizing layouts.
The subject of the present invention is a robot type multipalletizer which makes it possible, while preserving the advantage of low bulk of this type of apparatus, to reconcile at one and the same time a high rate and high adaptability to various types of packages and to various palletizing layouts.
For this purpose, the invention relates to a multipalletizer of robot type including a grasping device, and a means of moving the grasping device between at least one package grabbing area and at least one package depositing area, characterized in that the grasping device includes:
2156G ~O
, - a plurality of gripper units arranged side by side and each including two jaws, at least one of which is movable, - an actuation device which moves at least one movable jaw of each gripper unit in a first direction, and - a separation device for moving the gripper units relative to one another in a second direction.
Employing the actuation device in conjunction with the separation device makes it possible easily and rapidly to configure the grasping device in two dimen-sions, thus giving it high adaptability, given that the grasping device is for example just as capable of grabbing one or two packages of small or large size as of grabbing a plurality of packages for example in whole rows.
It is particularly advantageous that, for all the positions of the actuation device, the jaws situated on the same side remain aligned. In this way, a configur-ation of the grasping device is wholly determined by onthe one hand the separation between the jaws, which is the same for all the grippers, and the spacing between the jaws.
According to a preferred embodiment, at least one gripper unit includes two movable jaws which are moved by the actuation device. This makes it possible in particular, during an operation of loading a pallet, to choose one or the other of the jaws as a reference, thus enabling, in particular, a device for pivoting the set of gripper units to have an angular swing limited to 90.
The actuation device can include a plurality of actuation elements such as jacks, each of which is coupled to a different movable jaw.
According to a particularly advantageous variant, at least one gripper unit includes a first rail of general inverted U shape, the movement of which is controlled by the separation device, and the device includes first carriages driven by the actuation device and each of which is integral with a movable jaw and 21~6G 9O
_ slides in the first rail. The first and second branches of the inverted U can have, in the vicinity of their lower end, a first and a second indentation having a profile cooperating with a complementary profile of a first and a second wheel, respectively, constituting the said carriage, and which are mounted on an upper face of a correspon~;ng movable jaw. This makes it possible to preserve a compact and relatively unbulky, in terms of height, structure for the grasping device.
The movable jaw can exhibit a plane active face for grabbing packages ext~n~;ng on the one hand vertically downwards beyond the lower end of the first and second branches of the inverted U, and on the other hand perpendicularly to the direction of movement of the movable jaw along the rail.
The end of the first and of the second branch of the inverted U advantageously exhibits a bent-back region coming into the vicinity of the upper face of the movable jaw.
It is advantageous for a jack for actuating a movable jaw to be housed inside the said rail.
The multipalletizer may then include two actuation jacks housed head-to-tail inside the rail, each movable jaw being movable between a position of maximum opening situated in the vicinity of a first and a second end of the rail and a position of ~-Y;mum closure situated substantially midway from the ends of the rail.
The device for separating the gripper units of the grasping member can include a plurality of looped drive belts driven by the same motor, but by pinions whose diameters are in given ratios. The gripper units are advantageously mounted in pairs on opposite strands of the loop of a same drive belt such that the two gripper units of the same pair are driven in opposite directions, a first central pair of gripper units including two adjacent gripper units driven by a first belt propelled by a first pinion of smaller diameter do~
whilst at least one second pair of gripper units including two gripper units adjacent to the gripper units _ of the first pair is driven by a second belt propelled by a second pinion of diameter _ do with _ ~ 1.
Preferably, _ = 3, thus achieving the notable result that with a single drive motor, one and the same value of angular displacement of the motor guarantees one and the same difference of inter-axial gap between each of the gripper units, which in other words makes it possible to maintain constant intervals between the adjacent grippers.
The separation device can include a second rail of inverted U shape, in which second carriages, each integral with a gripper unit, slide.
The gripper units placed outermost can each carry a pair of pallet grabbing hooks articulated about an axis of rotation as well as a mechanism for commanding the rotation of the said hooks. The said hooks can in particular carry an insert aspiration sucker at their lower part. According to a preferred embodiment of this variant, in a nominal angular position of the hooks, the axis of the suckers is vertical and at least one movable jaw is integral with a finger forming an angular stop of the correspon~;ng hook in the said nominal angular position, when the movable jaw is in a given nominal position for example the position of full opening of the jaws. In this configuration when it is wished to under-take the placement of inserts, the jaws of the grasping device are arranged at full opening at least as regards the endmost grippers, and the finger then forms a stop for the hook in the position suitable for carrying out the placement of inserts with the aid of the aspirating sucker, this stop being cleared by moving the movable jaw into a position of partial closure, this making it possible to use the hooks with a greater angular opening allowing pallet grabbing.
The multipalletizer can include computing means and a mass memory in which are stored programs for determining, from the geometry of the packages to be palletized, the optimal palletizing layout(s) to be adopted and the correspon~;ng configuration of the ~156G4~
_ palletizer, actuators enabling the palletizer to be configured for the execution of the specified palletizing layout.
The palletizer can then include a programmable S controller for the command of actuators and the said computing means include a microcomputer connected via a communication link to the programmable controller. The microcomputer can in particular include means enabling an operator to control the programmable controller.
It is advantageous that the computing means include display means, preferably a screen making it possible to indicate to the operator the configuration of the palletizer to be implemented correspon~;ng to the palletizing layout to be adopted.
The palletizer can preferably include, stored in a mass memory, a finite number, preferably greater than 100 and preferably greater than 200, of geometries and of corresp~n~;ng optimized palletizing layouts and include computing means for determining which stored geometry is most like the geometry of a package to be palletized, and can carry out the reA~;ng from the mass memory and preferably the displaying on a screen of the COrre8pQn~; ng palletizing layout.
Other characteristics, advantages and details of the invention will emerge better on reA~;ng the descrip-tion which will follow, given by way of non-limiting example, in connection with the appended drawings, in which:
- Figures la and 1_ represent, in side and plan views, the general configuration of a multipalletizer according to the invention, - Figures 2a and 2b respectively represent, in side view and through a section A-A, a robot type multi-palletizer head including a grasping device in accordance with a preferred ~hodiment of the invention, - Figure 2c represents a plan view of Figure la, - Figures 3a to 3c illustrate a cycle of grabbing and depositing a package employing a gra~ping device according to Figures la, 1_ and 2, ~_ ~la66~0 - Figures 4 to 12 illustrate various palletizing configurations which can be employed with a grasping device according to the invention, - Figures 13a to 13c illustrate an operation of grabbing a pallet employing the hooks cooperating with a grasping device according to the invention, - Figure 14 represents a device for rotating the said hooks, - Figures 15a to 15c illustrate an inserts placement operation employing suckers cooperating on the one hand with the aforesaid pallet grabbing hooks and on the other hand with the grasping device according to the invention, and - Figure 16 is a diagram of a computing and control unit capable of being employed in the palletizer according to the present invention.
According to Figures la and 1_, the whole of the grasper is tied to the vertical mast 200 guiding the vertical axis Z (drive via a motor 125 and ~ notched belt 120).
A carriage 121 which provides for the movements on the Y axis supports the vertical mast 200. The carri-age 121 is driven by a motor 126 and a notched belt. A
chassis 210 supports the carriage 121 and is driven by a motor 122 and notched belts 127. The chassis 210 is guided by a fixed chassis 123 which includes rails 205 and 206.
The fixed chassis 123 provides the link between the multipalletizer and the ground and also supports the protector elements to provide for the safety of personnel (pallet-retA;n;ng barrier, wire mesh panels, wire mesh access doors, etc.). The fixed chassis 123 also supports the electrical cabinet. The grasping member such as described above provides for the flexibility of the multipalletizer and by dint of its design, it makes it possible, as was shown above, to grab in succession loads of highly variable dimensions in groups of rows of 1, 2, 3 or 4 packages all identically oriented. The simplicity of operation makes it readily usable with a program of ~la 66 4 0 -pallet makeups stored in memory in a microprocessor, in order to achieve numerous possibilities of palletizing layouts with numerous package dimensions.
The number of packages to be presented on the preparation table and their direction of orientation can change from one grabbing to another by virtue of a pivoting stop 119 placed upstream of the preparation table 124.
The packages are abutted on the roll-type prepar-ation table and a centrer positions them, always on theaxis.
With reference to Figures 2a, 2_ and 2c, the mast 200 of a multipalletizer includes a head 201 which is capable of moving along two axes X, Y in cartesian coordinates in the horizontal plane and along the verti-cal axis Z. These three translational degrees of freedom enable it to perform the motions required for a U cycle of grabbing packages on a stockpile table, of lifting these packages, of transporting these packages into vertical alignment with a pallet and of depositing packages on the pallet being made up.
The head includes a rotationally movable platen 202, this rotational movement being provided for by a pneumatic jack 113 cooperating with a damper 114 riding on a cam 115 making it possible to reduce the end-of-motion impacts or rebounds. The platen 202 carries the grasping device designated by the general tag 210. The latter includes a plurality of gripper units each of which is designated by the tag 100. In the example represented, the gripper units 100 are four in number.
Each gripper unit 100 includes a roller-type guide consisting of two rollers 104 each of which has a groove 166 cooperating with an indentation 164 of a rail 160 integral with the platen 202 via its upper edge 161.
The rail 160 is of inverted U shape having two downwardly directed side branches 162 and 163 respectively in which indentations 164 are made, the end of the U's terminating in a hook-~haped region 165 bent back inwards. The four gripper units 100 are guided by this common rail 160 and ~la6640 g are moved by means which allow their separation to be varied.
To do this, a motor 105 drives two notched belts 106 and 107 respectively by way of pinions 106 ' and 107' 5 respectively, the diameters of which are in the same ratio as the homothetic movements of the gripper units.
The two gripper units 100 which are situated nearest the centre are coupled to the belt 106 by clips 109 and 110 respectively, fixed to opposite strands of the belt 106 10 (situated respectively to the front and to the rear of Figure la) in such a way that a movement of the belt 106 drives these two gripper units 100 in opposite direc-tions. The two gripper units 100 which are situated outermost are for their part driven by the belt 107 by way of clips 108 and 111 respectively which, as in the previous case, are integral with opposite strands of the belt 107, situated to the front and to the rear respect-ively of Figure la. This enables the separation between the gripper units 100 to be varied with a single control motor 105. In particular in the case in which the ratio between the diameters of the pinions 107' and 106 ' is equal to 3, for any displacement _ of the belt 106 induced by a rotation of the motor by a given angle produces a variation ~ in the gap between the gripper units 100 which is equal to 2 _.
An incremental coder 112 tied to the rotation of the motor 105 by way of belts 106 and 107 gives the position of the gripper units 100 which should theoretic-ally be centred on the axis of the cartons.
With this system, the grasper can seize for example four cartons from 150 to 300 mm long or alterna-tively three cartons from 300 to 400 mm long or alterna-tively two cartons from 400 to 600 mm long or alterna-tively a single carton from 600 to 1200 mm long, etc Each gripper unit 100 is provided with two movable jaws designated by the general tag 101. As a variant, it is also possible to employ just a single movable jaw, the fixed jaw serving in any event as reference when grabbing packages. However, employing two ~156640 _ movable jaws allows a given capacity of width of packages to be grabbed (varying for example between 150 and 600 mm) within a smaller bulk than with a single movable jaw. To this end, the actuation device includes for 5 example two jacks 102 mounted head-to-tail in parallel inside a rail 150 of inverted U shape and in which are housed grooved rollers 103 having y ooves 141, these rollers numbering two per jaw 101 sliding under the action of jacks 102 along indentations 142 situated in the lower part of the branches 152 and 153 respectively of the inverted U-shaped rail 150 whose upper part 151 which forms the bar of the U carrie~ the aforesaid clips 108 to 111. The indentations 142 of each rail 150 form a common raceway for the rollers 103 of the two movable jaws 101.
The end of the brAnches 152 and 153 terminates in bent-back edges 143 situated in the i ediate vicinity of the upper faces 145 of a plate bent back at 90 and whose vertical main part labelled 147 constitutes the active package clamping part of the movable jaw 101.
Another advantage of the presence of two movable jaws on each gripper unit 100 is that the symmetry of the Qetup makes it possible to achieve the bearing reference when desc~n-l;ng onto the packages with the aid of either one of the jaws, right or left in Figure lk, and when grabbing, only the other movable jaw performs the motion allowing clamping.
It will be recalled that it is necessary to employ such a bearing reference during the subsequent depositing of the package~ for the following reasons:
- only the reference border may, with certainty, make contact with the packages previously deposited in order to perform a deposit while unclamping the movable jaw;
- the head 201, after having performed its pAclrAge grab, can go off and deposit the packages in contact with others belonging to a partly finished layer, arriving via the left side or right side of the pallet.
The mechanism (jack 113) for rotating the head ~1566~0 201 about the vertical axis Z can thus be confined to an angular travel of 90, thus making its practical embodi-ment simpler and less expensive.
Figures 3a and 3c illustrate a cycle of grabbing and depositing a package on a pallet. One or more pack-ages designated by the general tag 170 are arranged on a stockpile table 161 carried by legs 160 such that the packages 170 are a height H from the ground of the order of 80 cm. The gripper units 100 situated on the left in the drawing are by assumption used by way of reference and the head of the palletizer is prepositioned such that the jaws 101 are situated a small distance x0 (for example 20 mm) from the left endmost edge of the packages 170. This reference position of the jaws 101 corresponds to their full opening. During this phase of drawing alongside the package 170, the movable jaws 101 situated on the right-hand side in the drawing are likewise in their position of full opening. Figure 3a represents more particularly the first step in which the head 200 has been lowered vertically along the Z axis until a refer-ence surface S is situated a nominal distance _ from the upper face of the packages 170.
Figure 3_ represents the next step during which the jacks 102 of the movable jaws 101 are actuated 80 that on the one hand the movable reference jaws situated on the left remain fixed and that the movable clamping jaws situated on the right-hand side come into contact with the right edge of the packages 170 and clamp them after t~k;ng up the clearance x0 by moving the packages.
The packages 170 can then be lifted and brought precisely into contact with other p~ck~ges for example 171 of a second layer C2, a pallet 180 on which a layer C1 con-t~;n;ng packages of different dimensions from those of the layer C2 has previously been deposited.
The grasping device according to the invention makes it possible, as Figures 3a to 3c show, to accommo-date easily different sizes of packages and different palletizing layouts, by virtue of the fact that:
- on the one hand, the separation or inter-axial ~1~ 6 6 4 0 gap ~ between the gripper units 100 is determined with the aid of the control of a single motor 105, and - on the other hand, the position of the movable reference jaws corresponds simply to their position of full opening or of full closing (for the small packages), whereas the grasping of the packages is performed by the pressure exerted by the jacks without it being necessary to perform any positional servocontrol of the latter.
This is what makes it possible in particular to control the separation movement and approach movement of the movable jaws of the gripper units 100 independently of one another.
Figures 4 to 12 illustrate various package grabbing configurations which are possible by altering the separation between the gripper units 100 and the separation between the jaws 101 of one and the same gripper, these examples being confined to the case in which the jaws 101 situated on one and same side remain aligned.
Figure 4 represents the grasping of four 150 mm x 150 mm packages; Figure 5 that of a 400 mm x 300 mm package; Figure 6 that of two 300 mm x 300 mm packages;
Figure 7 that of three 400 mm x 300 mm packages with separation of the gripper units; Figure 8 that of four 400 mm x 300 mm packages with a greater separation between the gripper units 100; Figure 9 represents the grasping of three 500 mm x 300 mm packages; Figure 10 the grasping of four 600 mm x 300 mm packages; Figure 11 the grasping of two 500 mm x 450 mm packages and finally Figure 12 the grasping of one 500 mm x 950 mm package.
Figures 13a to 13c illustrate the setting into place of empty pallets 180 with the aid of hooks 116 carried by the gripper units 100 situated outside, that is to say the furthest to the left and the furthest to the right in the drawing. The left part of the drawing illustrates the grabbing of an 800/1200 mm pallet whereas the right part illustrates the grabbing of a 1000/1200 mm pallet. This adaptation to the various sizes of pallets is obtained simply by varying the inter-axial gap between 21566~ 0 the gripper units 100 by acting on the motor 105. Figure 13a shows the approach phase in which the hooks 116 are deployed in full opening position III in which their end hook 118 is substantially horizontal. This command is performed, starting from the bent-back position of the hooks 116, represented chain-dotted as I in Figure la, with the aid of a short-travel jack 117 represented in Figure 14 and which drives a toothed wheel 221 whose axis is the axis of rotation of the hook 116. Each pair of hooks 116 is associated with a jack 117.
The grasping head of the multipalletizer having been lowered to the appropriate level, the gripper units 100 are next brought together and allow the grasping of the pallet from beneath the board 181. In order to complete the centring of the pallets, the invention employs the possibility of moving the support of the hooks 116 carried by the gripper units 100: the pneumatic jacks set the hooks 116 into the position of maximum opening, the grasper descends on either side of the pallets, the hooks 116 are then clamped, after which the gripper units 100 are set with the aid of the motor 105 80 that the clamping hooks 116 are again located at the open end-of-travel of the jacks (position III) thus mechanically precluding any movement of the hooks 116 and guaranteeing correct centring of the pallet.
As Figures 15a to 15c show, the grasping device can also be employed in order to grab inserts 220 arranged on a support 230. These inserts are intended to separate the layers of packages from one another and it is particularly beneficial to use the head of the multi-palletizer for this purpose. Suckers 130 are fixed to supports 131 on the outer edge 135 of the hooks 116 which are connected by tubes 132 to v~r.LuKI effect vacuum generators. There are as many suckers 130 as hooks 116, namely four. The sucker 130 supports are inclined in such a way as to enable the hooks 116 to be bent back inwards 80 as to be able to grab the insert 220 by points distant from its edges. To do this, the opening of the hooks 116 is limited (position II) by bearing on mechanical stops 21~66~0 _ 140 which are integral with the movable jaws 101 of the two gripper units 100 situated outermost. When the grippers 101 are in their position of maximum opening, the stop 140 makes it possible to limit the travel of the correspon~l; n~ hook 116. The inter-axial gap of the suckers 130 is described by a rectangle whose variable dimensions are adapted to each insert dimension, for example:
- 925 x 800 mm for a 1200 x 1000 mm insert, - 600 x 800 mm for a 800 x 1200 mm insert.
These dimensions may vary between a m; n; ~l~m of 475 x 800 mm and a maximum of 925 x 800 mm.
The width reduction is obtained by varying the inter-axial gap of a clamping unit 100, motorized by the motor 105.
The cycle for grasping the inserts is then carried out as follows:
- setting of the clamping units 100 to the correct width, - opening of the jaws 101 of the correspoTl~l;ng grippers, - opening of the hooks 116 with the aid of the jacks 117 to achieve bearing on the stop 140 (position II
of the hooks 116), - starting the aspiration in order to create the vacuum in the suckers 130, - descent of the grasper into contact with the inserts 220, - halting of the descent by ("VACUUM REGULATOR") 3 0 pressure detection of the suckers 130. A safety measure is provided for by a possible movement of the hooks which may rise despite the pressure in the jacks 117, under a force of compression of a grasper on the stack of inserts 220, - transporting of the insert to the position of depositing by letting go, the cartesian positions X, Y, Z and angular position (rotation of head) W being ~tored, - halting aspiration, - raising of the hooks 116, 21566~0 _ - continuation of the operation of the multi-palletizer.
A program handles the parameters X, Y, Z and W 80 as to achieve the grabbing of packages with the best possible centring of the gripper jaws 101 with respect to the packages.
The program determines the movements of the grasper in order to perform the transporting followed by depositing.
At any time it is possible to create new layouts off-line and to store them in the memory of the micro-computer. The assigning of a layout stored in memory to a pallet placement can be carried out by the operator who in this case will have no dismantling or adjustment action to perform.
Management of the grabbings and depositing of pallets, grabbings and depositing of inserts and removals of full pallets are ordered by the control facility contained in the controller.
A preferred embodiment of a computer system allowing auto-progr~ming will now be described in connection with Figure 16.
Advantageously, as illustrated in Figure 16, the palletizer according to the invention includes computing means for assisting the operator when setting up the palletizing layout and/or when configuring the pallet-izer. In the advantageous exemplary emho~;ment illus-trated in Figure 6, the palletizer includes a micro-computer 39 connected by a link 40, for example an RS232 type serial link or advantageously a so-called "MODBUS"
link, to the programmable controller 16. The progr~mmahle controller is connected by link 41 of known type to the actuators and/or to the sensors of the palletizer. The microcomputer 39 is connected to input means, for example to a keyboard 42 especially a sealed keyboard with 60 keys and to display means including a screen 43, advan-tageously of cathode-ray tube type, and/or to a printer 44. The employing of other devices for communicating with the microcomputers 39, as for example trackballs or ~la66~0 touch-sensitive screens, does not depart from the scope of the present invention.
The computer 39 includes a mass memory 45.
Advantageously, the computer 39 is connected to a modem 46 capable of being connected by a telephone line 47 to a modem 48 itself linked to a computer 49. The remote communication possibilities of the computer 39 make possible, on the one hand, remote maintenance of the palletizer from a computer belonging to a service com-pany, or to the remote-maintenance department of the constructor. In such a case, the computer 39 advan-tageously includes a program for self-testing and for testing the palletizer ~-~;ng it possible to transmit to the computer 49 the statuses of the programs employed and of the various actuators or detectors of the palletizer.
An operator of the computer 49, or the computer 49 itself, makes it possible, on the one hand, to diagnose any possible breakdown and, on the other hand, to afford assistance to the operator of the palletizer 1. Moreover, the modem 46 allows the 19A~;ng from the computer 49 of new versions of the program for operating the computer 39 and/or the programmable controller 16. Similarly, the computer 39 can be connected to a supervisory computer or to a computer of the customer for whom palletization is carried out. Naturally, the employing of a local area network (LAN) or a serial link between computers does not depart from the scope of the present invention.
The microcomputer 39 is, for example an indust-rial microcomputer designed to operate in the hostile environment of a workshop, based on a microprocessor belonging to the family sold by the INTEL company under the references 80286, 386 or 486; the microcomputer advantageously runs under the operating system marketed under the trademark MS-DOS by the MICROSOFT company.
The employing of the microcomputer 39 makes it possible, on the one hand, to avail oneself of substan-tial computing power at low cost and, on the other hand, to benefit from the programming tools, program generators and/or expert ~ystem generators allowing easy ~1~ 6 6 4 0 construction, hence at a relatively moderate cost price, of the application for assisting the operator of the palletizer. However, naturally, a palletizer whose pro-grammable controller 16 affords assistance to the opera-tor, thus ~-k; ng it possible to economize on the incor-poration of the microcomputer, does not depart from the scope of the present invention.
In a first variant embodiment, the microcomputer 39 includes a program for optimizing a palletizing layout, stored in a ma~s memory 45, for example in a hard disk or in read-only memory advantageou~ly of pro-gr~mm~hle type (PROM, EPROM or EEPROM). The microcomputer 39 determine~ all the possible configurations, based on the size of the pallet, the dimension of the package, any possible permitted overhang or on the contrary the desired setback. Advantageously, the computer 39 takes into account the maximum accuracy of the palletizer when placing the packages on the pallet. In a subsequent step, the microcomputer determines the optimal configuration chosen on the basis of the usual criteria of those skilled in the art, namely the discarding of unstable pallets or ones in danger of breA~; ng up during handling for storage or transport and to obtain the most compact pallet possible containing a maximum of package~.
Advantageously, the microcomputer 39 calculates a graphical representation of the optimal pallet or pallets for visual inspection by the operator.
In a second variant embodiment, the precomputed optimized palletizing layout for each dimen~ion of package lying between a minimum dimension for example equal to 100 mm x 200 mm x 100 mm and a maximum dimension equal for example to 200 mm x 500 mm x 500 mm with a resolution (minimum variation between two packages in length, width or height) equal for example to 1 mm i8 stored in the mass memory 45 of the microcomputer 39.
Advantageously, the graphical representations of the optimized pallets are stored in the mass memory 45 of the microcomputer 39. The dimensions of the packages to be palletized, sent to the computer 39 by the operator, are 21a6640 _ compared with the various models stored. The computer 39 chooses the package model whose dimensions most closely approach the actual package dimensions indicated by the operator. The computer 39 chooses the stored optimized palletizing layout or layouts correspon~; ng to the package model chosen.
The computer 39 determines the succession of sequences required to produce the made-up pallet, the members required for palletization as well as the various members (pivoting stop, palletizer displacement in the horizontal plane X, Y and its vertical displacement along the Z axis, rotation of the head of the palletizer which carries the grasping m~her, relative movement of the gripper~ and translation of the grippers) to be employed.
The computer 39 sends the programmable con-troller 16 the palletizing program to be employed or the address of this program in the base memory of the programmable controller 16.
The computer 39 sends the programm~hle controller 16 the program or the address of the program in the mass memory of the controller 16 required to produce the configuration of the palletizer, by computing all its parameters.
In a particularly high-performance variant embodiment of the palletizer according to the present invention, the microcomputer 39 includes an expert system, for example, the expert system produced with the aid of an expert system generator marketed by Electricité
de France under the name GENESIA I or GENESIA II whose rule base includes the customary rules of a palletization expert, some examples of which are given below:
Rl - a slight overhang is advantageou~ for trans-port by railway wagon.
R2 - a setback is advantageous for transport by lorry.
R3 - crossover of the p~ck~ges over a substantial area increases the friction opposing the slippage of the packages relative to one another.
R4 - a breakage runs the risk of compromising the ~1~6640 stability of the pallet during and after raising by a lifter truck.
The expert systems implemented in the computer 39 determine, from the rule base and from the information provided by the operator (dimension of the packages, type of manipulation, storage and transport which the pallet has to be able to undergo etc.), which of the various palletizing layouts calculated by the computer 39 is the optimal palletizing layout.
Advantageously, the microcomputer 39 produces a printout with the aid of the printer 44 of a palletizing technical sheet and/or of a diagram illustrating the loading of the pallets onto a means of transport.
Advantageously, the programmable controller 39 triggers an alarm, for example audible and/or visual together with display on the screen 43, in the case in which it determines, from the signals sent by the sensors to the programmable controller 16, the existence of a fault, as, for example, the presence of a stuck package, the opening of the door 50 of the enclosure 2 of the palletizer 1 during operation or the lack of inserts in a device for feeding inserts (not represented).
Advantageously, dialogue with the operator is carried out by way of menus. For example, a main menu offers the operator:
1 - LAYOUT CREATION - correspo~; ng to the crea-tion of a new palletizing layout;
The subject of the present invention i8 a multi-palletizer of robot type including a grasping device, and a means of moving the grasping device between at least one package grabbing area and at least one package depositing area.
Multipalletizing is a palletizing technique according to which one and the same machine produces several models of pallets at the same time or in suc-cession.
Several multipalletizing techniques are known.
On the one hand, layer depositing multipallet-izers are known which deposit several layers on pallets during loading and which are carried by a shuttle-carriage (for example the model sold under the trademark OCME). These palletizers can produce layers of different products in succession and require, upstream of the palletizers, only small stockpiles of each type of product, of an amount correspon~;ng to around two complete layers.
On the other hand, conventional layer depositing multipalletizers are known, the equipment of which makes it possible, however, to deal with several types of whole pallets in succession. In this case, the products upstream of the palletizers have to be stored in large expensive stockpiles of each type of product correspond-ing to around 1.5 pallets.
Finally, robot type multipalletizers are known which may be of several types, firstly multipalletizers of polar type, that is to say whose movements are organ-ized according to polar coordinates, for example such asthose which are manufactured under the trademarks VEGA, ACMA, STAUBLI etc., the robots of "SCARA" type which have a rotary central mast to which one or two arms are attached, one of which may be rotary, and finally the so-called cartesian robots, that is to say whose dis-placements are organized in accordance with cartesian coordinates X, Y, Z.
Robot multipalletizers include a grasping member, for example a gripper or alternatively suckers, which in most cases grab one or two packages only. Certain robot 21~G~ ~O
multipalletizers are capable merely of grabbing complete rows of identically oriented packages, and this technique therefore enormously limits the possibilities of varie-ties of palletizing layouts. Robot multipalletizers according to other technologies enable rows of non-identically oriented packages to be grabbed. Finally, certain robot multipalletizers are capable of grabbing complete layers. These robot multipalletizers all have the advantage of a minimal stockpile of each category of product, this being limited to a few packages.
In general, employing a robot multipalletizer is a beneficial compromise since it is of low bulk, but its drawback is of not allowing a fast rate since it can only adapt to a large variety of dimensions of packages and of palletizing layouts for the numerous different pallets being palletized (around 3 to 8) at the cost of a reduction in the rate of grasping which usually has to be unitary (package by package) precisely to allow the said adaptation. If, however, it is wished to operate a robot multipalletizer at a high rate in terms of the number of packages per hour, the solution is to grab the packages in complete rows. However, given that the existing graspers find difficulty in grabbing packages of different sizes in succession, the multipalletizer is no longer in this case a true multipalletizer, since its adaptability is limited to one or two similar sizes of different packages and just to a few palletizing layouts.
The subject of the present invention is a robot type multipalletizer which makes it possible, while preserving the advantage of low bulk of this type of apparatus, to reconcile at one and the same time a high rate and high adaptability to various types of packages and to various palletizing layouts.
For this purpose, the invention relates to a multipalletizer of robot type including a grasping device, and a means of moving the grasping device between at least one package grabbing area and at least one package depositing area, characterized in that the grasping device includes:
2156G ~O
, - a plurality of gripper units arranged side by side and each including two jaws, at least one of which is movable, - an actuation device which moves at least one movable jaw of each gripper unit in a first direction, and - a separation device for moving the gripper units relative to one another in a second direction.
Employing the actuation device in conjunction with the separation device makes it possible easily and rapidly to configure the grasping device in two dimen-sions, thus giving it high adaptability, given that the grasping device is for example just as capable of grabbing one or two packages of small or large size as of grabbing a plurality of packages for example in whole rows.
It is particularly advantageous that, for all the positions of the actuation device, the jaws situated on the same side remain aligned. In this way, a configur-ation of the grasping device is wholly determined by onthe one hand the separation between the jaws, which is the same for all the grippers, and the spacing between the jaws.
According to a preferred embodiment, at least one gripper unit includes two movable jaws which are moved by the actuation device. This makes it possible in particular, during an operation of loading a pallet, to choose one or the other of the jaws as a reference, thus enabling, in particular, a device for pivoting the set of gripper units to have an angular swing limited to 90.
The actuation device can include a plurality of actuation elements such as jacks, each of which is coupled to a different movable jaw.
According to a particularly advantageous variant, at least one gripper unit includes a first rail of general inverted U shape, the movement of which is controlled by the separation device, and the device includes first carriages driven by the actuation device and each of which is integral with a movable jaw and 21~6G 9O
_ slides in the first rail. The first and second branches of the inverted U can have, in the vicinity of their lower end, a first and a second indentation having a profile cooperating with a complementary profile of a first and a second wheel, respectively, constituting the said carriage, and which are mounted on an upper face of a correspon~;ng movable jaw. This makes it possible to preserve a compact and relatively unbulky, in terms of height, structure for the grasping device.
The movable jaw can exhibit a plane active face for grabbing packages ext~n~;ng on the one hand vertically downwards beyond the lower end of the first and second branches of the inverted U, and on the other hand perpendicularly to the direction of movement of the movable jaw along the rail.
The end of the first and of the second branch of the inverted U advantageously exhibits a bent-back region coming into the vicinity of the upper face of the movable jaw.
It is advantageous for a jack for actuating a movable jaw to be housed inside the said rail.
The multipalletizer may then include two actuation jacks housed head-to-tail inside the rail, each movable jaw being movable between a position of maximum opening situated in the vicinity of a first and a second end of the rail and a position of ~-Y;mum closure situated substantially midway from the ends of the rail.
The device for separating the gripper units of the grasping member can include a plurality of looped drive belts driven by the same motor, but by pinions whose diameters are in given ratios. The gripper units are advantageously mounted in pairs on opposite strands of the loop of a same drive belt such that the two gripper units of the same pair are driven in opposite directions, a first central pair of gripper units including two adjacent gripper units driven by a first belt propelled by a first pinion of smaller diameter do~
whilst at least one second pair of gripper units including two gripper units adjacent to the gripper units _ of the first pair is driven by a second belt propelled by a second pinion of diameter _ do with _ ~ 1.
Preferably, _ = 3, thus achieving the notable result that with a single drive motor, one and the same value of angular displacement of the motor guarantees one and the same difference of inter-axial gap between each of the gripper units, which in other words makes it possible to maintain constant intervals between the adjacent grippers.
The separation device can include a second rail of inverted U shape, in which second carriages, each integral with a gripper unit, slide.
The gripper units placed outermost can each carry a pair of pallet grabbing hooks articulated about an axis of rotation as well as a mechanism for commanding the rotation of the said hooks. The said hooks can in particular carry an insert aspiration sucker at their lower part. According to a preferred embodiment of this variant, in a nominal angular position of the hooks, the axis of the suckers is vertical and at least one movable jaw is integral with a finger forming an angular stop of the correspon~;ng hook in the said nominal angular position, when the movable jaw is in a given nominal position for example the position of full opening of the jaws. In this configuration when it is wished to under-take the placement of inserts, the jaws of the grasping device are arranged at full opening at least as regards the endmost grippers, and the finger then forms a stop for the hook in the position suitable for carrying out the placement of inserts with the aid of the aspirating sucker, this stop being cleared by moving the movable jaw into a position of partial closure, this making it possible to use the hooks with a greater angular opening allowing pallet grabbing.
The multipalletizer can include computing means and a mass memory in which are stored programs for determining, from the geometry of the packages to be palletized, the optimal palletizing layout(s) to be adopted and the correspon~;ng configuration of the ~156G4~
_ palletizer, actuators enabling the palletizer to be configured for the execution of the specified palletizing layout.
The palletizer can then include a programmable S controller for the command of actuators and the said computing means include a microcomputer connected via a communication link to the programmable controller. The microcomputer can in particular include means enabling an operator to control the programmable controller.
It is advantageous that the computing means include display means, preferably a screen making it possible to indicate to the operator the configuration of the palletizer to be implemented correspon~;ng to the palletizing layout to be adopted.
The palletizer can preferably include, stored in a mass memory, a finite number, preferably greater than 100 and preferably greater than 200, of geometries and of corresp~n~;ng optimized palletizing layouts and include computing means for determining which stored geometry is most like the geometry of a package to be palletized, and can carry out the reA~;ng from the mass memory and preferably the displaying on a screen of the COrre8pQn~; ng palletizing layout.
Other characteristics, advantages and details of the invention will emerge better on reA~;ng the descrip-tion which will follow, given by way of non-limiting example, in connection with the appended drawings, in which:
- Figures la and 1_ represent, in side and plan views, the general configuration of a multipalletizer according to the invention, - Figures 2a and 2b respectively represent, in side view and through a section A-A, a robot type multi-palletizer head including a grasping device in accordance with a preferred ~hodiment of the invention, - Figure 2c represents a plan view of Figure la, - Figures 3a to 3c illustrate a cycle of grabbing and depositing a package employing a gra~ping device according to Figures la, 1_ and 2, ~_ ~la66~0 - Figures 4 to 12 illustrate various palletizing configurations which can be employed with a grasping device according to the invention, - Figures 13a to 13c illustrate an operation of grabbing a pallet employing the hooks cooperating with a grasping device according to the invention, - Figure 14 represents a device for rotating the said hooks, - Figures 15a to 15c illustrate an inserts placement operation employing suckers cooperating on the one hand with the aforesaid pallet grabbing hooks and on the other hand with the grasping device according to the invention, and - Figure 16 is a diagram of a computing and control unit capable of being employed in the palletizer according to the present invention.
According to Figures la and 1_, the whole of the grasper is tied to the vertical mast 200 guiding the vertical axis Z (drive via a motor 125 and ~ notched belt 120).
A carriage 121 which provides for the movements on the Y axis supports the vertical mast 200. The carri-age 121 is driven by a motor 126 and a notched belt. A
chassis 210 supports the carriage 121 and is driven by a motor 122 and notched belts 127. The chassis 210 is guided by a fixed chassis 123 which includes rails 205 and 206.
The fixed chassis 123 provides the link between the multipalletizer and the ground and also supports the protector elements to provide for the safety of personnel (pallet-retA;n;ng barrier, wire mesh panels, wire mesh access doors, etc.). The fixed chassis 123 also supports the electrical cabinet. The grasping member such as described above provides for the flexibility of the multipalletizer and by dint of its design, it makes it possible, as was shown above, to grab in succession loads of highly variable dimensions in groups of rows of 1, 2, 3 or 4 packages all identically oriented. The simplicity of operation makes it readily usable with a program of ~la 66 4 0 -pallet makeups stored in memory in a microprocessor, in order to achieve numerous possibilities of palletizing layouts with numerous package dimensions.
The number of packages to be presented on the preparation table and their direction of orientation can change from one grabbing to another by virtue of a pivoting stop 119 placed upstream of the preparation table 124.
The packages are abutted on the roll-type prepar-ation table and a centrer positions them, always on theaxis.
With reference to Figures 2a, 2_ and 2c, the mast 200 of a multipalletizer includes a head 201 which is capable of moving along two axes X, Y in cartesian coordinates in the horizontal plane and along the verti-cal axis Z. These three translational degrees of freedom enable it to perform the motions required for a U cycle of grabbing packages on a stockpile table, of lifting these packages, of transporting these packages into vertical alignment with a pallet and of depositing packages on the pallet being made up.
The head includes a rotationally movable platen 202, this rotational movement being provided for by a pneumatic jack 113 cooperating with a damper 114 riding on a cam 115 making it possible to reduce the end-of-motion impacts or rebounds. The platen 202 carries the grasping device designated by the general tag 210. The latter includes a plurality of gripper units each of which is designated by the tag 100. In the example represented, the gripper units 100 are four in number.
Each gripper unit 100 includes a roller-type guide consisting of two rollers 104 each of which has a groove 166 cooperating with an indentation 164 of a rail 160 integral with the platen 202 via its upper edge 161.
The rail 160 is of inverted U shape having two downwardly directed side branches 162 and 163 respectively in which indentations 164 are made, the end of the U's terminating in a hook-~haped region 165 bent back inwards. The four gripper units 100 are guided by this common rail 160 and ~la6640 g are moved by means which allow their separation to be varied.
To do this, a motor 105 drives two notched belts 106 and 107 respectively by way of pinions 106 ' and 107' 5 respectively, the diameters of which are in the same ratio as the homothetic movements of the gripper units.
The two gripper units 100 which are situated nearest the centre are coupled to the belt 106 by clips 109 and 110 respectively, fixed to opposite strands of the belt 106 10 (situated respectively to the front and to the rear of Figure la) in such a way that a movement of the belt 106 drives these two gripper units 100 in opposite direc-tions. The two gripper units 100 which are situated outermost are for their part driven by the belt 107 by way of clips 108 and 111 respectively which, as in the previous case, are integral with opposite strands of the belt 107, situated to the front and to the rear respect-ively of Figure la. This enables the separation between the gripper units 100 to be varied with a single control motor 105. In particular in the case in which the ratio between the diameters of the pinions 107' and 106 ' is equal to 3, for any displacement _ of the belt 106 induced by a rotation of the motor by a given angle produces a variation ~ in the gap between the gripper units 100 which is equal to 2 _.
An incremental coder 112 tied to the rotation of the motor 105 by way of belts 106 and 107 gives the position of the gripper units 100 which should theoretic-ally be centred on the axis of the cartons.
With this system, the grasper can seize for example four cartons from 150 to 300 mm long or alterna-tively three cartons from 300 to 400 mm long or alterna-tively two cartons from 400 to 600 mm long or alterna-tively a single carton from 600 to 1200 mm long, etc Each gripper unit 100 is provided with two movable jaws designated by the general tag 101. As a variant, it is also possible to employ just a single movable jaw, the fixed jaw serving in any event as reference when grabbing packages. However, employing two ~156640 _ movable jaws allows a given capacity of width of packages to be grabbed (varying for example between 150 and 600 mm) within a smaller bulk than with a single movable jaw. To this end, the actuation device includes for 5 example two jacks 102 mounted head-to-tail in parallel inside a rail 150 of inverted U shape and in which are housed grooved rollers 103 having y ooves 141, these rollers numbering two per jaw 101 sliding under the action of jacks 102 along indentations 142 situated in the lower part of the branches 152 and 153 respectively of the inverted U-shaped rail 150 whose upper part 151 which forms the bar of the U carrie~ the aforesaid clips 108 to 111. The indentations 142 of each rail 150 form a common raceway for the rollers 103 of the two movable jaws 101.
The end of the brAnches 152 and 153 terminates in bent-back edges 143 situated in the i ediate vicinity of the upper faces 145 of a plate bent back at 90 and whose vertical main part labelled 147 constitutes the active package clamping part of the movable jaw 101.
Another advantage of the presence of two movable jaws on each gripper unit 100 is that the symmetry of the Qetup makes it possible to achieve the bearing reference when desc~n-l;ng onto the packages with the aid of either one of the jaws, right or left in Figure lk, and when grabbing, only the other movable jaw performs the motion allowing clamping.
It will be recalled that it is necessary to employ such a bearing reference during the subsequent depositing of the package~ for the following reasons:
- only the reference border may, with certainty, make contact with the packages previously deposited in order to perform a deposit while unclamping the movable jaw;
- the head 201, after having performed its pAclrAge grab, can go off and deposit the packages in contact with others belonging to a partly finished layer, arriving via the left side or right side of the pallet.
The mechanism (jack 113) for rotating the head ~1566~0 201 about the vertical axis Z can thus be confined to an angular travel of 90, thus making its practical embodi-ment simpler and less expensive.
Figures 3a and 3c illustrate a cycle of grabbing and depositing a package on a pallet. One or more pack-ages designated by the general tag 170 are arranged on a stockpile table 161 carried by legs 160 such that the packages 170 are a height H from the ground of the order of 80 cm. The gripper units 100 situated on the left in the drawing are by assumption used by way of reference and the head of the palletizer is prepositioned such that the jaws 101 are situated a small distance x0 (for example 20 mm) from the left endmost edge of the packages 170. This reference position of the jaws 101 corresponds to their full opening. During this phase of drawing alongside the package 170, the movable jaws 101 situated on the right-hand side in the drawing are likewise in their position of full opening. Figure 3a represents more particularly the first step in which the head 200 has been lowered vertically along the Z axis until a refer-ence surface S is situated a nominal distance _ from the upper face of the packages 170.
Figure 3_ represents the next step during which the jacks 102 of the movable jaws 101 are actuated 80 that on the one hand the movable reference jaws situated on the left remain fixed and that the movable clamping jaws situated on the right-hand side come into contact with the right edge of the packages 170 and clamp them after t~k;ng up the clearance x0 by moving the packages.
The packages 170 can then be lifted and brought precisely into contact with other p~ck~ges for example 171 of a second layer C2, a pallet 180 on which a layer C1 con-t~;n;ng packages of different dimensions from those of the layer C2 has previously been deposited.
The grasping device according to the invention makes it possible, as Figures 3a to 3c show, to accommo-date easily different sizes of packages and different palletizing layouts, by virtue of the fact that:
- on the one hand, the separation or inter-axial ~1~ 6 6 4 0 gap ~ between the gripper units 100 is determined with the aid of the control of a single motor 105, and - on the other hand, the position of the movable reference jaws corresponds simply to their position of full opening or of full closing (for the small packages), whereas the grasping of the packages is performed by the pressure exerted by the jacks without it being necessary to perform any positional servocontrol of the latter.
This is what makes it possible in particular to control the separation movement and approach movement of the movable jaws of the gripper units 100 independently of one another.
Figures 4 to 12 illustrate various package grabbing configurations which are possible by altering the separation between the gripper units 100 and the separation between the jaws 101 of one and the same gripper, these examples being confined to the case in which the jaws 101 situated on one and same side remain aligned.
Figure 4 represents the grasping of four 150 mm x 150 mm packages; Figure 5 that of a 400 mm x 300 mm package; Figure 6 that of two 300 mm x 300 mm packages;
Figure 7 that of three 400 mm x 300 mm packages with separation of the gripper units; Figure 8 that of four 400 mm x 300 mm packages with a greater separation between the gripper units 100; Figure 9 represents the grasping of three 500 mm x 300 mm packages; Figure 10 the grasping of four 600 mm x 300 mm packages; Figure 11 the grasping of two 500 mm x 450 mm packages and finally Figure 12 the grasping of one 500 mm x 950 mm package.
Figures 13a to 13c illustrate the setting into place of empty pallets 180 with the aid of hooks 116 carried by the gripper units 100 situated outside, that is to say the furthest to the left and the furthest to the right in the drawing. The left part of the drawing illustrates the grabbing of an 800/1200 mm pallet whereas the right part illustrates the grabbing of a 1000/1200 mm pallet. This adaptation to the various sizes of pallets is obtained simply by varying the inter-axial gap between 21566~ 0 the gripper units 100 by acting on the motor 105. Figure 13a shows the approach phase in which the hooks 116 are deployed in full opening position III in which their end hook 118 is substantially horizontal. This command is performed, starting from the bent-back position of the hooks 116, represented chain-dotted as I in Figure la, with the aid of a short-travel jack 117 represented in Figure 14 and which drives a toothed wheel 221 whose axis is the axis of rotation of the hook 116. Each pair of hooks 116 is associated with a jack 117.
The grasping head of the multipalletizer having been lowered to the appropriate level, the gripper units 100 are next brought together and allow the grasping of the pallet from beneath the board 181. In order to complete the centring of the pallets, the invention employs the possibility of moving the support of the hooks 116 carried by the gripper units 100: the pneumatic jacks set the hooks 116 into the position of maximum opening, the grasper descends on either side of the pallets, the hooks 116 are then clamped, after which the gripper units 100 are set with the aid of the motor 105 80 that the clamping hooks 116 are again located at the open end-of-travel of the jacks (position III) thus mechanically precluding any movement of the hooks 116 and guaranteeing correct centring of the pallet.
As Figures 15a to 15c show, the grasping device can also be employed in order to grab inserts 220 arranged on a support 230. These inserts are intended to separate the layers of packages from one another and it is particularly beneficial to use the head of the multi-palletizer for this purpose. Suckers 130 are fixed to supports 131 on the outer edge 135 of the hooks 116 which are connected by tubes 132 to v~r.LuKI effect vacuum generators. There are as many suckers 130 as hooks 116, namely four. The sucker 130 supports are inclined in such a way as to enable the hooks 116 to be bent back inwards 80 as to be able to grab the insert 220 by points distant from its edges. To do this, the opening of the hooks 116 is limited (position II) by bearing on mechanical stops 21~66~0 _ 140 which are integral with the movable jaws 101 of the two gripper units 100 situated outermost. When the grippers 101 are in their position of maximum opening, the stop 140 makes it possible to limit the travel of the correspon~l; n~ hook 116. The inter-axial gap of the suckers 130 is described by a rectangle whose variable dimensions are adapted to each insert dimension, for example:
- 925 x 800 mm for a 1200 x 1000 mm insert, - 600 x 800 mm for a 800 x 1200 mm insert.
These dimensions may vary between a m; n; ~l~m of 475 x 800 mm and a maximum of 925 x 800 mm.
The width reduction is obtained by varying the inter-axial gap of a clamping unit 100, motorized by the motor 105.
The cycle for grasping the inserts is then carried out as follows:
- setting of the clamping units 100 to the correct width, - opening of the jaws 101 of the correspoTl~l;ng grippers, - opening of the hooks 116 with the aid of the jacks 117 to achieve bearing on the stop 140 (position II
of the hooks 116), - starting the aspiration in order to create the vacuum in the suckers 130, - descent of the grasper into contact with the inserts 220, - halting of the descent by ("VACUUM REGULATOR") 3 0 pressure detection of the suckers 130. A safety measure is provided for by a possible movement of the hooks which may rise despite the pressure in the jacks 117, under a force of compression of a grasper on the stack of inserts 220, - transporting of the insert to the position of depositing by letting go, the cartesian positions X, Y, Z and angular position (rotation of head) W being ~tored, - halting aspiration, - raising of the hooks 116, 21566~0 _ - continuation of the operation of the multi-palletizer.
A program handles the parameters X, Y, Z and W 80 as to achieve the grabbing of packages with the best possible centring of the gripper jaws 101 with respect to the packages.
The program determines the movements of the grasper in order to perform the transporting followed by depositing.
At any time it is possible to create new layouts off-line and to store them in the memory of the micro-computer. The assigning of a layout stored in memory to a pallet placement can be carried out by the operator who in this case will have no dismantling or adjustment action to perform.
Management of the grabbings and depositing of pallets, grabbings and depositing of inserts and removals of full pallets are ordered by the control facility contained in the controller.
A preferred embodiment of a computer system allowing auto-progr~ming will now be described in connection with Figure 16.
Advantageously, as illustrated in Figure 16, the palletizer according to the invention includes computing means for assisting the operator when setting up the palletizing layout and/or when configuring the pallet-izer. In the advantageous exemplary emho~;ment illus-trated in Figure 6, the palletizer includes a micro-computer 39 connected by a link 40, for example an RS232 type serial link or advantageously a so-called "MODBUS"
link, to the programmable controller 16. The progr~mmahle controller is connected by link 41 of known type to the actuators and/or to the sensors of the palletizer. The microcomputer 39 is connected to input means, for example to a keyboard 42 especially a sealed keyboard with 60 keys and to display means including a screen 43, advan-tageously of cathode-ray tube type, and/or to a printer 44. The employing of other devices for communicating with the microcomputers 39, as for example trackballs or ~la66~0 touch-sensitive screens, does not depart from the scope of the present invention.
The computer 39 includes a mass memory 45.
Advantageously, the computer 39 is connected to a modem 46 capable of being connected by a telephone line 47 to a modem 48 itself linked to a computer 49. The remote communication possibilities of the computer 39 make possible, on the one hand, remote maintenance of the palletizer from a computer belonging to a service com-pany, or to the remote-maintenance department of the constructor. In such a case, the computer 39 advan-tageously includes a program for self-testing and for testing the palletizer ~-~;ng it possible to transmit to the computer 49 the statuses of the programs employed and of the various actuators or detectors of the palletizer.
An operator of the computer 49, or the computer 49 itself, makes it possible, on the one hand, to diagnose any possible breakdown and, on the other hand, to afford assistance to the operator of the palletizer 1. Moreover, the modem 46 allows the 19A~;ng from the computer 49 of new versions of the program for operating the computer 39 and/or the programmable controller 16. Similarly, the computer 39 can be connected to a supervisory computer or to a computer of the customer for whom palletization is carried out. Naturally, the employing of a local area network (LAN) or a serial link between computers does not depart from the scope of the present invention.
The microcomputer 39 is, for example an indust-rial microcomputer designed to operate in the hostile environment of a workshop, based on a microprocessor belonging to the family sold by the INTEL company under the references 80286, 386 or 486; the microcomputer advantageously runs under the operating system marketed under the trademark MS-DOS by the MICROSOFT company.
The employing of the microcomputer 39 makes it possible, on the one hand, to avail oneself of substan-tial computing power at low cost and, on the other hand, to benefit from the programming tools, program generators and/or expert ~ystem generators allowing easy ~1~ 6 6 4 0 construction, hence at a relatively moderate cost price, of the application for assisting the operator of the palletizer. However, naturally, a palletizer whose pro-grammable controller 16 affords assistance to the opera-tor, thus ~-k; ng it possible to economize on the incor-poration of the microcomputer, does not depart from the scope of the present invention.
In a first variant embodiment, the microcomputer 39 includes a program for optimizing a palletizing layout, stored in a ma~s memory 45, for example in a hard disk or in read-only memory advantageou~ly of pro-gr~mm~hle type (PROM, EPROM or EEPROM). The microcomputer 39 determine~ all the possible configurations, based on the size of the pallet, the dimension of the package, any possible permitted overhang or on the contrary the desired setback. Advantageously, the computer 39 takes into account the maximum accuracy of the palletizer when placing the packages on the pallet. In a subsequent step, the microcomputer determines the optimal configuration chosen on the basis of the usual criteria of those skilled in the art, namely the discarding of unstable pallets or ones in danger of breA~; ng up during handling for storage or transport and to obtain the most compact pallet possible containing a maximum of package~.
Advantageously, the microcomputer 39 calculates a graphical representation of the optimal pallet or pallets for visual inspection by the operator.
In a second variant embodiment, the precomputed optimized palletizing layout for each dimen~ion of package lying between a minimum dimension for example equal to 100 mm x 200 mm x 100 mm and a maximum dimension equal for example to 200 mm x 500 mm x 500 mm with a resolution (minimum variation between two packages in length, width or height) equal for example to 1 mm i8 stored in the mass memory 45 of the microcomputer 39.
Advantageously, the graphical representations of the optimized pallets are stored in the mass memory 45 of the microcomputer 39. The dimensions of the packages to be palletized, sent to the computer 39 by the operator, are 21a6640 _ compared with the various models stored. The computer 39 chooses the package model whose dimensions most closely approach the actual package dimensions indicated by the operator. The computer 39 chooses the stored optimized palletizing layout or layouts correspon~; ng to the package model chosen.
The computer 39 determines the succession of sequences required to produce the made-up pallet, the members required for palletization as well as the various members (pivoting stop, palletizer displacement in the horizontal plane X, Y and its vertical displacement along the Z axis, rotation of the head of the palletizer which carries the grasping m~her, relative movement of the gripper~ and translation of the grippers) to be employed.
The computer 39 sends the programmable con-troller 16 the palletizing program to be employed or the address of this program in the base memory of the programmable controller 16.
The computer 39 sends the programm~hle controller 16 the program or the address of the program in the mass memory of the controller 16 required to produce the configuration of the palletizer, by computing all its parameters.
In a particularly high-performance variant embodiment of the palletizer according to the present invention, the microcomputer 39 includes an expert system, for example, the expert system produced with the aid of an expert system generator marketed by Electricité
de France under the name GENESIA I or GENESIA II whose rule base includes the customary rules of a palletization expert, some examples of which are given below:
Rl - a slight overhang is advantageou~ for trans-port by railway wagon.
R2 - a setback is advantageous for transport by lorry.
R3 - crossover of the p~ck~ges over a substantial area increases the friction opposing the slippage of the packages relative to one another.
R4 - a breakage runs the risk of compromising the ~1~6640 stability of the pallet during and after raising by a lifter truck.
The expert systems implemented in the computer 39 determine, from the rule base and from the information provided by the operator (dimension of the packages, type of manipulation, storage and transport which the pallet has to be able to undergo etc.), which of the various palletizing layouts calculated by the computer 39 is the optimal palletizing layout.
Advantageously, the microcomputer 39 produces a printout with the aid of the printer 44 of a palletizing technical sheet and/or of a diagram illustrating the loading of the pallets onto a means of transport.
Advantageously, the programmable controller 39 triggers an alarm, for example audible and/or visual together with display on the screen 43, in the case in which it determines, from the signals sent by the sensors to the programmable controller 16, the existence of a fault, as, for example, the presence of a stuck package, the opening of the door 50 of the enclosure 2 of the palletizer 1 during operation or the lack of inserts in a device for feeding inserts (not represented).
Advantageously, dialogue with the operator is carried out by way of menus. For example, a main menu offers the operator:
1 - LAYOUT CREATION - correspo~; ng to the crea-tion of a new palletizing layout;
2 - LAYOUT SELECTION - correspo~; ng to the selection of a palletizing layout created earlier for a pallet space;
3 - FAULT VIEWING - correspon~; ng to the dis-playing of a text describing the nature of a current fault and/or the way to remedy it (on-line aid to the exploitation of the palletizer);
4 - CO~N L~K VIEWING AND CORRECTION - corres-po~; ng to the viewing of a counter of the palletizer and especially counters allowing synchronization of the various elements of the palletizer (number of layers on the pallet, number of packages in preparation) as well as ~1~6640 possibly of the counters for statistical processing or management (number of packages processed, number of pallets processed, time of operation and the possibility of updating them);
5- - VIEWING, ACTIVE STEP, GRAFCET - corres-po~;ng to the plain displaying of the sequence currently being carried out, tagged, on a flowchart, plainly or via its number, on the screen or in the notes for using the palletizer;
6 - RESTART ASSISTANCE - correspo~;ng to an on-line aid for restarting the palletizer;
7 - END-OF-RUN COMMAND - correspo~;ng to the comm~n~;ng of the palletizer in respect of an end of run, especially with an insufficient number of packages to make up a complete pallet;
8 - MANUAL CONTROL - correspon~;ng to the pass-age to manual control of the palletizer notably allowing direct control by tapping the keys of the keyboard 42 of the ~arious actuators of the palletizer 1;
9 _ M~C~TN~ RATE - correspo~;ng to the ~iewing of the rate of operation of the palletizer;
10 - UNhADEN TEST - correspon~;ng to the manoeuvring of the packageless palletizer in order to simulate automatic operating cycles.
During the first palletization of a new package, the operator chooses option 1 - LAYOUT CREATION.
The computer displays questions concerning the dimensions of the package (length, width, height).
According to the example embodiment, these questions are advantageously supplemented with questions concerning the types of transport, storage and handling, the weight of each package, the number of packages and/or the orienta-tion of arri~al of the packages (lengthwise or width-wise). Alternatively, the operator is asked whether he allows an o~erhang of the packages from the pallet. The operator indicates on the keyboard 42 the responses to the questions posed and confirms the given response. The computer displays one or more possible palletizing layouts. The operator chooses the desired layout or the ~ 6 ~ 4 0 valid one in the case in which a single palletizing layout i8 offered to him. The computer then displays on the screen the complete characteristics of the layout.
Advantageously, the computer displays questiong ~; n~
for the number of layers desired and/or whether it is desired to arrange inserts between the layers. The operator indicates to the computer the number of layers per pallet and the layers on which the palletizer is to deposit an insert. The operator indicates the name of the new layout for its future use. The program returns to the general menu.
Choosing and employing a layout is done via option 2 of the general menu - LAYOUT SELECTION for a pallet space. The microcomputer 39 displays on the screen 43 the various palletizing layouts stored. The operator selects the desired layout by typing the name of the layout or selects the name and/or the graphical repre-sentation of the layout with a pointing device. This layout defines the characteristics of the packages arriving on a given line number 80 as to be dealt with at a given palletizing station. The computer 39 displays on the screen 43 the complete characteristics of the palletizing layout advantageously accompanied by a graphical representation, the maximum rate to be used for a given palletizing layout and the number of layers. In the fully automatic variant of the palletizer according to the present invention, a transfer is carried out to the controller which configures the palletizer and links up with the palletization.
Advantageously, the computer 39 determines, from the number of packages and from the possible palletizing layouts, the distribution among pallets of the packages to be palletized 80 as to culminate in a last pallet cont~;n;ng the number of packages which is as close as possible to the number of packages carried by the other pallets.
Conventionally, the palletizers are provided with detectors enabling operation to be carried out very effectively and under good safety conditions.
Advantageously, the computer 39 and/or the programmable controller 16 include means for capturing data relating to the state of the various sensors. For example, a stuck package will be detected by a photoelectric cell and, conventionally, will cause the palletizer to stop.
Furthermore, the operator will be warned, for example, by an audible and/or visual signal. Advantageously, in such a case, the computer automatically displays option No. 3 - FAULT VIEWING - enabling the operator rapidly to identify the faults which caused the palletizer to stop and indicating the remedial measures to be taken 80 as to be able to restart in full safety.
For example, in the event of a hitch with the motor, the computer indicates that the cause is a jam or an overload and suggests eliminating the cause of the jam or of the overload, opening the electrical cabinet and resetting the correspQn~;ng circuit breaker. Advan-tageously, the operations to be performed are illustrated by a graphical layout.
When the computer has detected a lack of air, it indicates the probable causes, namely the stoppage of the compressor, the rupture of a pipeline or of a closed valve, and it suggests that the operator rectify the defect in the air circuit.
Similarly, when an emergency stop device has been actuated the computer indicates it to the operator and suggests that the operator release the correspon~;ng emergency stop.
When the computer detects that a door of the safety enclosure has been opened, it indicates it to the operator and suggests that the operator reclose the door.
When the beam of a photoelectric cell is cut by an anti-drop device, the computer indicates to the operator that the anti-drop is not in an eclipsed posi-tion following a jam and suggests that the operator unjamthe anti-drop device.
When the pallet template is not complied with, the computer indicates the presence of a pallet or an obstacle in front of the cell of the template and 2.la6~4n -suggests resetting the pallet into the palletizing position or removing the obstacle.
When an automatic cycle stops, the computer indicates that an automatic cycle stop push button has been actuated 80 as to switch to ~-n~ cycle or that a fault has been detected. It suggests that the operator eliminate the fault, reset the go permit, switch to automatic and press the "start automatic cycle" push button.
When the programmable controller has detected that the head was bearing on an obstacle, creating a stoppage, it suggests for example that the operator unjam the head of the palletizer.
When the results of counting are inconsi~tent, the computer warns the operator that a package is jammed in front of one of the counting cells, that a counting cell has gone wrong or that two packages have entered the palletizer together and have been detected as a single package. The computer suggests that the operator unjam the possible jammed package and check the package counter against the number of packages actually present in the palletizer.
When the palletizer stops subsequent to the lack of pallets in the dispenser of empty pallets, the com-puter indicates it to the operator and suggests that theoperator set up a stack of empty pallets and press the "start of automatic cycle" button.
When the palletizer cannot put a desired insert onto a layer, it indicates to the operator the 1088 or lack of inserts and suggests that the operator fill the magazine of inserts or put back into place an insert which has fallen into the magazine.
Option No. 5 - VIEWING, ACTIVE STEP, GRAFCET -makes it possible to view, for example, the steps of preparing layers, grabbing pallets, grabbing inserts, depositing layers and removing pallets.
Option No. 6 - RESTART ASSISTANCE by pallet space - makes it possible to restart automatic operation interrupted for example following a hitch. The time of 21~ 6 ~ 4 0 -immobilization of the palletizer i8 thus minimized while resetting the automatic facility to zero, mechanically lining up the palletizer and, either completely emptying the palletizer, or resuming palletization from the spot at which it stopped. The operator checks whether the figures resulting from the counting of the palletizer correspond to the actual situation and, possibly, inputs corrections. He also indicates to the computer whether the restart should be followed by emptying. Possibly, the computer indicates to the operator that he must extract the packages located in a reversing module. The operator confirms the menu and sets the palletizer into automatic mode.
When the number of package~ to be palletized is insufficient to make up a complete pallet, the operator stops the automatic palletizer operating cycle and selects the seventh option - END-OF-RUN CO~M~Nn for each pallet space - which makes it possible to empty the palletizer and remove the pallet.
To rectify a hitch, carry out adjustments or check correct operation, it may be beneficial to select the eighth option - MANUAL CONTROL - which allows indi-vidual control of the various actuators of the pallet-izer. It should be noted that this mode of operation makes it possible to override certain safety devices and therefore re~uires the attention of and visual inspection by the operator. Similarly, at the end of the manual cycle, and before switching to automatic cycle, the operator should assure himself that the palletizer is in a configuration which is compatible with the cycle to be executed or switch to option 6 - RESTART ASSISTANCE -. In a variant ~mhodiment~ during automatic cycle restart, the programmable controller 16 carries out the necessary configuring beforehand.
The manual control mode makes it possible to control, for example:
- the bundling module (especially the stockpiling table), - the grabbing of empty pallets, ~156640 - the depositing of empty pallets, - the grabbing of inserts, - the depositing of inserts, - the moving of the palletizer along the X, Y and Z axes, - the rotating of the head, - the opening of the right gripper and/or of the left gripper, - the control of the inter-axial gap of the grippers, - the opening and closing of the pallet gripper hooks, and - if appropriate, the control of a pallet handl-ing system.
The ninth option makes it possible to view the quantities of products which have passed through the palletizer, for example during the last 24 hours with a total and an hourly average, for example for the last eight hours.
The palletizer according to the invention applies to the making up of pallets, especially with frequent change of the palletizing layout.
During the first palletization of a new package, the operator chooses option 1 - LAYOUT CREATION.
The computer displays questions concerning the dimensions of the package (length, width, height).
According to the example embodiment, these questions are advantageously supplemented with questions concerning the types of transport, storage and handling, the weight of each package, the number of packages and/or the orienta-tion of arri~al of the packages (lengthwise or width-wise). Alternatively, the operator is asked whether he allows an o~erhang of the packages from the pallet. The operator indicates on the keyboard 42 the responses to the questions posed and confirms the given response. The computer displays one or more possible palletizing layouts. The operator chooses the desired layout or the ~ 6 ~ 4 0 valid one in the case in which a single palletizing layout i8 offered to him. The computer then displays on the screen the complete characteristics of the layout.
Advantageously, the computer displays questiong ~; n~
for the number of layers desired and/or whether it is desired to arrange inserts between the layers. The operator indicates to the computer the number of layers per pallet and the layers on which the palletizer is to deposit an insert. The operator indicates the name of the new layout for its future use. The program returns to the general menu.
Choosing and employing a layout is done via option 2 of the general menu - LAYOUT SELECTION for a pallet space. The microcomputer 39 displays on the screen 43 the various palletizing layouts stored. The operator selects the desired layout by typing the name of the layout or selects the name and/or the graphical repre-sentation of the layout with a pointing device. This layout defines the characteristics of the packages arriving on a given line number 80 as to be dealt with at a given palletizing station. The computer 39 displays on the screen 43 the complete characteristics of the palletizing layout advantageously accompanied by a graphical representation, the maximum rate to be used for a given palletizing layout and the number of layers. In the fully automatic variant of the palletizer according to the present invention, a transfer is carried out to the controller which configures the palletizer and links up with the palletization.
Advantageously, the computer 39 determines, from the number of packages and from the possible palletizing layouts, the distribution among pallets of the packages to be palletized 80 as to culminate in a last pallet cont~;n;ng the number of packages which is as close as possible to the number of packages carried by the other pallets.
Conventionally, the palletizers are provided with detectors enabling operation to be carried out very effectively and under good safety conditions.
Advantageously, the computer 39 and/or the programmable controller 16 include means for capturing data relating to the state of the various sensors. For example, a stuck package will be detected by a photoelectric cell and, conventionally, will cause the palletizer to stop.
Furthermore, the operator will be warned, for example, by an audible and/or visual signal. Advantageously, in such a case, the computer automatically displays option No. 3 - FAULT VIEWING - enabling the operator rapidly to identify the faults which caused the palletizer to stop and indicating the remedial measures to be taken 80 as to be able to restart in full safety.
For example, in the event of a hitch with the motor, the computer indicates that the cause is a jam or an overload and suggests eliminating the cause of the jam or of the overload, opening the electrical cabinet and resetting the correspQn~;ng circuit breaker. Advan-tageously, the operations to be performed are illustrated by a graphical layout.
When the computer has detected a lack of air, it indicates the probable causes, namely the stoppage of the compressor, the rupture of a pipeline or of a closed valve, and it suggests that the operator rectify the defect in the air circuit.
Similarly, when an emergency stop device has been actuated the computer indicates it to the operator and suggests that the operator release the correspon~;ng emergency stop.
When the computer detects that a door of the safety enclosure has been opened, it indicates it to the operator and suggests that the operator reclose the door.
When the beam of a photoelectric cell is cut by an anti-drop device, the computer indicates to the operator that the anti-drop is not in an eclipsed posi-tion following a jam and suggests that the operator unjamthe anti-drop device.
When the pallet template is not complied with, the computer indicates the presence of a pallet or an obstacle in front of the cell of the template and 2.la6~4n -suggests resetting the pallet into the palletizing position or removing the obstacle.
When an automatic cycle stops, the computer indicates that an automatic cycle stop push button has been actuated 80 as to switch to ~-n~ cycle or that a fault has been detected. It suggests that the operator eliminate the fault, reset the go permit, switch to automatic and press the "start automatic cycle" push button.
When the programmable controller has detected that the head was bearing on an obstacle, creating a stoppage, it suggests for example that the operator unjam the head of the palletizer.
When the results of counting are inconsi~tent, the computer warns the operator that a package is jammed in front of one of the counting cells, that a counting cell has gone wrong or that two packages have entered the palletizer together and have been detected as a single package. The computer suggests that the operator unjam the possible jammed package and check the package counter against the number of packages actually present in the palletizer.
When the palletizer stops subsequent to the lack of pallets in the dispenser of empty pallets, the com-puter indicates it to the operator and suggests that theoperator set up a stack of empty pallets and press the "start of automatic cycle" button.
When the palletizer cannot put a desired insert onto a layer, it indicates to the operator the 1088 or lack of inserts and suggests that the operator fill the magazine of inserts or put back into place an insert which has fallen into the magazine.
Option No. 5 - VIEWING, ACTIVE STEP, GRAFCET -makes it possible to view, for example, the steps of preparing layers, grabbing pallets, grabbing inserts, depositing layers and removing pallets.
Option No. 6 - RESTART ASSISTANCE by pallet space - makes it possible to restart automatic operation interrupted for example following a hitch. The time of 21~ 6 ~ 4 0 -immobilization of the palletizer i8 thus minimized while resetting the automatic facility to zero, mechanically lining up the palletizer and, either completely emptying the palletizer, or resuming palletization from the spot at which it stopped. The operator checks whether the figures resulting from the counting of the palletizer correspond to the actual situation and, possibly, inputs corrections. He also indicates to the computer whether the restart should be followed by emptying. Possibly, the computer indicates to the operator that he must extract the packages located in a reversing module. The operator confirms the menu and sets the palletizer into automatic mode.
When the number of package~ to be palletized is insufficient to make up a complete pallet, the operator stops the automatic palletizer operating cycle and selects the seventh option - END-OF-RUN CO~M~Nn for each pallet space - which makes it possible to empty the palletizer and remove the pallet.
To rectify a hitch, carry out adjustments or check correct operation, it may be beneficial to select the eighth option - MANUAL CONTROL - which allows indi-vidual control of the various actuators of the pallet-izer. It should be noted that this mode of operation makes it possible to override certain safety devices and therefore re~uires the attention of and visual inspection by the operator. Similarly, at the end of the manual cycle, and before switching to automatic cycle, the operator should assure himself that the palletizer is in a configuration which is compatible with the cycle to be executed or switch to option 6 - RESTART ASSISTANCE -. In a variant ~mhodiment~ during automatic cycle restart, the programmable controller 16 carries out the necessary configuring beforehand.
The manual control mode makes it possible to control, for example:
- the bundling module (especially the stockpiling table), - the grabbing of empty pallets, ~156640 - the depositing of empty pallets, - the grabbing of inserts, - the depositing of inserts, - the moving of the palletizer along the X, Y and Z axes, - the rotating of the head, - the opening of the right gripper and/or of the left gripper, - the control of the inter-axial gap of the grippers, - the opening and closing of the pallet gripper hooks, and - if appropriate, the control of a pallet handl-ing system.
The ninth option makes it possible to view the quantities of products which have passed through the palletizer, for example during the last 24 hours with a total and an hourly average, for example for the last eight hours.
The palletizer according to the invention applies to the making up of pallets, especially with frequent change of the palletizing layout.
Claims (23)
1. Multipalletizer of robot type including a grasp-ing device, and a means of moving the grasping device between at least one package grabbing area and at least one package depositing area, characterized in that the grasping device includes:
- a plurality of gripper units (100) arranged side by side and each including two jaws (101), at least one of which is movable, - an actuation device (102) which moves at least one movable jaw of each gripper unit (100) in a first direction, and - a separation device (105, 106, 107) moving the gripper units (100) relative to one another in a second direction.
- a plurality of gripper units (100) arranged side by side and each including two jaws (101), at least one of which is movable, - an actuation device (102) which moves at least one movable jaw of each gripper unit (100) in a first direction, and - a separation device (105, 106, 107) moving the gripper units (100) relative to one another in a second direction.
2. Multipalletizer according to Claim 1, character-ized in that the first and the second direction are perpendicular.
3. Multipalletizer according to either of Claims 1 or 2, characterized in that, for all the positions of the actuation device, the jaws (101) situated on the same side remain aligned.
4. Multipalletizer according to one of Claims 1 to 3, characterized in that at least one gripper unit includes two movable jaws (101) which are moved by the said actuation device.
5. Multipalletizer according to Claim 4, character-ized in that it includes a device for pivoting the set of gripper units, the angular swing of which is equal to 90°.
6. Multipalletizer according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the actuation device includes a plurality of actuation elements such as jacks (102), each of which is coupled to a different movable jaw (101).
7. Multipalletizer according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that at least one gripper unit (100) includes a first rail (150) of general inverted U
shape, the movement of which is controlled by the separ-ation device, and in that it includes first carriages (103) driven by the actuation device and each of which is integral with a movable jaw (101) and slides in the first rail (150).
shape, the movement of which is controlled by the separ-ation device, and in that it includes first carriages (103) driven by the actuation device and each of which is integral with a movable jaw (101) and slides in the first rail (150).
8. Multipalletizer according to Claim 7, character-ized in that the said movable jaw (101) has a plane active face (147) for grabbing packages extending on the one hand vertically downwards beyond the lower end of the first and second branches of the first inverted U rail (150), and on the other hand perpendicularly to the direction of movement of the movable jaw (101) along the first rail (150).
9. Multipalletizer according to one of Claims 7 and 8, characterized in that it includes at least one actuation jack (102) for a movable jaw (101), the said actuation jack being housed inside the first rail (150).
10. Multipalletizer according to Claim 9, character-ized in that it includes two actuation jacks (102) housed head-to-tail inside the first rail (150), each movable jaw (101) being movable between a position of maximum opening situated in the vicinity of a first and a second end of the first rail (150) and a position of maximum closure situated substantially midway from the ends of the first rail (150).
11. Multipalletizer according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the separation device includes a plurality of looped drive belts (106, 107) propelled by pinions (106', 107') whose diameters are in given ratios, these pinions (106' 107') being driven by the same motor (105), and in that the gripper units (100) are mounted in pairs on opposite strands of the loop of a same drive belt (106, 107) such that the two gripper units (100) of the same pair are driven in opposite directions, a first central pair of gripper units (100) including two adjacent gripper units (100) driven by a first belt (106) propelled by a first pinion (106') of smaller diameter do, whilst at least one second pair of gripper units (100) including two gripper units (100) adjacent to the gripper units of the first pair is driven by a second belt (107) propelled by a second pinion (107') of diameter nd0 with n > 1.
12. Multipalletizer according to Claim 11, character-ized in that n = 3.
13. Multipalletizer according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the separation device includes a second rail (160) of inverted U shape, in which second carriages (104), each integral with a gripper unit (100), slide.
14. Multipalletizer according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the gripper units placed outermost each carry a pair of pallet grabbing hooks (116) articulated about an axis of rotation as well as a mechanism (117) for commanding the rotation of the said hooks (116).
15. Multipalletizer according to Claim 14, character-ized in that the hooks (116) carry an insert aspiration sucker (130) at their lower part.
16. Multipalletizer according to Claim 15, character-ized in that, in a nominal angular position of the hooks (116), the axis of the suckers (130) is vertical and in that at least one said movable jaw (101) is integral with a finger (140) forming an angular stop of the correspond-ing hook in the said nominal angular position (II), when the movable jaw (101) is in a given nominal position.
17. Multipalletizer according to Claim 16, character-ized in that the said given nominal position of the movable jaw (101) is its position of full opening.
18. Multipalletizer according to one of the preced-ing claims, characterized in that it is of the cartesian type and includes a system for driving a head (201) carrying the grasping device and including means for moving the head at least along two directions (X, Y) in the horizontal plane and in the vertical direction (Z).
19. Multipalletizer according to one of the preced-ing claims, characterized in that it includes computing means (39) and a mass memory (45) in which are stored programs for determining, from the geometry of the packages (4) to be palletized, the optimal palletizing layout(s) to be adopted and the corresponding configur-ation of the multipalletizer (1) and in that it includes actuators enabling the multipalletizer (1) to be configured for the execution of the specified palletizing layout.
20. Multipalletizer according to Claim 19, character-ized in that it includes a programmable controller (16) for the command of actuators and in that the said comput-ing means (39) include a microcomputer connected via a communication link (40) to the programmable controller (16).
21. Multipalletizer according to Claim 20, character-ized in that the microcomputer (39) includes means enabling an operator to control the programmable con-troller (16).
22. Multipalletizer according to any one of Claims 19 to 21, characterized in that the computing means (39) include display means (43), preferably a screen including a cathode-ray tube, making it possible to indicate to the operator the configuration of the multipalletizer (1) to be implemented corresponding to the palletizing layout adopted.
23. Multipalletizer according to any one of Claims 19 to 22, characterized in that it includes, stored in the mass memory (45), a finite number, preferably greater than 100 preferably greater than 200, of geometries and of corresponding optimized palletizing layouts, in that it includes computing means for determining which stored geometry is most like the geometry of a package to be palletized, and in that it carries out the reading from the mass memory (45) and preferably the displaying on a screen (43) of the corresponding palletizing layout.
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| FR9410183 | 1994-08-22 | ||
| FR9410183A FR2723732B1 (en) | 1994-08-22 | 1994-08-22 | ROBOT TYPE MULTIPALETTIZER |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA2156640A1 true CA2156640A1 (en) | 1996-02-23 |
Family
ID=9466419
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA 2156640 Abandoned CA2156640A1 (en) | 1994-08-22 | 1995-08-21 | Multipalletizer of robot type |
Country Status (2)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| CA (1) | CA2156640A1 (en) |
| FR (1) | FR2723732B1 (en) |
Cited By (4)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WO2024028178A1 (en) * | 2022-08-02 | 2024-02-08 | Aventus GmbH & Co. KG | Palletising device and operating method |
| EP4308348A4 (en) * | 2021-03-18 | 2025-01-22 | Dexterity, Inc. | MULTIMODAL ROBOTIC END EFFECTOR |
| CN119683336A (en) * | 2024-12-25 | 2025-03-25 | 珠海格力智能装备有限公司 | Palletizing Robot |
| EP4600188A1 (en) * | 2021-07-14 | 2025-08-13 | Newteq Holding B.V. | Automated warehouse systems, assemblies, apparatuses, and methods for assembling mixed pallets and facilitating order picking |
Families Citing this family (5)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ITPR20050075A1 (en) * | 2005-12-02 | 2007-06-03 | Emmeti Spa | PROCEDURE AND DEVICE TO TAKE AWAY AND DEPOSIT AN ENTIRE LAYER OF PALLETIZING PRODUCTS. |
| AU2008255183B2 (en) * | 2007-12-10 | 2010-03-25 | Visy R & D Pty Ltd | Improvements in palletising systems |
| FR3048422B1 (en) | 2016-03-04 | 2019-09-13 | Cermex Newtec | PALETTE PRETENSION |
| US11642797B2 (en) | 2020-03-19 | 2023-05-09 | Tata Consultancy Services Limited | Gripper apparatus for grasping objects |
| FR3125452B1 (en) | 2021-07-20 | 2023-06-30 | Unista | Crate gripping tool and palletizing and/or depalletizing system comprising it |
Family Cites Families (6)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GB870866A (en) * | 1958-04-09 | 1961-06-21 | Gordon Henry Bennett | Improvements in or relating to gripping means for lifting loading or stacking equipment |
| FR1371589A (en) * | 1963-10-14 | 1964-09-04 | Gripping device for elements to be gripped in separate pieces, in particular for elements having approximately the same shape and stacked in layers | |
| IT1190555B (en) * | 1986-03-19 | 1988-02-16 | Ferrero Spa | GRIPPING DEVICE ESPECIALLY FOR AUTOMATIC LIFTING AND TRANSPORT EQUIPMENT FOR PACKAGING FOOD PRODUCTS |
| DE3613072C2 (en) * | 1986-04-18 | 1995-11-23 | Khs Masch & Anlagenbau Ag | Gripper device for registering and moving a rectangular or square box layer |
| US4787810A (en) * | 1987-09-04 | 1988-11-29 | Cawley Wesley D | Method and apparatus for handling stacks of loose sheet material |
| FR2623679B1 (en) * | 1987-11-24 | 1996-02-23 | Thibault Philippe | DEVICE FOR INSPECTING A LOT OF PARCELS TO BE DISMANTLED AND PALLETIZING ROBOT COMPRISING SAME |
-
1994
- 1994-08-22 FR FR9410183A patent/FR2723732B1/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
-
1995
- 1995-08-21 CA CA 2156640 patent/CA2156640A1/en not_active Abandoned
Cited By (4)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EP4308348A4 (en) * | 2021-03-18 | 2025-01-22 | Dexterity, Inc. | MULTIMODAL ROBOTIC END EFFECTOR |
| EP4600188A1 (en) * | 2021-07-14 | 2025-08-13 | Newteq Holding B.V. | Automated warehouse systems, assemblies, apparatuses, and methods for assembling mixed pallets and facilitating order picking |
| WO2024028178A1 (en) * | 2022-08-02 | 2024-02-08 | Aventus GmbH & Co. KG | Palletising device and operating method |
| CN119683336A (en) * | 2024-12-25 | 2025-03-25 | 珠海格力智能装备有限公司 | Palletizing Robot |
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| FR2723732B1 (en) | 1996-10-04 |
| FR2723732A1 (en) | 1996-02-23 |
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Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| EEER | Examination request | ||
| FZDE | Dead |