An automatic supply and loading device for sheet items

Abstract: The invention relates to an automatic supply and loading device for sheet items (A) whereby a storage magazine (51-54) has been arranged in a location different from the main magazine (MI, ML) used to temporarily hold and supply individual sheets for later processes. A robot (6) with a grasping means to grasp sheet items, has been arranged, so as to move between the above mentioned main magazine and supply magazine.

Description: This invention relates to devices such as those used to automatically supply sheet items to a main magazine in which said sheet items are temporarily held and from which they are individually fed out to supply later processes and those used to automatically move the sheet items remaining in the main magazine to another location to change to another sheet item and then automatically return the sheet items moved to the other location to the main magazine and load them into said main magazine. Conventionally, to continuously supply sheet items to later processes, a main magazine was positioned in a series of operations, with many sheet items being stored in the main magazine and individually and continuously fed from it to later operations. For example, disposable-type packing containers are used to pack liquid foodstuffs, such as milk and juice. One of these containers is a rectangular parallelepiped such as the one shown in Fig. 8 (A′). To facilitate storing, transferring, and other handling of this type of packing container blank, it is usually folded flat, as shown in Fig. 7 (A), and formed into a rectangular parallelepiped with a square-shaped cross section during transfer to later processes. Prior to being filled with liquid contents, the blanks (A) are fed onto either mandrel wheel (1) or (2) shown in Figs. 2 through 4 , the bottoms are sealed, and the blanks (A) are finally filled with liquid contents by the charging part (4) of the packing machine (3). However, to continuously feed the flatly folded blanks (A) to later processes a main magazine is positioned at the front edge of later processes, the blanks (A) are temporarily held in the main magazine, and the sheet items are individually fed to later processes. When the liquid foodstuff to be charged is changed in quantity or kind, the blanks (A) in the main magazine must be changed to a different type. This requires that the blanks (A) remaining in the main magazines be removed and moved to a different location for storage and that other blanks be conveyed. The blanks (A) that were removed for storage must also be reloaded into the main magazine when they are again to be used. With conventional methods, this type of operation could not be carried out automatically. The blanks remaining in the main magazine could not be taken out, resulting in a great inefficiency. Now the invention relates to an automatic supplying and loading device for sheet items comprising at least one main magazine for holding therein a stack of sheet items and for supplying therefrom individual said sheet items one by one to a subsequent process and a robot for grasping said stack of sheet items with vertically movable upper and lower forks and for conveying said stack of sheet items from a platform to said main magazine along a guidepath. From EP-A-258597 there is known a supplying and loading device having jaws for lifting a blank stack pushed from a pallet between said jaws to further conveying means moving said stack to a lowering conveyor. Said lowering conveyor moves the blank stack downwards to a magazine from which the blanks are extracted one by one. DE-B-2514954 shows a device wherein individual flattened sacks are extracted one by one from a magazine. When the magazine is empty it can be replaced by an other magazine. FR-A-2591927 shows a structure with a magazine for storing flattened cardboard boxes. Said flattened cardboard boxes are extracted one by one from said magazine. There are no means for transferring a stack of sheet items. EP-A-259892 shows a device wherein articles are transiently stored in magazines and individual articles are extracted therefrom. No means are provided for supplying a stack of sheet items to a main magazine and for transferring any number of sheet items reciprocally between a main magazine and a plurality of storage magazines. According the invention a base of said robot supporting the forks of said robot is movable with respect to a frame of said robot so as to be capable of approaching and withdrawing from the main magazine and the platform when arranged in front of said main magazine and said platform resp. The main magazine is positioned at the beginning of later processes to continuously feed sheet items to them; it temporarily stores numerous sheet items inside and continuously feeds individual sheets to later processes. Storage magazines are positioned in a different location from the main magazine (for example to the left of the main magazine in Figs. 1 and 2 ). The robot that is moveable between the main magazine and storage magazines has a grasping means, for example, the one shown in Figs. 3 and 5 , and can use the grasping means to hold numerous sheet items as shown in Figs. 5 and 6 or to hold even one sheet item. When the above mentioned main magazine is empty, the robot with the grasping means is moved, a set of sheet items is fetched and brought to the main magazine and loaded into it as shown in Fig. 6 . Individual sheet items are then taken from the main magazine and fed to later processes, with the desired operation being performed while the sheet items are being transported. When the sheet items become depleted, the robot is moved again, and the same sheet items as the previous process are fetched and loaded into the main magazine. Next, when changing the sheet items in the main magazine to another type of sheet item, the robot with the grasping means is moved to the main magazine and the grasping means is used to grasp the sheet items remaining in the main magazine. The robot is then moved to the storage magazine, into which it places the sheet items it has carried with it. Next, the robot is moved again to fetch the other sheet items and is then moved again to the main magazine into which it loads these. In this manner the sheet items in the main magazine can be automatically changed. To reverse the procedure when reusing the sheet items moved to the storage magazine, it is only necessary, as long as the main magazine is empty, for the robot to fetch the sheet items from the storage magazine and load them into the main magazine. When the main magazine contains another type of sheet item, the robot, as described in a previous process, must be moved to the main magazine and the robot's grasping means must be used to grasp the sheet items remaining in the main magazine. The robot must then be moved to a storage magazine, into which the sheet items must be stored. The sheet items in another storage magazine must finally be fetched, moved to the main magazine, and again loaded into it. In this fashion, automatic execution of all of the following operations is possible: a completely different type of sheet item can be supplied to the main magazine, the same sheet item can be replenished in the main magazine, the sheet items remaining in the main magazine can be replaced with a new type of sheet item, and sheet items stored in a storage magazine can be resupplied to the main magazine. If there are multiple storage magazines included in the above mentioned cases, one or more of these can be used to separately store the same type of sheet item, that is, the same in terms of size, type, etc. When the main magazine is positioned at an angle, the angle of the frame of the robot can be positioned at the same angle so that the grasping means can be tilted at the same angle as the main magazine or the same angle as the sheet items inside, as shown in Figs. 4 and 6 , when loading sheet items into the tilted main magazine, when replenishing sheet items in the main magazine, or when removing sheet items from the main magazine. The figures show an embodiment of an automatic supply and loading device for sheet items according to this invention, wherein Fig. 1 is a front view, Fig. 2 is a top view, Fig. 3 is a view from the area indicated between III and III in Fig. 1 , Fig. 4 is a view from the area indicated between IV and IV in Fig. 1 , Fig. 5 is an expanded view of the robot with the grasping means, Fig. 6 is a sketch of one set of sheet items being loaded into a main magazine via the grasping means, Fig. 7 is a sketch of one example of a sheet item, and Fig. 8 is a sketch of a parallelepiped with a square-shaped cross section in its raised form. An embodiment of the invention will be described according to the accompanying figures. In this embodiment the automatic supply and loading device for sheet items is described as used when the sheet items are flatly folded blanks prior to being formed into parallelepipeds with a square shaped cross section, such as those shown in Fig. 7 (A), or as used in a series of operations wherein the above mentioned blanks are temporarily held in a main magazine, the blanks are individually taken out and, while being fed to later processes, are formed into parallelepipeds with a square-shaped cross section, the formed blanks (A′) are fed onto the mandrel wheels (1) and (2) of a packing machine (3) and their bottoms sealed, and then the blanks are filled with a liquid contents in the charging part (4) of a packing machine (3). The main magazine, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 , is positioned in front of the beginning part of a main conveyor that is the beginning part of a series of conveying lines. Numerous flatly folded blanks (A) are temporarily held inside the above mentioned main magazine and individually taken out, for example by a suction pad (not illustrated), and fed to later processes while being formed into parallelepipeds with a square-shaped cross section as shown in Fig. 8 (A′) by a device not shown in the figure. The blanks (A′) that have been formed into parallelepipeds with a square-shaped cross section are then fed onto the mandrel wheel of a packing machine (3). The main magazine can be, for example, formed like a shelf like the one shown in Fig. 6 . The embodiment is arranged so that two main conveyors (51) and (52) are positioned as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 , the flatly folded blanks (A) are formed into parallelepipeds with a square-shaped cross section on two lines (L₁) and (L₂), and these are supplied to two mandrel wheels in two channels, one to the mandrel wheel (1) indicated with dotted lines in Fig. 4 and the other to the mandrel wheel (2) indicated with solid lines. A main magazine is thus positioned at the beginning of each line (L₁) and (L₂) as indicated by (M₁) and (M₂) in Figs. 1 and 2 . Furthermore, line (L₁) is divided into two channels from midway in the main conveyor (51) as indicated by (L₁₁) and (L₁₂) in Figs. 1 and 2 , line (L₂) is divided into two channels from midway in the main conveyor (52) as indicated by (L₂₁) and (L₂₂) in Figs. 1 and 2 , and, as shown in Fig. 2 , each of the mandrel wheels (1) and (2) is divided into two rows of mandrels (11), (12), (21), and (22) left and right for continuous supply of parallelepipedic blanks with a square-shaped cross section (A′). The storage magazines are positioned in a different location from the two main magazines (M₁) and (M₂), i.e., to the left in Figs. 1 and 2 . It is sufficient for these storage magazines to be like simple boxes. In consideration of the capacity of, form of, and liquid contents to be filled into the blanks (A) , multiple storage magazines, (S₁) through (S₄) in Figs. 1 and 2 , are provided in the embodiment so that the same blank can be stored in one or more storage magazine. Doing so enables, for example, separately storing all of the blanks of the same length L in one or more storage magazine indicated (S₁) through (S₄) when different blanks vary in their length L according to their capacity (assuming that the width W of the blanks is the same), allowing a number of blank types to be managed easily. It is also possible to attach casters to the multiple storage magazines (S₁) through (S₄) so that they can be moved individually or as a whole. Doing so enables storage of the blanks in a separate location by, for example, placing the storage magazines (S₁) through (S₄) in a store house. A robot (6), on the other hand, is positioned so that it can move between the main magazines and the storage magazines. This robot (6), as shown in Figs. 3 and 5 , is equipped with a grasping means, e.g., a pair of forks top and bottom (6a) and (6a). The distance between the pair of forks top and bottom (6a) and (6a) can be freely changed as necessary by means of the two cylinders indicated in Fig. 5 (6b) and (6c). This is to enable the pair of forks top and bottom (6a) and (6a) to grasp many blanks, as shown in Figs. 5 and 6 , or even just one blank. As a means of moving the robot (6) between the main magazines and the storage magazines in the embodiment, a long guide rail (7) is positioned in front of the main magazines (M₁) and (M₂) and the storage magazines (S₁) through (S₄) as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 , and the robot (6) is moved along this guide rail (7); however, the invention is not limited to this means and, for example, the robot (6) could also be moved on a carrier car. In the embodiment, by the way, the pair of forks top and bottom (6a) and (6a) are such that they can approach and withdraw from the main magazines (M₁) and (M₂) and the storage magazines (S₁) through (S₄). This is to enable using the pair of forks top and bottom (6a) and (6a) to load the grasped blanks into the main magazines (M₁) and (M₂) or the storage magazines (S₁) through (S₄), or enable remove of the remaining blanks from the same. In the embodiment, the base (6d) of the robot (6) runs on the guide rail (6f) of the frame (6e) to slide to the left from the solid line shown in Fig. 5 . The operation of the device indicated by this embodiment will be described next. When the main magazines (M₁) and (M₂) are empty, the robot (6) is moved and the set of blanks indicated in Fig. 3 (a) is taken from, for example, the top of a platform (8). To grasp the set of blanks (a) with the pair of forks (6a) and (6a), the robot (6) is made to perform three operations: moving the base (6d) close to the platform (8), closing the pair of forks (6a) and (6a), and returning the base (6d) to its original position after the set of blanks (a) has been grasped. Then the robot (6), which has lifted the set of blanks (a), is moved along the guide rail (7) and the set of blanks (a) is loaded into the main magazines (M₁) and (M₂). Here as well, the robot (6) is made to perform three operations: moving the base (6d) close to the main magazines (M₁) and (M₂), opening the pair of forks (6a) and (6a), and returning the base (6d) to its original position after the set of blanks (a) has been loaded into the main magazines (M₁) and (M₂). Once the set of blanks (a) has been loaded into the main magazines (M₁) and (M₂), the blanks can be individually and consecutively fed from them to later processes as described above. When the number of blanks (A) in the main magazines (M₁) and (M₂) decreases, the robot (6) is again moved, the same blanks as removed from the top of the platform (8) and the same process as used before is employed to replenish the main magazines (M₁) and (M₂). When either the same or a different liquid foodstuff as the previous one is to be filled at the charging part (4) into a blank of a different capacity from the one used in the last process, the robot (6) is moved to the main magazines (M₁) and (M₂) and the blanks (A) remaining inside are grasped with the pair of forks (6a) and (6a). The robot (6) is then moved to the storage magazines (S₁) through (S₂) and the blanks (A) are placed into one of them. The robot (6) is then moved again and the new, different blanks prepared on the top of the platform (8) are taken from the top of the platform (8) using the same process as before. The robot (6) is then made to perform the same operations as before to load these blanks into the main magazines (M₁) and (M₂). When, after using these blanks, another different type of blank is to be used, the same process as before is used to take the blanks remaining in the main magazines (M₁) and (M₂) and place these into a storage magazine (S₁) through (S₄) other than the one used in the previous process. The robot (6) is then moved again, the other type of blank prepared on the platform (8) is taken from the top of the platform (8) in the same way as before, and the robot (6) is made to perform the same operations as before to load these blanks into the main magazines (M₁) and (M₂). In order to facilitate storage, transport, and other handling of sets of blanks (a), they are wrapped as a bundle in packing material, and when they are so wrapped, the packing material that has been on the outside up to that point must be cut and opened when placing the set of blanks (a) onto the platform (8) shown in Figs. 2 and 3 . These cutting and opening operations can be automatically performed in an appropriate location by an appropriate device using conventionally known methods, and a set of blanks (a) without packing materials that has completed these operations can be placed on the platform (8) in the location shown in Fig. 3 , or the above mentioned operations can be performed on the platform (8) raised to a location higher than that shown in Fig. 3 after which the platform (8) can be lowered to the position shown in Fig. 3 . When reversing the above procedure with the main magazines (M₁) and (M₂) empty to reuse blanks after they have been moved to storage magazines (S₁) through (S₄), it is only necessary for the robot (6) to take these from one of the storage magazines (S₁) through (S₄) and load them into the main magazines (M₁) and (M₂). When there are different blanks remaining in the main magazines (M₁) and (M₂), the robot (6) must be made to perform the above mentioned operations to remove the blanks remaining in the main magazines (M₁) and (M₂) and place these into an empty storage magazine or into a storage magazine containing the same type of blank. Then, the blanks in the different storage magazine can be taken by the robot (6) and loaded into the main magazines (M₁) and (M₂) in the same manner as used before. The following operations can thus be carried out automatically: completely new blanks can be loaded into empty main magazines (M₁) and (M₂), the same blanks as these can be replenished in the main magazines (M₁) and (M₂), blanks remaining in the main magazines (M₁) and (M₂) can be replaced with a different type of blank, or blanks that have been stored in storage magazines can be again supplied to the main magazines (M₁) and (M₂). In the embodiment, there are multiple storage magazines, as indicated by figure labels (S₁) through (S₄), enabling, as mentioned above, differentiated storage of the same blanks, i.e., those of the same size or type, to not only facilitate management, but also to eliminate supply of the wrong blank to the main magazines (M₁) and (M₂) when reusing blanks contained in a storage magazine. When the number of blanks in the main magazines (M₁) and (M₂) has deceased and the same blanks are to be replenished on top of these, the quantity of blanks in the main magazines (M₁) and (M₂) can be detected with a photocell or sensor (not illustrated), and the signal from such can be transmitted to the robot (6) so that the robot (6) performs the above mentioned operations. Information on what blanks are to be loaded into the main magazines (M₁) and (M₂), what storage magazines (S₁) through (S₄) blanks are to be taken from, etc., can all be controlled centrally from a computer and commands transmitted to the robot (6) so that all of the above mentioned operations can be achieved in an unmanned system. The two main conveyors (51) and (52) used in the embodiment are both inclined 18° from horizontal, as shown in Fig. 4 , as are the two main magazines (M₁) and (M₂) located at the upper end of these. This inclination is provided so that when the blanks (A′) formed into parallelepipeds before they reach the end of lines (L₁₁) and (L₁₂) or lines (L₂₁) and (L₂₂) shown in Fig. 2 are placed onto the mandrels (11), (12), (21) and (22) of the mandrel wheels (1) and (2), the angle of the conveyors matches that of the mandrels. By adjusting the angles to match in this way, the parallelepipedic blanks (A′) can be smoothly placed onto the mandrels (11), (12), (21) and (22) at the ends of lines (L₁₁) and (L₁₂) or lines (L₂₁) and (L₂₂). The frame (6e) of the robot (6) is also inclined at exactly the same angle as that of the inclination of the main magazines (M₁) and (M₂). When a set of blanks (a) is taken from top of the platform (8), or when blanks (A) that have been stored in storage magazines (S₁) through (S₄) are removed from such, the frame (6e) is horizontal, and when these operations are completed, the frame (6e) can be moved to the location of the main magazines (M₁) and (M₂) without changing the inclination, as shown by the dotted lines in Fig. 5 . To incline the frame (6e) as shown by the dotted lines in Figs. 4 and 5 , a cylinder (6h), for example, could be attached to the main base (6g) so as to slide along the guide bar (7), and the rod on its front end could be linked to the frame (6e). If the cylinder (6h) is operated so that rod of the cylinder (6h) is pulled back from the position shown by the solid lines in Fig. 5 , the frame (6e) can be tilted in respect to the main base (6g), and if the cylinder (6h) is operated in the reverse of the above operation, the frame (6e) can be returned to a horizontal position. If the frame (6e) is inclined as shown by the dotted lines in Fig. 5 , the pair of forks (6a) and (6a) will be at exactly the same angle of inclination as the main magazines (M₁) and (M₂). In this fashion, multiple blanks can be supplied or replenished to the main magazines (M₁) and (M₂) or can be removed from the same not only smoothly, but also without falling apart. A device according to this invention could be widely applied to handle a wide range of sheet items other than the flatly folded blanks indicated in the above mentioned embodiment. An embodiment according this invention would be able to automatically supply sheet items to an empty main magazine, replenish this same sheet item in the main magazine, replace sheet items remaining in the main magazine with a different type of sheet item, and resupply to a main magazine sheet items that had been stored in a storage magazine. Being able to automatically perform all of the above mentioned operations not only enables rapid shifting to a different sheet item when such is desired, it does so in an unmanned fashion. An embodiment according this invention could also be able to store separately the same type of sheet item in one or more storage magazine so that management of different types of sheet items is facilitated and so that mistakenly supplying the wrong blank to a main magazine is eliminated when blanks stored in these storage magazines are reused. Further an embodiment of this invention could not only be able to smoothly supply sheet items to, replenish them in, and remove them from a main magazine, but could also be effective in preventing falling apart of multiple blanks.

Claims: An automatic supplying and loading device for sheet items (A) comprising at least one main magazine (M₁) for holding therein a stack of said sheet items (A) and for supplying thereon individual said sheet items (A) one by one to a subsequent process and a robot (6) for grasping said stack of sheet items (A) with vertically movable upper and lower forks (6a, 6b) and for conveying said stack of sheet items (A) from a platform (8) to said main magazine (M₁) along a guidepath (7), characterised in that a base (6d) of said robot (6) supporting the forks (6a) is movable with respect to a frame (6e) of said robot (6) so as to be capable of approaching and withdrawing from the main magazine (M₁) and the platform (8) when arranged in front of said main magazine (M₁) and said platform (8) resp. An automatic supplying and loading-device for sheet items (A) of claim 1, wherein a plurality of storage magazines (S₁, S₂,...) for storing respectively said sheet items (A) of different sizes are provided away from said main magazine (M₁) and said robot (6) is further movable reciprocally between said main magazine (M₁) and storage magazine (S₁, S₂,....) along the first pathway (7). An automatic supplying and loading device for sheet items (A) of claim 1 or 2, wherein said frame (6e) of the robot (6) is capable of occupying a position at an angle with respect to the horizontal when the main magazine is positioned at said angle. An automatic supplying and loading device for sheet items (A) of claim 3, wherein said frame (6e) of the robot (6) is capable of occupying the position at the angle with respect to the horizontal by means of a cylinder (6h) mounted on a main base (6g) of said robot (6).

Inventors: TRAEGAARDH PAUL, TRAEGAARDH, PAUL
Applicants: TETRA PAK AB, AB TETRA PAK
Application year: 1989
Main classification: B65H29
IPC codes: B65B43, B65H29, B65H31, B31B1, B65H1