Patent Application
20250171181
The present disclosure relates to a mechanised method for bending and loading products into packages, as well as a gripper-bender device for implementing such a method and an assembly comprising a plurality of such gripper-bender devices.
The present disclosure falls within the field of automated industrial production methods. More precisely, the present disclosure relates to the field of loading and packaging agri-food products.
Automated and robotised installations are widely developed in the industrial production sector, and now replace operators for highly difficult operations, particularly those requiring repetitive manipulations of a significant number of goods, sometimes that are of large dimensions and/or very heavy.
Conventionally, industrial production installations for transporting, preparing and/or loading products are equipped with “picking” or “pick and place” robots. These machines select, sort and move the goods from one surface to another. In order to carry out these operations, the robots are conventionally provided with an articulated robotised arm and a system for grabbing and/or releasing a plurality of products simultaneously, typically several tens of times per minute.
In particular, agri-food industries use a set of robotised installations, and typically picking robots that make it possible to rapidly manipulate and pack the food products, from bulk food products up to the depositing thereof into a final package. Therefore, such installations using these technologies for loading food products, such as sausages, into thermoformed trays and packages are widely known.
Moreover, in industrial sectors, there is a growing need to reduce the carbon footprint and particularly, to reduce non-recyclable product waste and/or pollutants. In particular, a significant proportion of the pollution generated by the agri-food production industry comes from packages, which are mostly for single use and mainly formed of plastic materials.
Most of the industries that use these packages are trying to reduce their consumption of plastics. The main solution consists in replacing the existing packages with ecological alternatives, using environmentally friendly materials such as biomaterials that are manufactured in short circuits, reusable and/or requiring the least possible materials/energy.
On the other hand, these solutions for the moment remain too expensive for industrialists and the methods for manufacturing these alternative packages are not yet sufficiently developed for replacing all of the packages and for maintaining the production rate.
In addition, as regards foodstuffs, hygiene, sealing, composition, etc., standards for packages must be respected for the contact and the storage of products. The plastic materials and/or pollutants used in the packages meet these standards and for the moment are difficult to replace completely.
The present disclosure improves the situation.
A mechanised method is proposed for bending and loading one or more slender products having two longitudinal ends into at least one package implementing one or more gripper-bender devices and comprising the following steps of:
The features outlined in the following paragraphs can optionally be implemented independently or in combination with one another.
According to one embodiment, said at least one package has a bottom and edges, and depositing in /c/ is obtained in the curved position of the product(s) having the reduced length, by guaranteeing an offset between the longitudinal ends of the or of each product and the edges opposite the longitudinal ends at least greater than a threshold margin.
According to one embodiment, in the initial length, the offset between the longitudinal ends of the or of each product and the edges opposite the longitudinal ends is less than the threshold margin.
According to one embodiment, the or each gripper-bender device comprises one or more suction cup(s), and the gripping in /a/ is obtained by placing the suction cup(s) in contact with the product, and placing the suction cup(s) in a negative pressure and the depositing in /c/ is obtained by stopping the negative pressure.
According to one embodiment, the support surface is a conveyor belt, having in relief parallel slots individually receiving the slender products.
According to one embodiment, the gripper-bender device(s) is (are) manipulated by a robotised arm, and the robotised arm ensures the movement of the product(s) grasped by the gripper-bender devices from the support surface in /a/, and up to the depositing in /c/.
The present disclosure also concerns a gripper-bender device that is suitable for implementing the mechanised bending and loading method, comprising:
According to one embodiment, the fixed part includes a system for adjusting a spacing between the suction cup(s) and said at least one counter-bearing portion configured to permit the movement of the at least one suction cup according to at least two relative positions, comprising a first position wherein a stressing of the product on the contact surface is low, the product is slightly bent and the reduced length thereof has a first value, and a second position wherein the stressing of the product on the contact surface is strong, the product is considerably bent and the reduced length thereof has a second value, different from the first value.
According to another aspect, the present disclosure also concerns a gripper-bender device that is suitable for implementing the mechanised bending and loading method, comprising three suction cups, two lateral suction cups located on either side of a central suction cup, said three suction cups including flexible bellows and each being connected to at least one vacuum port for actuating a suction of each of the three suction cups, in which the three suction cups are configured to grasp by suction in a suction direction the product in the rest position during step /a/, and to pull by continuous suction in a retraction direction of the three suction cups, collapsing the bellows of the suction cups, during step /b/ by causing a movement of the product in relation to a fixed part of the gripper-bender device, and in which said central suction cup is configured to retract according to a retraction amplitude greater than a retraction amplitude of said two lateral suction cups during step /b/, for placing the product in the curved position.
The present disclosure also concerns a modular gripper assembly for implementing the mechanised bending and loading method, comprising a main frame comprising main rails and a plurality of gripper-benders, slidingly mounted parallel with one another and one after another on said main rails, said gripper-bender devices grouped into a plurality of independent gripper groups, sliding along the main rails, and in which the main frame is equipped with at least one actuator configured to slide the plurality of gripper-bender devices along the main rails:
According to one embodiment, said gripper-bender devices belonging to the same group from the plurality of independent gripper groups, are secured, in pairs, by removable connecting rods, the rods engaging by two ends of each rod into two slots of the gripper-bender devices by elastic interlocking.
According to one embodiment, the method for bending and loading a plurality of products into packages, implements the modular gripper assembly, wherein said packages are of a package length longer than the group length and are of a package width and wherein the modular gripper assembly is placed in the gripping position prior to step /a/, the method comprising the following steps of:
According to one embodiment, the products are food products, in particular sausages.
Other features, details and advantages will appear upon reading the detailed description hereinafter, and on analysis of the appended drawings, wherein:
The drawings and the description hereinafter essentially contain elements of a certain nature. Hence, they could not only be used to better understand the present disclosure, but also contribute to the definition thereof, where appropriate.
The present disclosure relates to a mechanised method for bending and loading one or more slender products O, having two longitudinal ends, into at least one package E implementing one or more gripper-bender devices. The slender products O may typically be food products, for example sausages, in particular of animal, or even, plant origin.
The method comprises the following steps of:
Such a method makes it possible to reduce the size of the products O to be packaged by bending them. The curved products, of reduced length Lr, can then be inserted into smaller packages. Alternatively, rather than use smaller packages, it is also possible to insert a larger number of curved products into the same package, or to insert longer products. This may have for example the advantage of getting rid of existing stocks of packages of conventional dimensions, loaded with more products O.
As illustrated in
The packages may further comprise recyclable materials, for example recycled plastics, of the rPET type. It is also possible to use ecological packages, using biodegradable and/or eco-designed components, such as compostable trays made of moulded cellulose. In particular, less voluminous and lighter alternatives are preferred for the storage, manufactured with the least possible materials, maintaining an optimal sealing and vacuuming of products.
Depositing in the package E in step /c/ of the method is obtained in the curved position PC of the product(s) O of reduced length Lr. This depositing is carried out by guaranteeing an offset between the longitudinal ends of each product O and the edges of the package E opposite the longitudinal ends at least greater than the threshold margin dm, as shown in
The threshold margin dm is a safety margin, of dimensions in particular between 0 and 10 mm, for example 5 mm. It is chosen to ensure insertion of the products O into the package E without forcing and without damaging the products, particularly at the ends thereof. Conversely, it is preferable that the threshold margin is not too high, because the size of the products O would not be optimised: the products in the curved position PC, particularly in the case of flexible and deformable agri-food products, tend to naturally revert back to the initial rest position PR thereof, and therefore the length thereof substantially increases by tending towards the initial length Li, once inserted into the package E.
Moreover, the offset between the longitudinal ends of each product O in the rest position PR and of initial length Li, on the one hand, and the edges of the package E, on the other hand, is less than the threshold margin dm. In other words, the product O in the rest position PR thereof is too close to the edges of the package E to ensure the robotised insertion thereof into the package E with reliability, or even possibly the product may longitudinally protrude from the package E, in relation to the edges.
According to the present disclosure, the method comprises installing gripper-bender devices 2 to grab, bend then deposit the products O. To this end, the gripper-bender device 2 may comprise one or more suction cups 22. The gripping in step /a/ is then obtained by placing the suction cup 22 in contact with the product O, then placing it in negative pressure thereof. The depositing of the product O in step /c/ is subsequently typically obtained by stopping the negative pressure.
The support surface 3 for carrying the products O is particularly a conveyor belt, having in relief parallel slots, individually receiving the slender products O. One example of support surface 3 can be seen in
Such a support surface 3 with parallel slots makes it possible to individually arrange the products O, then in the rest position PR, respectively in the slots, and distributes them uniformly, and in the suitable gripping direction in relation to the suction cups 22 of the gripper-bender devices 2.
According to one embodiment, the gripper-bender device(s) are manipulated by a robotised arm, which ensures the movement of the product(s) O grasped by the gripper-bender device(s) 2 from the support surface 3 in /a/, and up to the depositing in /c/.
The robotised arm may for example be equipped with devices for recognising shapes, dimensions, etc., such as cameras for optimising the movement and the production rate.
According to one embodiment of the invention, the gripper-bender device 2 that is suitable for implementing the mechanised bending method, particularly illustrated in
The gripper-bender device 2 further comprises at least one counter-bearing portion 21 including at least one contact surface S, in particular concave. Such a concave contact surface S is thus configured to counter bear against the product O during the retraction of the suction cup 22, in a direction opposite (downwards) to the retraction direction of the suction cup 22 on the product O during step /b/. The product O thus pulled (upwards) by the suction cup 22, and the ends thereof abutting against the surfaces S, bends in the curved position PC, as shown particularly in
According to a preferred embodiment, the gripper-bender device 2 comprises two suction cups 22 positioned during gripping on either side of the centre of the product, each located on a portion of the product O defined between the centre and one of the ends of the product O. The contact surfaces S with counter-bearing function, are located on either side of the two suction cups 22, in the direction separating the two suction cups. Each of the surfaces S is located between one of the suction cups 22 and one of the ends of the product O during gripping.
According to an alternative embodiment, the position of the suction cups and of the contact surfaces S on the gripper-bender device may be reversed, the suction cups 22 being located between the contact surfaces S and the ends of the product O. In such a configuration, the bending of the product O is carried out by stressing the central portion of the product O, where the contact surfaces S are placed in contact with the central portion of the product O, counter bearing, and the ends of the product O are sucked and pulled by the suction cups 22.
As shown in the various figures, and according to a preferred embodiment, the suction cups 22 have a circular cross section. They may also be chosen with other shapes, for example with an oblong shape, and with variable dimensions, adapted to the product O to be grasped. For example, for the gripping of a sausage, the suction cup is preferably circular, and the diameter thereof may be between 5 and 20 mm, such as 15 mm.
The suction cup 22 may further comprise a hollow body made of elastomer material, such as vinyl, silicone or nitrile, and comprises a plurality of bellows so as to adapt and be fully in contact with the curved faces of the product O to be grasped.
The surface S being configured to bear against the product O, it is also preferably adapted to the particular shape of the latter. In particular, in the case of food products O, such as sausages, the curvature of the surface S is designed according to a diameter greater than the transverse diameter of the sausages, for example the diameter of the curvature of the surface S is equal to 1.2 times the transverse diameter of the sausages, and up to 3 times the transverse diameter of the sausages. Preferably, the surface S comprises a coating made of smooth and flexible materials, such as alimentary silicone, in order to reduce the damage on the product O.
Moreover, the suction cup 22, the bellows thereof, as well as the contact surfaces S, do not have any retaining recesses and are suitable for food applications, with specific materials for food contact, meeting FDA and European CE food standards (EN 1672-2:2005+A1:2009, ISO 14159:2002). The device thus meets the 3A and EHEDG standards.
The placing in negative pressure of the suction cup 22 is ensured by a vacuum source, with a Venturi vacuum pump for example. The vacuum source is external to the gripper device, for example positioned on the robotised arm. It is also possible to alternatively use a compressed air source with a pneumatic port to generate the changes in pressure of the suction cup 22.
In order to obtain the best product O initial length Li to the desired final reduced length Lr ratio, the gripper-bender device 2 according to the present disclosure may further include a system for adjusting the spacing rv on the fixed part 20 thereof, between the suction cup(s) and the counter-bearing portion 21, that can be seen in
The adjustment system, may include a plurality of assembly orifices, spaced lengthwise in a lengthwise direction of the support. The plurality of assembly orifices making it possible to selectively insert an attachment rod of the suction cup 22, and attach it, for example the installation of a screwed nut on a threaded end protruding from the rod.
The first value is defined to be lower than the second value. Preferably, the central portion of the product O in the curved position PC is offset by 20 mm in relation to the ends of the product O.
When the device comprises two suction cups 22, the two suction cups may typically be adjusted simultaneously, symmetrically in relation to a middle of the support.
Moreover, depending on the shape of the product O, it is absolutely possible to asymmetrically adjust the suction cups, so that the product O is more curved towards one end than the other. This may in particular apply for products O themselves asymmetrical, particularly food products, such as pieces of meat for example.
Moreover, the system for adjusting the spacing rv advantageously makes it possible to adapt the gripper-bender device 2 to products O of different initial lengths Li, for example, different types of sausages, products having a more or less increased resistance to stressing from one end to the other, or to adapt to smaller packages E.
According to another possible embodiment shown in
In this embodiment, the central suction cup is then configured to grasp the central portion of the product O in the rest position PR, and the two lateral suction cups are configured to grasp the ends of the product O.
The difference between the retraction amplitude of the central suction cup and the retraction amplitude of the two lateral suction cups in step /b/, corresponding to the offset between the central portion and the ends of the product O in the curved position PC, is preferably 20 mm.
Alternatively, it is possible to design lateral suction cups with a retraction amplitude greater than the retraction amplitude of the central suction cup. In such a case, the product O is placed in the curved position thereof by the ends thereof, sucked and pulled by the lateral suction cups.
Preferably, the three suction cups 22 are at the same level in the deployed position thereof, prior to step /a/, in order that they can be simultaneously placed in contact on the product O to be grasped in the rest position PR during step /a/.
The three suction cups 22 may comprise a hollow body made of elastomer material, such as vinyl, silicone or nitrile, or any other material meeting food standards, and a plurality of bellows. According to a preferred embodiment, the three suction cups 22 have a circular cross section, and preferably, the central suction cup has a diameter and a length greater than the diameters and lengths of the lateral suction cups as well as a significant number of bellows.
In addition, in this embodiment, the fixed part 20 may comprise a system for adjusting the spacing rv of the two lateral suction cups. The adjustment system rv is then configured to permit the movement of the lateral suction cups according to at least two relative positions, depending on the desired offset between the central portion and the ends of the product O in the curved position PC. Preferably, the central suction cup is fixed and cannot be moved on the fixed part 20.
In the industrial production context, the present disclosure also relates to a modular gripper assembly 1 for implementing the mechanised bending and loading method described above, and including a plurality of gripper-bender devices 2. The modular gripper assembly 1 is particularly shown in
Such a modular gripper assembly 1 comprises a main frame 10 comprising main rails 103 whereon the plurality of gripper-benders 2 are slidingly mounted, parallel with one another and one after another (
Furthermore, the gripper-bender devices 2 slide along the main rails 103;
In particular, such an assembly may be mounted on an automated robotic arm, and equipped with devices for recognising shapes, dimensions, etc., such as cameras.
In a preferred embodiment, and as shown for example in
Alternatively, it is also possible to design each actuator 102 in such a way that the rod is deployed in the gripping position P1, and retracted in the depositing position P2 for separating the groups, in order to pull and slide a group Gr.
Such a cylinder device may for example be a single acting or double acting cylinder, actuated by an air passage system with external pneumatic ports.
In the embodiment of the invention, illustrated in
It is possible to alternatively design any larger or smaller modular gripper assembly. In particular, the main rails 103 thereof and/or the main frame 10 thereof may be dimensioned in order to receive more or less gripper-benders 2, and/or more or less groups Gr, and/or with spacing dg between each group Gr that is more or less large depending on the size of the products O, and/or the number of products O to be loaded per package E, and/or the simultaneous number of packages E, and/or the specific dimensioning of the available robotised installation (for example support surfaces 3), etc.
Furthermore, the gripper-bender devices 2 according to the present disclosure, belonging to the same group Gr, are secured, in pairs, according to an advantageous embodiment by removable connecting rods 101, as shown in
The connecting rods 101 are slender elements, and preferably formed by at least one thin portion of smaller radius, whereon the gripper-benders 2 may be attached, or even slide, and by at least one thick portion of larger radius, whereon the gripper-benders 2 cannot slide. The ends of the connecting rods 101 are each provided with a stop.
In a preferred embodiment and shown for example in
In the embodiment shown, the gripper-benders 2 are attached to the connecting rods by a clip system and circlips. Any suitable alternative attachment device can be used.
Preferably, the length of the short connecting rods is chosen depending on the length Lg of the groups Gr of necessary products O, typically much shorter than the length of the packages E to be loaded, and in particular of determined length to set the gap between the two gripper-bender devices 2 during the gripping position P1. This gap typically corresponds to the centre-to-centre distance separating the parallel slots of the support surface/conveyor 3. The length of the long connecting rods is chosen depending on the necessary spacing between the groups Gr and the packages E, and in order to set the spacing dg between the successive groups Gr in the depositing position P2.
The gripper assembly 1 including removable connecting rods, advantageously makes it possible to rapidly reconfigure the number of gripper-bender devices 2, by group Gr. Such a modular design, including gripper-bender devices 2, removable from one another, and connecting rods, advantageously makes it possible to secure the gripper-bender devices 2 to one another by means of said short and long rods, in accordance with various possible configurations.
Such a modular design offers a rapid adaptation of the configuration of the gripper assembly 1 to the dimensions of the package E, and/to the number of food products O to be grasped by group Gr, or even of the space separating two successive packages E during the depositing.
According to a preferred embodiment and in the case where there is an odd number of groups Gr, in order to optimise the separation of the groups Gr along the main rails 103, it is also possible to attach to the main frame 10 the gripper-benders 2 of the central group Gr. This is for example illustrated in
Of course, it is possible to design any other suitable device for separating the groups Gr of gripper-benders 2. For example, it is possible to envisage an actuator 102 for each group Gr to be separated, or to replace the rods with removable stops on the main rails 103.
Moreover, the present disclosure also relates to the mechanised method for simultaneously bending and loading a plurality of products O into packages E, implementing the modular gripper assembly 1 thus described.
In this method, particularly illustrated in
Preferably, all of the steps of the method are performed by the automated robotised arm.
Thus, prior to step /a/ of
In step /a/ of
Preferably, at the end of step /a/, once the products O have been grasped, the robotised arm positions the modular gripper assembly 1 at a distance from the support surface 3.
In step /b/ of
During step /c/, illustrated in
Preferably, the difference between the length Lg and the length Lem of the packages E may vary between 0 and 100 mm.
In the illustration shown in
Steps /b/ and /c/ can be implemented in any order or simultaneously. For example, it is possible to separate the independent gripper groups Gr of products O prior to the stressing thereof in the curved position PC.
During step /d/ , shown in
According to a preferred embodiment, prior to step /d/ , or during step /d/ before releasing the products O, the modular gripper assembly 1 is positioned close to and just above the packages E to be loaded, so as to avoid damaging the products O and to preserve the reduced length Lr thereof as much as possible when they are released.
Moreover, the packages E may move on another conveying surface not shown, preferably comprising slots adapted to the dimensions of the packages in order to position them perfectly below the modular gripper assembly 1 for loading the independent gripper groups Gr of products O in the curve position PC. In addition, during the depositing step /d/ , the packages E are preferably immobile in order to receive the products O.
Once the products O have been loaded in the packages E, a final sealing step may be implemented for example by in-line thermoforming, or by an industrial sealer of the production line, hermetically applying a plastic firm on the products O.
For correct performance of the method described above, it is possible to provide means ensuring the checking of the progress of each step, particularly, if the correct number of products O is grasped by the gripper-bender devices 2, if the packages E are positioned properly below the products O in step /d/ , if the products are correctly in the curved position PC, or any other checking point. This can be ensured for example in an automated way, conventionally by cameras or shape/dimension recognition devices equipping the robotised arm, or by an operator.
According to one embodiment of the invention, the products O are food products, in particular sausages.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2312996 | Nov 2023 | FR | national |
