Apparatus for moving strips using mechanical manipulator

In the commercial production of licorice bites, each about 1 inch long, a group of extruded 54-inch licorice strips are lifted by a programmable controlled robot from the discharge end of a lower conveyor and deposited at the input end of an upper conveyor which carries the strips to a cutting station. The robot hand has a lower stainless steel blade for insertion under the group of licorice strips to wedge the sticky strips from a board on which they are being carried by the lower conveyor. The robot hand includes an upper bar having a food-grade rubber undersurface. The bar is lowered relative to the blade after insertion of the blade under the licorice strips, thereby clamping the strips between the lowered bar and the blade. The arm of the robot then lifts the hand and clamped group of licorice strips and deposits the front ends of the strips at the input of the upper conveyor.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
This invention relates to the commercial production of licorice bites. 
In the commercial production of licorice, the licorice mix is extruded 
through orifices to form strips. In a typical case, a group, for example, 
of fifteen or sixteen strips of licorice each, for example, 54 inches 
long, are extruded and deposited in parallel manner directly onto a 
rectangular board for transport, as by a conveyor, through a dryer and 
then to a further position at which the strips of licorice are lifted from 
the board and raised to the level of a second conveyor which carries the 
54-inch strips to a cutter position at which the strips are severed into 
"bite" length, for example, one inch. 
Licorice strips are made from a mix which includes among its ingredients 
flour, water, sugar and flavoring. Due largely to the presence in the mix 
of a substantial quantity of sugar, as the extruded licorice strips pass 
through the dryer they become tacky and tend to stick to the board on 
which they are being transported. 
In the prior art, the sticky strips of licorice are lifted manually, as by 
the hand of an operator, and placed on a second upper conveyor which 
carries the strips to a cutting position at which they are reduced to 
"bite" length. The use of a second conveyor is necessary because the 
strips must be removed from the board before the board reaches the cutter. 
SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION 
A principal object of the present invention is to reduce the cost of 
production of licorice bites by providing automatic equipment for lifting 
a group of extruded licorice strips from a transport board onto a second 
conveyor which carries the strips to a cutter where the 54-inch strips of 
licorice are reduced to bite size. 
The foregoing object is accomplished, in accordance with the present 
invention, by providing an automatically controlled mechanical manipulator 
or robot to lift the extruded 54-inch licorice strips from the transport 
boards onto the second conveyor.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
In accordance with the present invention, a commercially available 
mechanical manipulator or robot 10 is equipped with a specially designed 
"hand" 20 for lifting a group of licorice strips from a board onto which 
the strips were extruded and carried through a dryer by a conveyor. The 
group may, for example, comprise fifteen or sixteen strips each 54 inches 
long, disposed on the board in parallel relation. The strips are tacky and 
tend to stick to the board. 
The robot hand 20, illustrated in FIG. 1, comprises a frame 22 which 
supports a lower blade 21 which projects forwardly therefrom. Blade 21 has 
a tapered front edge and functions as a spatula. It is preferably made of 
stainless steel. Hand frame 22 also supports a forwardly-extending upper 
support bar 23 which in turn supports a vertical frame member 28 which is 
designed to be attached to the wrist 15 of the robot 10. Upper support bar 
23 also supports a pair of vertically oriented air cylinders 26 the 
pistons 27 of which are attached to a clamping bar 25 positioned above the 
lower blade 21 in coaxial alignment therewith. Secured to the undersurface 
of bar 25 is a strip of food-grade rubber 125. Bar 25 and its rubber 
undersurface 125 are narrower than lower blade 21. For example, blade 21 
may be 2 inches wide and bar 25 and its rubber undersurface may be 1 inch 
wide. 
The mechanical manipulator or robot 10 is a commercially available item. It 
may, for example, be an ASEA industrial robot and may be obtained, along 
with the programmable controller, from ASEA Robotics, Inc., 16250 West 
Glendale Drive, New Berlin, Wis. 
As illustrated in FIG. 2, robot 10 is controlled by a Programmable 
Controller housed in a control cabinet located near the robot. The body 11 
of the robot 10 has rotary movement, arm 12 has both radial and vertical 
movement, and wrist 15 has rotary, bending and sweep movement. The robot 
also has horizontal travel. 
In FIG. 2 of the drawing, the hand 20 of the robot is shown in a position 
to one side of a conveyor 31 which is transporting a group of licorice 
strips 50 on a board 32 to a lifting station at which the group of 
licorice strips are to be lifted from board 32 and placed on an upper 
second conveyor 41 for transport to a cutting station. Conveyors 31 and 41 
are supported on frames 30 and 40, respectively. 
FIG. 3 is a view taken along the line 3--3 of FIG. 2, and shows the robot 
hand 20 in side elevation in the position which it occupies prior to being 
moved forwardly, by radial movement of robot arm 12, into a position in 
which the lower blade 21 is inserted under the plurality of licorice 
strips 50. In FIG. 3, the group of licorice strips 50 are shown resting on 
a board 32 which is being transported by the conveyor belt 31. Also seen 
in FIG. 3 is an upper conveyor 41, a pressure roller 42, an air cylinder 
45 and a piston 46 by means of which pressure roller 42 is raised and 
lowered relative to upper conveyor 41. 
In FIG. 4, the robot arm 12 (see FIG. 2) has been moved radially 
counterclockwise, as viewed in FIG. 2, and hand 20 has been moved 
forwardly in such manner that lower blade 21 has wedged itself under the 
group of sticky licorice strips, thereby separating the licorice strips 50 
from board 32. Following full insertion of blade 21 under the group of 
licorice strips 50, the upper arm 25 is lowered, by actuation of air 
cylinders 26, thereby causing the food-grade rubber 125 to press against 
the licorice strips. The entire group of licorice strips are now clamped, 
and gripped for lifting. 
In FIG. 5, arm 12 of robot 10 (FIG. 2) has been raised vertically, thereby 
lifting the robot hand 20 vertically from the solid line position shown in 
FIG. 5 to the phantom position. This lifts the forward end of the group of 
licorice strips 50 to the position shown in phantom in FIG. 5. During this 
lifting action, the group of licorice strips 50 remain clamped between the 
lower blade 21 and the rubber 125 of the upper bar 25. Also, during this 
lifting action, conveyor 31 continues to move forwardly and as it does so 
the strips of licorice are peeled away from the board 32. 
Immediately following the situation illustrated in FIG. 5, air cylinder 45 
is actuated, thereby retracting piston 46 and pulling arm 43 pivotally 
upwardly about pivot block 44. This raises pressure roller 42 to a 
position illustrated in FIG. 6. With pressure roller 42 in raised 
position, robot arm 12 is now lowered, thereby lowering hand 20 to a 
position illustrated in FIG. 6 in which the forward ends of the group of 
licorice strips 50 rest on upper conveyor 41. At this time, upper conveyor 
41 is preferably stopped. This avoids stretching of the still sticky 
licorice strips while they are still clamped by hand 20 of robot 10. 
During the action just described, lower conveyor 31 has continued to move 
forwardly and licorice strips 50 have continued to be peeled from board 
32. 
In FIG. 7, the upper clamping bar 25 and foam rubber 125 have been raised 
relative to lower blade 21, thereby releasing the grip on licorice strips 
50. With the grip now released, arm 12 of the robot 10 (FIG. 2) is moved 
radially clockwise to withdraw hand 20 from its position across conveyor 
31 and to return it to a position shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. The group of 
licorice strips 50 are now carried forwardly on the upper or second 
conveyor 41 and the ends of the licorice strips are peeled from board 32 
which continues to move forwardly on the lower conveyor 31. 
In FIG. 8, the group of licorice strips 50 is shown being carried on upper 
conveyor 41 toward a cutting mechanism, not shown, which reduces the 
licorice strips to bite size, and board 32 is shown being discharged 
through a space between lower conveyor 31 and upper conveyor 41. The 
cutting mechanism, which is referred to above but not shown, may 
preferably be of the type shown, described and claimed in our copending 
patent application entitled "Cutter and Ejector for Use in Manufacture of 
Licorice Bites", now U.S. Pat. No. 4,598,619, Apr. 15, 1985, under Ser. 
No. 725,094, and assigned to the assignee of the present application. 
In the drawings, lower conveyor 31 is illustrated as being driven by drive 
roller 33 while upper conveyor 41 is illustrated as driven by drive roller 
49.