The present invention is generally directed to one or more of apparatuses, devices, assemblies, subassemblies, and/or methods for/of article manipulation in furtherance of article group formation. More particularly, the instant disclosure is directed to one or more of apparatuses, devices, assemblies, or subassemblies to effectuate conveyed article accumulation and article pattern building for the accumulating articles in advance of accumulated article transfer and/or loading operations.
Various mechanisms are known to effectuate the grouping/packaging of articles from a source of flowing articles in advance of loading operations. Since the advent of robotic article loading operations, the functionality of robotic apparatus has expanded from loading (i.e., transfer/loading) to “front end” article accumulation operations which are then followed by transfer and loading operations. While such multi-tasking is common of robotic systems, it is not exclusive to such apparatus. Alternate mechanized assemblies for pushing, stacking, pulling and/or rotating articles in furtherance of accumulation and/or article pattern building are known and commercially available.
Illustrative of article handling operations characterized by the accumulation, aggregation and/or grouping of articles such as bags, pouches, cartons, etc. and their subsequent loading (e.g., top case loading), are the teachings of Black et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 7,856,797) and Cote (U.S. Pub. No. 2012/0006651), as well as Applicant's work memorialized in their Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) appl. ser. no. PCT/US2016/050222, filed Sep. 2, 2016 and entitled “Improved Robotic Article Handling System & Operation,” incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Further noteworthy work of Applicant includes apparatus and methods for preliminary article placement to enhance/facilitate article accumulation, aggregation and/or grouping, namely, work directed to an article divider conveyor (i.e., colloquially, a product placement conveyor (PPC)) as per U.S. Pat. No. 9,586,706 entitled “Apparatus and Methods for Loading Product Into Cases,” the entirety of which is likewise incorporated herein by reference.
While improvements continue and technology advances, solutions have become and/or are continuing to be expensive. It remains advantageous to swiftly, carefully and reliably accumulate articles from an inflow of articles, and further still to accumulate articles in select patterns or configurations for transfer and placement elsewhere in furtherance of loading same. Moreover, it is believed advantageous and desirable to provide a minimally complex apparatus, assembly, system and/or process which accurately and repeatedly forms an accumulated article pattern of high density and/or minimal footprint, more particularly, a high density accumulated article pattern that is readily transferred/transferably with minimal pattern disruption so as to effectuate reliable loading operations.
An article accumulation pattern building load plate assembly is provided. The assembly includes a deck for support of patterned articles, a stop for retaining deck supported articles, and spaced apart guides adjustably positionable in relation to the deck so as to transversely guide articles thereacross towards the stop. Articles of the patterned articles are received at an ingress portion of the assembly from a metered article source, the articles extendable at least across a width of the deck in a direction transverse to an article ingress direction. The stop is adjacent the deck, extending in a direction transverse to the article ingress direction, the stop delimiting an egress portion of the assembly.
Advantageously, the instant assembly is of modular design, the assembly adapted for select operative deployment, in the context of a robotic article handling system, during flat pack operations, for instance as be pivoting from a stowed to select angular oriented operative condition. Moreover, the assembly contemplates arrayed article patterning, for instance and without limitation, 2×1, 3×1, 4×1, 2×2 and 3×3 arrayed article group patterning.
Advantageously and desirably, the stop is notionally provided as a fast acting gate, actuatable between first and second operative positions, the first operative position for patterned article retention, the second operative position for patterned article release. Moreover, the deck may be equipped with an actuatable lifter, and/or the assembly further adapted to include spaced apart blocks operably positionable over select portions of the deck. Articles are receivable upon the operably positioned lifter and/or spaced apart blocks so as to be in an elevated condition relative to a surface of the deck, thereby enable especially advantageous arrayed article pattern formation. More specific features and advantages obtained in view of the summarized features will become apparent with reference to the drawing figures and DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION.
Preferred, non-limiting assemblies, structures and/or mechanisms relating to and for improved/simplified article accumulation pattern building are generally disclosed and presented throughout the figures of the subject disclosure. In advance of particulars for or with regard to the instant article accumulation pattern building load plate assembly, in all contemplated and/or disclosed forms, some preliminary observations and/or comments as to Applicant's approach to article group formation are set forth. Moreover, an overview of the structure of the subject disclosure is likewise set forth thereafter.
First, Applicant provides an elegant alternative to highly mechanized robotic article accumulation and/or pattern building systems. Notionally, articles from a metered article source are sequentially received at an ingress portion of an apparatus for article accumulation and pattern building, a deck of the apparatus supporting patterned (e.g., arrayed) articles, with a stop retaining the articles sequentially received, accumulated and patterned, the stop delimiting an egress portion of the apparatus. Having established or delimited a patterned article group, the group may be picked-and-placed, or otherwise transferred, in furtherance of sought after packing/processing objectives, for example and without limitation, layered flat pack cartoning.
Second, the instant disclosure notionally proceeds from the general to the particular, with a variety of article accumulation pattern building load plates contemplated. As will be subsequently taken up, structures for 2×1, 3×1, and 2×2 article array patterning are shown in
With initial and general reference to
Articles 10 are advantageously conveyed from a metered article supply via a conveyor 22 of article infeed system 20. Advantageously, a divider conveyor 24 of article infeed system 20 receives articles from conveyor 22 and passes them to load plate 100. Notionally, articles may suitably manipulated by divider conveyor 24, e.g., a product placement conveyor (PPC) as previously cited, or other suitable mechanism that results in column formation (i.e., in fed articles are acted upon in furtherance of discharging transversely displaced articles). Articles of the infeed conveyor may be gapped or gapped and divided as circumstances warrant, a side-by-side arrayed (i.e., columnar) article distribution thereby established.
As is appreciated with continued reference to
The deck generally supports a patterned article group, articles of the patterned article group sequentially received at the ingress portion of the article accumulation pattern building load plate. Articles of the patterned article group extend at least across a width of the deck in a direction transverse to metered article process flow.
The stop retains articles sequentially received at the ingress portion of the article accumulation pattern building load plate, and thus the patterned article group. The stop is adjacent the deck, extending in a direction transverse to metered article process flow and delimiting the egress portion of the article accumulation pattern building load plate.
In connection to article pattern formation, article arrays are advantageously contemplated. For the sake of convention and understanding, the terms “rows,” “columns,” and “array(s),” as appearing and used in the instant disclosure, are generally given their customary and ordinary meaning, namely, “rows” align with or extend in a direction of process/article flow (e.g., in an article ingress direction), “columns” align with or extend in a direction transverse of process/article flow, with “arrays” being a generally rectangular arrangement of articles in rows and columns. As expressed herein, and for example, a 2×1 array is characterized by a single row and two columns (see e.g.,
In advance of a brief overview of contemplated article and patterned article group processing, an especially advantageous and desirable functionality warrants introduction. With “tight” article patterning believed advantageous and desirable, article manipulations are undertaken part-and-parcel of pattern building. For instance, in-as-much as articles may be manipulated in an overhead plan context (i.e., channeled or funneled in an article processing direction) to produce a greater adjacency of articles of/for a given column, articles may be manipulated in a vertical or elevational plan context so as to create a degree of overlap for rows (
With particular reference to the sequence of
As per
As is readily appreciated, discharged articles are received, in a sense caught, by the load plate, and retained via the stop. The departure angle from horizontal for the load plate (i.e., deck thereof) is generally in the range of about 20-65 degrees, with article mass, shape/configuration, contents, and ingress velocity consideration factors.
While select deck positioning, fixed or adjustable, is conventionally achievable, it is believed advantageous to pivotingly unite the load plate, via a hinged frame or structural element, to a corresponding support element of an assembly characterized by the load plate (see e.g., the operative combination of
As to the process, a first article essentially spills off/over divider conveyor 24 as an earlier established 2×2 article array is secured and transferred from load plate 100 by a first robotic arm 30, divider conveyor 24 having oscillated to deliver a second article adjacent the first (
In advance of forming a second article row (i.e., at a time after the
With general reference now to
In advance of assembly particulars, it is to be noted that the depicted combination and assembly is desirably, advantageously but not necessarily offered part-and-parcel of a robotic article handling system, for instance, as an optional, operably optional subassembly of robotic article handling system 200 of
As is readily appreciated with initial reference to and comparison of
Article accumulation pattern building load plate 100 is generally and fairly characterized by ingress 101 and egress 103 portions. Again, articles essentially spill over/off the divider conveyor 24, more particularly, articles sequentially spill over at select transverse locals in furtherance of the establishment of columns (e.g., a “two across the machine” pattern).
As shown, article accumulation pattern building load plate 100 generally includes a deck 120 for support of patterned articles, a stop 130 for retaining deck supported articles, and spaced apart guides 142, 142′ of subassemblies 140, 140′ adjustably positionable in relation to the deck so as to transversely guide articles traveling from the ingress portion of the load plate towards the stop. A frame, e.g., a pivotably mounted/mountable frame 180 as shown, supports deck 120 and generally functions as a structural element for the assembly which advantageously but not necessarily, further includes operatively positionable spaced apart blocks 162, 162′ of block subassemblies 160, 160′ upon which articles may be received, and actuatable lifter 150, vertically extendable from a surface of deck 120 via actuator 156, for selective article receipt.
Deck 120 is generally supported at its underside (
Deck 120 is advantageously, but not necessarily adapted to include a centrally positioned actuatable lift 150 (
Stop 130, in the form of an end wall forming plate, is supported by deck 120 via spaced apart brackets 132, 132′ carried on its underside, the brackets united via a brace 133 or the like (
In furtherance of what is essential a fast acting gate functionality for the stop, pivot linkages unite frame 180 to stop 130 via stop support brackets 132, 1332′ (
Turning now to guides 142, 142′ and blocks 162, 162′, each structure is provided in the load plate assembly in the form of a subassembly. Advantageously, but not necessarily, each structure is translatably and rotationally supported relative to the deck, more particularly, the surface of the deck, via a track/track carriage interface as will be subsequently described.
As best viewed with reference
Block subassemblies 160, 160′ are generally characterized by blocks 160, 160′, track carriages 164, 164′ operatively united to/with the blocks, and affixation mechanisms. Each block 160, 160′ includes an upstream end portion 163, 163′ having a contoured free end 165, 165′ for unencumbered receipt of an inbound article. The blocks of the block subassemblies generally overlie the deck for translation thereover.
A first affixation mechanism 166, 166′ of or related to block subassemblies 160, 160′ permits select fixed/fixable transverse positioning of the block/block track carriage relative to the track, and thus relative to the deck (i.e., the block is operably positionable over a select portion of the deck across the width thereof), articles receivable upon such operably positioned block so as to be in an elevated condition relative to a surface of the deck. A second affixation mechanism 168, 168′ of or related to block assemblies 160, 160′ permits select fixed/fixable angular positioning of the block/block track carriage with regard to the track, and thus relative to the article ingress direction, as circumstances may warrant.
Guide subassemblies 140, 140′ are generally characterized by guides 142, 142′, track carriages 144, 144′ operatively united to/with the guide, and affixation mechanisms. Guides 142, 142′, as shown (
A first affixation mechanism 146, 146′ of or related to guide subassemblies 140, 140′ permits select fixed/fixable transverse positioning of the guide/guide track carriage relative to the track, and thus relative to the deck (i.e., the guide is adjustably positionable in relation to the deck, more particularly, the width thereof) so as to transversely guide articles traveling from the ingress portion of the article accumulation pattern building load plate towards the stop. A second affixation mechanism 148, 148′ of or related to guide assemblies 140, 140′ permits select fixed/fixable angular positioning of the guide with regard to the guide track carriage, and thus relative to the article ingress direction, as circumstances may warrant, in furtherance of forming a tapering channel towards the stop. More particularly, a tab or stem 141, 141′ extending from guide, is angularly anchorable atop guide carriage 144, 144′, the guide carriage adapted to permit receipt of a portion of the block of the block assembly (note especially
What has been described and depicted herein are preferred, non-limiting embodiments of Applicant's subject matter, along with some application contexts. Since the structures of the assemblies, subassemblies, and/or mechanisms disclosed herein may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or general characteristics thereof, some of which forms have been indicated, the embodiments described and depicted herein/with are to be considered in all respects illustrative and not restrictive. Moreover, while nominal processing has be described and detailed, and to some degree alternate work pieces and systems, assemblies, etc. with regard thereto referenced, contemplated processes are not so limited. Accordingly, the scope of the subject invention is as defined in the language of the appended claims, and includes not insubstantial equivalents thereto.
This is an international patent application filed under 35 USC § 363 claiming priority under 35 USC § 120 of/to U.S. Pat. Appl. Ser. No. 62/300,579 filed Feb. 26, 2016, incorporated by reference in its entirety.
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
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PCT/US17/19683 | 2/27/2017 | WO | 00 |
Number | Date | Country | |
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62300579 | Feb 2016 | US |