Patent ID: 11905056
Assignee: INTERTAPE POLYMER CORP.
Field: Handling (Mechanical engineering)
Classification: CPC B | IPC B

Claim 0:
1. A cartoning apparatus comprising:
a handling station comprising a robot, wherein the robot comprises:
a first arm having two ends;
a second arm operatively coupled to one end of the first arm; and
a grip hand operatively coupled to another end of the first arm;
wherein the first arm rotates relative to the second arm;

a carton supply station comprising:
a rotating support;
a plurality of magazines operatively coupled to the rotating support for holding cartons, the plurality of magazines comprising at least a first magazine configured to hold a plurality of first cartons and at least a second magazine configured to hold a plurality of second cartons, wherein the plurality of first cartons and the plurality of second cartons have at least one different attribute, and wherein the plurality of magazines are movable with respect to the robot by rotating the rotating support;

a carton feeder mechanism and pick-up position sensor, wherein the carton feeder mechanism moves a carton to a pre-determined pick-up position based on feedback from the pick-up position sensor;
a filling station or a closing station arranged adjacent to the handling station, wherein the filling station fills the carton with one or more products, and wherein the closing station folds one or more flaps of the carton; and
a controller operatively coupled to the robot and the carton supply station, and wherein the controller is configured to:
identify one or more operating parameters for the cartoning apparatus including at least a sequence of carton use for the plurality of magazines based on the at least one different attribute;
communicate with the carton supply station to selectively rotate the rotating support to move the plurality of magazines based on at least the sequence of carton use; and
communicate with the robot to pick the cartons from the pre-determined pick-up position from the plurality of magazines using the grip hand based on at least the sequence of carton use and transporting the cartons to the filling station or the closing station;
wherein as the robot is transporting a first carton after pick-up from the first magazine in the carton supply station, or after the robot has transported the first carton to the filling station or the closing station and the robot is moving to select a second carton from the second magazine, the carton supply station rotates the rotating support and the carton feeder mechanism moves the second carton to the pre-determined pick-up position for picking by the robot.