The invention relates to machines and plants for handling mosaic tesserae or tiles, and in particular machines, devices and plants for filling trays with said tiles according to a preset pattern.
In the building sector, for covering floors or walls, tiles, also called tesserae, are used, typically in the order of 1 to 3 cm per side, which in some cases are arranged according to preset patterns. These tesserae or tiles, made of glass, ceramic or other materials, have two opposite surfaces, a back surface or back face, and a front surface or front face, i.e. a so-called beautiful face that, when the tile is installed, remains visible and forms the covering or the floor.
These tesserae or tiles are usually arranged in trays or grids of adequate dimensions to form groups of tesserae or tiles, usually with rectangular or square shape, wherein the tesserae or tiles are joined one to the other by means of a plastic film, a net, a paper sheet or other else. In this way, each group of tesserae or tiles can be installed as a single piece, i.e. as it were a tile with dimensions equal to the dimension of the tray, thus accelerating the installation process and making it simpler. For filling these trays it is necessary previously to orient all the tiles or tesserae in the same direction, i.e. all with the same face or surface (front or back) directed upwards. Usually, even if not necessarily, this direction is made so as to arrange all the tiles or tesserae with the beautiful surface or face oriented upwards and the back surface or face oriented downwards, i.e. on the rest surface on which they move.
To fill the various seats of a grid or tray according to a preset pattern of tiles, various types of devices are known, which however are unsatisfactory in terms of accuracy and/or fill speed.
A further problem is that not all the tesserae or tiles can be easily handled by the existing machines and devices. In particular, the tesserae of small dimensions, for example 1×1 cm, can be handled with difficulty.
The process of orienting tiles, preceding the insertion thereof in the seats of the trays, must be as accurate as possible to avoid mistakes in positioning the tesserae or tiles in the grid or tray. At the same time, the process must be fast, so as to obtain an adequate hourly production of trays filled with the tiles correctly oriented.
According to one aspect, the present invention provides a new feeding device for mosaic tesserae or tiles, which has a particularly simple and reliable structure, suitable to achieve high productivities with a high reliability.
In one embodiment the invention provides a feeding device for feeding mosaic tesserae or tiles, comprising a hopper for containing the tiles with an exit mouth for the exit of the tiles, wherein with said exit mouth a rotating member is associated, which is provided with a plurality of adjacent annular channels arranged along the axial development of said rotating member, the cross dimensions of said annular channels being such as to allow the insertion of said tiles in said channels, and wherein the rotation of said rotating member causes the supply of said tiles from said annular channels into corresponding feeding channels adjacent one to the other, in a number corresponding to the number of annular channels in said rotating member.
In a second embodiment the present invention comprises a orienting device for orienting mosaic tesserae or tiles, comprising a containing hopper for containing the tiles with an exit mouth for the exit of the tiles, wherein to said exit mouth a rotating member is associated, provided with a plurality of annular channels, with cross dimensions corresponding to a dimension of said tiles. In some embodiments, a rotating member is provided, fitted with a plurality of annular channels, with such cross dimensions as to allow the insertion of said tiles only according to a preset orientation.
In some embodiments, to the rotating member a contrast element is associated, which prevents the tiles oriented in an incorrect manner from being inserted in said annular channels. In preferred embodiments of the invention, around said rotating member a wall extends, defining the angular position of discharging the tiles from the annular channels. To the wall an agitating element can be associated for agitating the tiles, which facilitates the insertion of the tiles in the annular channels of the rotating member.
To the exit of the hopper a conveyor for conveying the tiles can be associated, with a plurality of feeding channels in a number corresponding to the number of annular channels in said rotating member. The conveyor can be a simple inclined wall, where the tiles move due to gravity, or a vibrating conveyor, but it is also possible to use a feeding belt to facilitate the feed of the tiles, for example along a trajectory which is slightly inclined with respect to the horizontal.
In some embodiments, at the exit of said feeding channels a movable support is arranged, suitable to receive in a sequential manner rows of tiles from said feeding channels. The movable support can be provided with an oscillating movement around an axis substantially orthogonal to said feeding channels.
The invention also provides a machine for filling trays with mosaic tesserae or tiles, which uses a device of the type described above. More in particular, according to one embodiment the invention provides for a filling machine for filling trays with mosaic tesserae or tiles, comprising at least one rotating table, rotatable about an axis of rotation with respect to a bearing structure, and at least one selective filling device for filling a tray of mosaic tesserae or tiles, wherein on the rotating table a plurality of feeding devices, of the type defined above, is arranged, and wherein said rotating table is controlled so as to carry selectively one or the other of said feeding devices to a filling position.
In some embodiments the selective filling device is supported in said filling position and interacts selectively with a plurality of said feeding devices.
In some embodiments the filling device comprises:
In an improved embodiment the gripping elements are controlled by a first common actuator to perform a first lowering movement, wherein each gripping element is provided with a second individual actuator to perform a second lowering movement constituted by an over-travel relative to said first lowering movement, to allow each gripping element to be lowered beyond a common lowering position to which said gripping elements are brought by said first common actuator.
Advantageously, the trays and the gripping elements are provided with a reciprocal movement, so that with subsequent operations the gripping elements place tiles into subsequent rows of said tray.
In some embodiments each of said gripping elements comprises a sucker or other retaining suction system.
Preferably, the gripping elements are provided with a lowering and lifting movement from a height at the level of the exit of the feeding channels to a height of discharging tiles in a tray below and vice versa.
In some embodiments the gripping elements are electronically controlled so as to transfer, in subsequent rows of seats in said tray, tiles according to a preset pattern, through selective disabling of the gripping elements corresponding to positions of seats inside which said tiles must be inserted and maintaining active the gripping elements corresponding to seats into which said tiles must not be inserted.
In some embodiments, to said at least one rotating table at least one handling member is associated for a plurality of trays, controlled and arranged so as to feed sequentially a plurality of trays to said rotating table. In some embodiments, the handling member comprises a plurality of seats in which corresponding trays for said tiles can be inserted and from which they can be extracted. For example the handling member can comprise a carousel with said plurality of seats, rotatable about an axis so as to move said seats according to a circular trajectory. It is also possible to use a handling member of different shape, for example with rectilinear development and provided with a translation movement.
The machine can comprise handling members for controlled handling, according to a numerically controlled axis of the trays, in the direction of insertion and extraction of the trays from the respective seats, so as to fill selectively said trays according to rows of tesserae or tiles extending orthogonally to the direction of insertion and extraction.
Further advantageous features and embodiments of the feeding device and of the machine according to the present invention are described hereunder with reference to an example of embodiment and are set forth in the appended claims, which form an integral part of the present description.
The invention will be better understood by means of the description below and the attached drawing, which shows a non-restrictive practical embodiment of the invention and various configurations that can be obtained assembling machine modules according to the present invention. More in particular:
Hereunder a feeding device is described, also having the function of orienting device for orienting the tiles or tesserae. It will be therefore usually defined orienting device. However, it should be understood that the device can be used also with tiles that do not allow or do not require orientation, and in this case the device, substantially maintaining the same structure, will perform only the feeding function.
With initial reference to
Inside the hopper 3 baffles 105, 197, and 109 can be arranged. One or more of said baffles can be movable so as to act as agitators suitable to prevent the formation of bridges that can block the correct feed of the loose material towards the bottom of the hopper. In other embodiments agitating means can be provided expressly designed, for example in the form of brushes, rotors or other.
The bottom of the hopper 103 houses a rotating member 111, described in greater detail below with reference to
The rotating member 111 is substantially constituted by a roller with a central core 112, to which rings 113 are fixed, which define a plurality of channels 115 of dimensions defined according to the dimensions of the tesserae or tiles P to be oriented, as illustrated in
Substantially, the cross dimension T of each channel 115 is slightly smaller than the dimension B of the greater base of a tile P to be oriented. The tiles P, as shown in particular in
With this conformation, putting the rotating member 111 into rotation in the bottom of the hopper 3, all the tiles distributed randomly in the same hopper 103 enter in the various channels 115 in the arrangement illustrated in
A similar function can be obtained when the side walls of the tiles P have a curve shape instead of a planar one, provided that there is a dimensional difference between the faces P1 and P2. In some embodiments, the rings 113 can have opposite walls shaped in a different manner than that represented in the drawing, for instance divergent or convergent, rounded or plan walls.
As it will be better explained below, according to how the discharge or exit system is configured for discharging the tiles P from the orienting device 101 it is possible to feed all the tiles P from the channels 115 towards the outer conveyors, arranging all the tiles with the face P1 or with the face P2 facing downwards, according to the needs of the stations downwards the orienting device.
In the illustrated example to the hopper 103 an oscillating arm 116 is associated, arranged outside a flank of the hopper. The arm is hinged around a pin 117 so that it can oscillated under the thrust of a cam 119 keyed on the axis A-A of the rotating member 111. Reference 121 indicates a tracing roller carried by the oscillating arm 116 and acting on the cam 119. A spring, not shown, can stress the arm 116 so as to push the tracer 121 constantly against the profile of the cam.
In this way the rotation of the rotating member 111 entails an oscillating movement of the axis of the pin 117. To this latter is connected an oscillating member 123 that, in the illustrated example, is formed by a sheet, or other suitable agitating member, for instance a brush. The lower end of the oscillating member 123 is arranged close to the cylindrical surface defined by the external edges of the rings 113. In this way the action of the agitator 123 facilitates the distribution of the tiles in the channels 115.
In a position opposite to the oscillating member 123 the baffle 109 is arranged, whose lower end 109A is teeth-shaped to penetrate in the annular channels 115, so as to avoid the exit of tiles or tesserae P towards the outside and to force the tiles to be channeled in the channels 115 to be drawn by the rotation according to the arrow f111 of the rotating member 111 towards an exit area below.
Around a part of the circumferential development of the rotating member 111 a cylindrical surface 131 develops, with the concavity facing the axis of the rotating member 111. The diameter of the cylindrical surface 131 is substantially corresponding to, or slightly greater than the maximum diameter of the rings 113. In this way the tiles P inserted in the channels 115 and drawn by the rotation movement of the rotating member 111 pass below the cylindrical surface 131 and are held by it inside the channels 115 until an exit area U where the surface 131 is interrupted or changes shape to allow the discharge of the tiles. Downstream of the area U extends a slide, an inclined wall, a conveyor or any other removing means for removing the tiles, generically indicated in the drawing as a surface 133.
It is understood that with this arrangement the tiles P that are inserted in the channels 115 as shown in
With an orienting device of this type it is therefore possible to feed on a conveyor of any configuration, also simply an inclined surface where the tiles move due to gravity, tiles or tesserae P all oriented in an adequate manner according to the operations to be executed on them downstream of the orienting device 1.
By observing
In
Each tray is provided with a plurality of seats, each of which must be filled with a respective tile or tessera selected from one or the other of the eight groups of tiles fed in an oriented manner by the single orienting devices 101.
More in particular, to each device 101 a filling station 151 is associated, comprising a filling machine 153 and a carousel 155 for feeding and moving the trays 1. The carousel 155 rotates around a substantially vertical axis B-B parallel to an axis C-C of rotation of a rotating table 157 forming part of the filling machine 153. On the rotating table 157, with a substantially star shape, the eight orienting devices 101 are arranged, each of which designed as described with reference to
The rotation, controlled by a programmable, advantageously bidirectional control device, according to the arrows f155 and f157 of the carousel 155 and of the rotating table 157, allows to bring in mutually coinciding and opposite positions each orienting device 101 with each tray 1 arranged on the carousel 155. In a filling position 160, intermediate between the rotating table 157 and the carousel 155, a selective filling device is arranged, schematically indicated with a broken line with number 159 in
A different arrangement of the filling device, which allows to obtain a more efficient and faster functioning, will be described in greater detail with reference to
Briefly, and with reference to the description below for a more detailed illustration of an advantageous embodiment, the selective filling device 159 provides for arranging tile selectively picked up from one or the other of the orienting devices 101 in defined seats 3 of trays 1 selected among those carried by the carousel 155. With an electronic control performed by a control unit schematically indicated with 162, it is possible in this way to fill each tray 1 with any arrangement of tiles of eight distinct colors, each color being associated to a respective orienting device 101.
Therefore, filling of the trays 1 arranged on the carousel 155 occurs for example by positioning the first tray 1 in the filling position 160 and filling the various seats 3 of the tray 1 with one or more colors supplied by the orienting devices 101 positioning for each color the respective device 101 in the position 160, so that the members of the selective filling device 159 can pick up the corresponding tiles and insert them in the seats selectively identified by the programmable control devices 162. With this arrangement it is therefore possible to form patterns in eight different colors in all the trays 1 arranged on the carousel 155. Obviously, the single trays can be filled with the same pattern or with patterns different from tray to tray, as the control unit 162 is able to give commands for rotating and moving the various members allowing generating different patterns in different trays.
At the exit of each orienting device 101 a conveyor is arranged that, in the illustrated example, comprises an inclined surface 167 constituting the elongation of the surface 133, on which single feeding channels 167A are obtained, for example through walls or sheets orthogonal to the surface 167. Each feeding channel 167A receives a row of tiles and is aligned with a corresponding annular channel 115 of the rotating member 111 arranged on the bottom of the respective hopper 103. The feeding of tiles along the channels 167A of the conveyors 167 can occur simply due to gravity or with the aid of a vibrating system. It is also possible to use a movable belt defining the bottom of each channel 167A to facilitate the feeding of the tiles, for example with a conveyor 167 which is not inclined, or which is inclined less than what represented in the example illustrated in the drawing.
At the end of the conveyor 167 opposite to the end receiving the tiles from the corresponding hopper 103 there are members, described, below, that allow selective picking up of tiles from each conveyor 167 and inserting them in the seats 3 of the trays 1.
More in particular,
In other embodiments more selective filling devices 159 can be provided, arranged around the axis B-B of rotation of the carousel 155, to each selective filling device, which remains fixed, being in this case associated one device 101. In this way it is possible to fill simultaneously more trays of tiles by passing them from one to the other of the selective filling devices 159 through stepped rotation of the carousel 155. Preferably two positions of the carousel 155 are left available for loading the empty trays and unloading the full trays, or for transferring the trays from one to the other of several carousels combined to each other, to obtain filling of the trays of tiles with a greater number of tiles of different colors.
The selective filling device 159 is arranged above a stepped feeding path of the tray 1, which can be for example supported by a guiding and handling system carried by the carousel 155 at the respective housing seat of the tray 1. Number 11 generically indicates the ideal plane of horizontal motion of the tray 1. Optimal handling can be obtained for example with a threaded bar system controlled by a stepping motor, so that the tray can be fed in a controlled stepped manner below the selective filling device 159, to position each time a row of seats 3 of the tray 1 close to the filling members of the device 159 and therefore fill a row of seats at a time in the manner described below.
Above the movement plane 11 the surface 167 develops with the channels 167A forming the conveying system of the tiles P.
In general, the tesserae or tiles P have been previously oriented by the device 101 for example with the so-called beautiful face upwards, or alternatively with the back face upwards.
In front of the terminal end of the channels 167A of each surface 167 of each device 101 a movable support is arranged, indicated as a whole with number 15, pivotally mounted around an axis 17, substantially orthogonal to the longitudinal development of the channels 167A.
As it is shown in the side view of
Close to the filling area for filling the trays a gantry structure 19 is arranged with a substantially horizontal crossbar and two uprights positioned at such a distance as to allow the selective positioning of each surface 167 in the loading area of the tiles P. Along the structure 19 a cursor 21 is guided, movable according to the double arrow 121 in a substantially vertical direction, and therefore substantially orthogonal to the feeding plane 11 for the trays 1.
Gripping members or elements 23 are associated to the cursor 21. In some embodiments of the present invention the gripping elements 23 are as many as the channels 167A of a single orienting device 101. According to some embodiments, each gripping member or element 23 comprises a sucker or other sucking member arranged at the lower end of the respective gripping element. Each sucker or other sucking member of each gripping element 23 is aligned with one of the channels 167A of the device 101, which is temporarily aligned with the selective filling device 159, so that a lowering movement, according to arrow f21, of the gripping elements 23 and of the cursor 21 carrying them causes a movement of each sucker towards the surface facing upwards of a respective tessera or tile P temporarily arranged in the seat 15A of the movable support 15. In this way, the lowering movement of the gripping elements 23 allows engaging simultaneously all the tiles P that have been brought from the single channels 167A to the seat 15A of the movable support 15.
The vertical movement of the cursor 21 and of the gripping elements 23 according to the double arrow 121 can be obtained in any adequate manner. For example, the cursor 21 can be guided by means of guide bars 21A in guide bushes 21B integral to the crossbar of the bearing structure 19. Between the two guide bars 21A, to the cursor 21 is connected a rack 31 engaging with a gear wheel 33 carried into rotation by a first actuator, for example an electric motor schematically indicated with number A1, which gives the motion to a drive shaft 35. In other embodiments of the present invention, the motor can be replaced with a linear actuator, for example with a cylinder-piston actuator mounted directly on the crossbar 19A of the bearing structure 19, whose rod is engaged to the cursor 21.
The cursor 21 cooperates with the movable support 15, so that the movable support 15 pivots around the support axis 17 when the cursor with the gripping elements 23 is lowered. To this end the cursor 21 can have adequate thrust members acting on the profile of the movable support 15. The arrangement of these elements is preferably such that before starting the pivoting movement, according to the arrow f15, of the movable support 15, the gripping elements 23 have been entered into contact with the tiles deposited on the seat 15A of the support 15 and therefore these tiles have been engaged by the suckers or by other gripping members of the gripping elements 23. Consequently, the subsequent further lowering of the gripping elements 23 of the cursor 21, and therefore the further pivoting movement of the movable support f15, allows lowering the row of tiles P engaged to the gripping elements 23, which can descend until they deposit the single tiles P in the seats below of a tray 1 positioned below the selective filling device 159.
The subsequent lifting of the cursor 21 and of the gripping elements 23 causes the pivoting movement, in the direction opposite to the arrow f15, of the movable support 15, which returns in the rest position, i.e. with the seat 15A aligned with the exits 13B of the channels 13. The return movement of the support 15 can be obtained with spring return members, not shown, for example spiral springs arranged on the axis of oscillation of the support 15.
The functioning of the device described above will be better understood with reference to the operative sequence of
In the subsequent phase (
The gripping elements 23 are lowered until each tile T is inserted in the respective seat 3 of the tray 1. At this point, in all the seats 3 of a row tesserae T are inserted, but not necessarily all these tesserae will be deposited in these seats. For example, in the case in which the tray 1 shall be filled all with tesserae or tiles of the same color, fed along the channels 167A associated to the orienting device 101 temporarily aligned with the selective filling device 159, all the gripping elements 23 will be disabled, i.e. the suction through the suckers arranged at the ends of the elements 23 will be interrupted and all the tiles P will be released, so that the subsequent lifting of the gripping elements 23, till they return in the position of
Vice versa, if the pattern to be obtained provides, for instance, for an alternate arrangement of tiles of different color, as illustrated by way of example in
In the subsequent lifting movement (
Definitively, with the subsequent forward movement of the tiles along the channels 167A in the seat 15A tiles will be inserted only in correspondence of the gripping elements 23 that have been previously disabled and that have therefore released their tile in the corresponding seat of the tray below.
In the subsequent phase the gripping elements 23, all actuated, engage each the respective tile P, which is the same of the previous cycle for those gripping elements 23 that have not been disabled in the previous cycle, and which is a new tile for those gripping elements 23 that have been disabled in the previous step.
In the meantime, the tray 1 has moved forwards by one step to bring a new row of seats 3 below the gripping elements 23. The cycle repeats as described above, bringing the tiles P engaged by the members 23 in the respective seats 3 of the subsequent row and disabling selectively the gripping elements 23 that shall release the respective tesserae or tiles in this subsequent row. In the example of the drawing of
As the machine provides for a plurality of (for instance eight) orienting devices 101, once for example the black tiles PN have been inserted in a tray 1, it is possible to rotate the rotating table 157 so as to align to the selective filling device 159 another of the various orienting devices 101, which feeds for example the white tiles PB to the selective filling device 159, with a process substantially equal to that described above.
Having available various orienting devices 101 it is possible to obtain also a complex pattern on a tray 1, using combination of tiles P different one from the other in color, material, surface finishing or also dimension (having in this case a tray 1 with seats 3 of dimensions different one from the other).
Once having filled a tray, the carousel 155 is rotated by one step to fill the subsequent tray.
If the machine provides for more rotating tables 157 and, in case, more carousels 155, each tray can be filled with tesserae or tiles P fed by the devices 101 carried by more rotating tables 157, obtaining a combination of a high number of tiles P different one from the other.
Loading and unloading the trays from the carousels 155 can occur manually or through automatic load and unload systems, easily to be designed by those skilled in the art.
After filling, each tray 1 can pass below an automatic vision and control system, with a video camera that shoots the image of each tray 1 filled with tesserae or tiles P, PN, PB and compares it with the required pattern, stored in a central control unit. An operator or an automatic system can then provide for correcting any mistakes, for example removing the damaged tiles or the tiles of color different than that foreseen for the stored pattern.
In the example of
The described double selective movement allows to obtain the functioning illustrated schematically in
In the example shown in
This improved embodiment of the selective filling device 159 can be used also with other feeding systems for feeding tiles, different than the device 101, and can be used also without the system of carousels and rotating tables 155, 157 described above.
Therefore, an object of the present invention is also a filling device for filling trays with tesserae or tiles comprising: a series of feeding channels for feeding the tesserae; a movable support arranged at the exit of the feeding channels, so as sequentially to receive rows of tesserae formed by tesserae fed by the feeding channels; a series of gripping elements, each of which can be actuated and disabled selectively, aligned with the feeding channels and with the movable support so as to pick up the tesserae from the movable support and to transfer them selectively in seats of a tray being filled; a rest surface below the movable support, on which said trays are positioned, to receive selectively the tesserae from said gripping elements; wherein each gripping element is provided with a lowering movement independent of the remaining gripping elements, to deposit individually a tile in a seat of the tray independently of the adjacent gripping elements. Preferably, the gripping elements are provided with a common lowering movement and with an individual lowering movement. Preferably, a first actuator controls the common lowering movement of the gripping elements and a second actuator for each gripping element controls the selective individual lowering movement of the respective gripping element.
It is understood that the drawing only shows an example provided by way of a practical demonstration of the present invention, which can vary in forms and arrangements without however departing from the scope of the concept underlying the invention. Any reference numbers in the appended claims are provided for the sole purpose of facilitating reading of the claims in the light of the description and the drawing, and do not in any manner limit the scope of protection represented by the claims.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
FI2009A000148 | Jul 2009 | IT | national |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
---|---|---|---|---|
PCT/IT2010/000298 | 7/2/2010 | WO | 00 | 1/4/2012 |