Patent ID: 9132975
Filing Date: 2015-09-15
Classification: B25J,B65G

Abstract:
1. A method for stacking product within a trailer parked at a loading bay, the method comprising: positioning an automatic case loader including a mobile base structure having first and second ends under the power of a drive subassembly proximate to the loading bay; connecting a conveyance subassembly disposed on the mobile base to a telescoping conveyor unit having a supply of the product associated therewith; driving the automatic case loader into the trailer; detecting the location of the automatic case loader within the trailer with a distance measurement sensor disposed on the mobile base structure; stopping, in response to distance measurement data from the distance measurement sensor, the automatic case loader proximate to a front wall of the trailer; presenting a stream of the product to an industrial robot disposed on the mobile base structure, the industrial robot providing selective articulated movement through a reachable space such that the industrial robot is operable to place the product within the trailer; utilizing a stacking routine optimized for size of an end effector of the industrial robot, dimensions of the trailer, and dimensions of the product; sequentially loading the product within the trailer with the industrial robot according to the stacking routine designed to optimized the use of available space within the trailer; interrupting the loading of the product in response to detection by the distance measurement sensor presence of the product within the reachable space; reversing and repositioning the automatic case loader to refresh the reachable space; and resuming the sequential loading of the product.