Patent Description:
In particular, the device according to the invention and the corresponding method are suitable to pick up, substantially automatically, one or more bars at a time from a feed plane and to dispose them on a delivery plane or directly on a processing machine.

In the field of feeding bars to a user machine, for example a bending machine, a stirrup bender machine, a welding machine or a cutting machine, it is often required to supply bars which are picked up by means of bridge cranes or suchlike, from suitable stores, and disposed on a feed apparatus that sends them to a station or machine.

Typically, the bars are supplied in the form of a bundle, scattered randomly, entangled or twisted with each other, on a feed plane equipped with feed means which are driven to make the bars advance, causing them to vibrate so as to at least partly separate them.

The bars are then picked up, individually or in groups, by means of suitable pick-up devices, for example magnetic pick-up arms, to be delivered directly to the user machine or downstream, by means of an inclined plane, a roller way or other transfer means which in addition to moving them can also give a cadence to their advance, according to needs.

However, it often happens that the pick-up devices are not able to extract the correct and desired number of bars and/or that the bars are picked up randomly, without a particular spatial orientation. This can cause both errors in counting the bars and also the need to correctly reposition the bars moved, causing waste of time, inefficiencies and increased costs.

Especially in the case of very long bars, which can exceed <NUM>, these remain in any case twisted, generally in correspondence with their ends, making it very difficult to pick up the bars, and during this step they can in any case be subjected to flexions or curving. Therefore, once picked up and taken to their destination, the bars may be in positions or conditions that are not suitable for use.

The devices for picking up bars known from documents <CIT>, <CIT>, on which the preamble of claim <NUM> is based, and <CIT>do not solve the disadvantages described above, therefore there is a need to perfect a device for picking up bars and a corresponding method which can overcome at least one of the disadvantages of the state of the art.

In order to do this, it is necessary to solve the technical problem of picking up a single bar or more than one bar at a time, for example from a feed plane of an apparatus for feeding bars, to position it on a subsequent delivery plane so that the bars are in a substantially linear condition with respect to their direction of development.

In particular, one purpose of the present invention is to provide a device for picking up bars which, in an automated manner, is able both to pick up one or more of the bars at a time, and also to keep them in or bring them back to a substantially linear condition before depositing them on the delivery plane.

Another purpose is to be able to operate on bars of substantially any length, as well as to ensure they are picked up with a count that is free from errors caused by unwanted overlapping or multiple pick-ups.

Another purpose of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for feeding bars provided with said pick-up device.

Another purpose of the present invention is to provide a method for picking up bars which is automated and allows to pick up one or more of said bars at a time, keeping them in or bringing them back to a substantially linear condition before depositing them, for example, on a delivery plane of an apparatus for feeding bars.

In accordance with the above purposes, a pick-up device has been devised which is configured to selectively pick up and extract at least one bar from a plurality of bars disposed on a feed plane, in order to position it on a delivery plane, and comprising a support arm terminally provided with a pick-up head.

In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, the pick-up device comprises temporary support means that have at least one central support configured to support a central portion of the at least one bar, and lateral supports mobile away from the central support, in a transverse direction, in order to support and extract respective lateral portions of the at least one bar, aligning them to the central portion.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, the temporary support means comprise vertically mobile secondary supports, normally disposed at a lower height than that of the central support and of the lateral supports.

Furthermore, in the present invention, the support arm can be configured to move the pick-up head in a linear positioning direction that takes it closer to/away from the temporary support means.

Again in the present invention, the pick-up head can comprise a gripping matrix mobile in an operating direction that is transverse both with respect to the positioning direction and also with respect to the transverse direction.

The gripping matrix is made in whole or in part, or it is at least coated, with a magnetic or electromagnetic material and it has a gripping surface provided with a plurality of gripping seatings that have a downward concavity and are distanced from each other by a predetermined pitch.

The central support is provided with seatings that are distanced by the predetermined pitch as above and have a greater depth than a transverse measurement of the bars. Furthermore, the seatings are disposed on two facing rows distanced apart in the transverse direction by an internal distance greater than a width of the gripping matrix.

In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, each lateral support can comprise a base plate from which pegs or pins project vertically, defining between them straightening channels for the passage of the at least one bar.

Finally, the secondary supports can be disposed aligned in the transverse direction and equally spaced apart so as to sustain the at least one bar for its entire, or almost its entire, length.

In accordance with other embodiments, there is provided an apparatus for feeding bars comprising a feed plane on which a plurality of the bars is able to be disposed, a delivery plane downstream of the feed plane and a device for picking up bars as above.

In accordance with other embodiments, there is also provided a method for picking up bars which is able to selectively pick up and extract at least one bar from a plurality of bars disposed on a feed plane of an apparatus for feeding bars, and to position it on a delivery plane with a pick-up device by moving a support arm terminally provided with a pick-up head.

In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, the method provides to temporarily support the at least one bar on temporary support means, wherein a central support supports a central portion of the at least one bar, and lateral supports are moved away from the central support in a transverse direction in order to support and extract respective lateral portions of the at least one bar, aligning them with the central portion.

It is understood that elements and characteristics of one embodiment can be conveniently combined or incorporated into other embodiments without further clarifications and without departing from the scope of the appended claims.

With reference to <FIG>, a pick-up device <NUM> for picking up bars B is shown, associated with an apparatus <NUM> for feeding such bars B which is suitable to be placed upstream of a processing machine, such as a stirrup bender machine, a shaping machine, a bending machine, a tying machine, a cropper or any other similar type of machine.

The bars B have a mainly oblong development and can even have lengths of several meters, possibly with different diameters and surface finishes, and they can be supplied to the apparatus <NUM> in loose form or tied in bundles.

The apparatus <NUM>, shown only in part, comprises a feed plane <NUM> on which a plurality of bars B is able to be disposed and, downstream of the plane <NUM>, a delivery plane <NUM>.

The device <NUM> is configured to selectively pick up and extract at least one bar B from the plurality of bars B disposed on the feed plane <NUM> in order to position it on the delivery plane <NUM>. In the example described here, the pick-up device <NUM> is configured to pick up three B bars at a time, but it could pick up either more or fewer bars B.

The device <NUM> for picking up the bars B, from a central portion b1 thereof, comprises a support arm <NUM> terminally provided with a pick-up head <NUM>.

The device <NUM> also comprises temporary support means <NUM> that have at least one central support <NUM>, which is configured to support the central portions b1 of the bars B picked up by the pick-up head <NUM>, and two lateral supports <NUM> that are mobile away from the central support <NUM> in a transverse direction T in order to support and extract respective lateral portions b2, b3 of the bars B, aligning them to the central portions b1.

In fact, when the bars B are picked up with respect to their central portion b1, the lateral portions b2, b3 still remain on the feed plane <NUM>, possibly twisted or overlapping with the other bars B present therein. While the central support <NUM>, in cooperation with the pick-up head <NUM>, keeps the central portions b1 of the bars B fixed, the lateral supports <NUM> move, starting from a position close to the central support <NUM> and moving away from the latter, performing a kind of "combing" of the lateral portions b2, b3 of the bars B which are therefore completely extracted from those present on the feed plane <NUM> and aligned with respect to their longitudinal development.

The temporary support means <NUM> can comprise secondary supports <NUM>, normally disposed in a lowered position at a lower height than that of the central support <NUM> and of the lateral supports <NUM>, and vertically mobile toward a raised position in which they are aligned at the same height as the central support <NUM> and of the lateral supports <NUM> in order to support respective sections of the lateral portions b2, b3 that have just been straightened and aligned by the lateral supports <NUM>. In particular, in the lowered position the secondary supports <NUM> are below the delivery plane <NUM>, while in the raised position they are above it.

The central support <NUM> is mobile vertically downward, simultaneously with the vertical movement of the secondary supports <NUM> between a raised holding position, in which it receives the bars B from the pick-up head <NUM>, and a lowered delivery position, in order to position the bars B, which have just been extracted and aligned, on the delivery plane <NUM>. In the raised holding position the central support <NUM> is above the delivery plane <NUM>, while in the lowered delivery position it is below it.

According to some embodiments, the support arm <NUM> has a substantially linear development and can be of the telescopic or piston type.

The support arm <NUM> is configured to cause a substantially linear displacement of the pick-up head <NUM> in a positioning direction D. This substantially linear displacement allows to dispose the pick-up head <NUM> alternatively at least above the feed plane <NUM> in order to pick up the bars B, and above the temporary support means <NUM> in order to position and release the bars B.

In this specific case, the support arm <NUM> is disposed in a middle position with respect to lateral ends of the feed plane <NUM> and of the support plane <NUM>, respectively (<FIG>).

The support arm <NUM> is mounted on a framework <NUM> and comprises a fixed part <NUM> and a mobile part <NUM> sliding with respect to the fixed part <NUM> and terminally provided with the pick-up head <NUM>. The fixed part <NUM> develops cantilevered with respect to the framework <NUM> in the positioning direction D, which is the direction in which the mobile part <NUM> is able to translate to suitably position the pick-up head <NUM>.

The pick-up head <NUM>, in turn, comprises a fixed support part <NUM> and a gripping matrix <NUM>. The gripping matrix <NUM> is sliding with respect to the support part <NUM> in an operating direction F that is transverse to the positioning direction D and to the transverse direction T. The operating direction F is directed toward the feed plane <NUM> or the delivery plane <NUM> of the apparatus <NUM>. In the example of <FIG>, the operating direction F is substantially orthogonal to the positioning direction D and orthogonal both to the feed plane <NUM> and also to the delivery plane <NUM>. In other words, the gripping matrix <NUM> is mobile toward/away from the feed plane <NUM> or the <NUM> delivery plane.

The pick-up head <NUM> is magnetic or electromagnetic. In particular, the gripping matrix <NUM> is made in whole or in part, or it is at least coated in whole or in part, with a magnetic or electromagnetic material capable of generating an attractive force such as to lift, that is, at least partly extract with respect to the other bars B present on the feed plane <NUM>, at least one bar B at a time advantageously only with respect to its central portion b1.

With reference to <FIG>, the gripping matrix <NUM> comprises a gripping surface <NUM> facing, on each occasion, the upper part of the bars B to be picked up or the upper part of the temporary support means <NUM>. The gripping surface <NUM> is, therefore, facing on each occasion the feed plane <NUM> or the delivery plane <NUM>, and it is substantially parallel with respect to the latter.

A plurality of gripping seatings <NUM> are created on the gripping surface <NUM>.

The gripping seatings <NUM> have a downward concavity and are configured to each receive a respective bar B. In particular, each gripping seating <NUM> can have a hollow shape, for example semi-cylindrical or of another shape, terminally open in the longitudinal direction and conformed to accommodate a portion of the bar B. In the example described here, the gripping surface <NUM> is provided with three gripping seatings <NUM>; however, as mentioned, it is not excluded that the number of gripping seatings <NUM> may be greater or smaller than such number.

The gripping seatings <NUM> are distanced from each other by a predetermined pitch P which can be the same between one gripping seating <NUM> and the other, or different.

Advantageously, the presence of the gripping seatings <NUM>, and not a flat or otherwise prepared surface, allows both to engage the bars B in a more secure manner and also to pre-distance them without needing subsequent distancing operations. Furthermore, the presence of the gripping seatings <NUM> allows to pick up, in a definite way, only the planned and desired number of bars B.

According to one possible embodiment, the gripping matrix <NUM> is of the type that can be replaced if a different distancing between the bars B to be picked up or a different number of bars B is required.

According to some embodiments, the central support <NUM> can be associated with the framework <NUM>, for example at a terminal end of a beam or a pair of beams <NUM> protruding cantilevered above the delivery plane <NUM>.

The lateral supports <NUM> are sliding on guide means <NUM>, in this specific case a tubular rail <NUM> which develops in the transverse direction T (<FIG>). The rail <NUM> can also be attached to the same pair of beams <NUM>. In particular, the lateral supports <NUM> are mobile between a central close position, in which they are laterally side by side to the central support <NUM>, and an end distanced position, in which they are located at a distance from the central support <NUM> that is greater than the length of the processed bars B.

The central support <NUM> and the two lateral supports <NUM> are normally disposed above the delivery plane <NUM> and at a different height, in particular higher, than that of the feed plane <NUM>. In this way, the initial extraction of the bars B is facilitated because a first release of the bars B picked up with respect to those present on the feed plane <NUM> already occurs. Furthermore, picking up the bars B with respect to their central portions b1 considerably reduces the effort required by the pick-up head <NUM>, since the bars B normally intertwine and overlap in correspondence with their ends.

The central support <NUM> can be vertically mobile in order to pass from a position above the delivery plane <NUM> to a position below it, then returning to the starting position. The vertical movement of the central support <NUM> is coordinated with that of the secondary supports <NUM>, so that the bars B descend parallel to each other, without inclining or deforming.

Furthermore, the central support <NUM> can be provided with seatings <NUM> that have upward concavity and are configured to support in position the bars B that have been released/positioned by the pick-up head <NUM>.

The seatings <NUM> are disposed facing each other and aligned in pairs in order to define two support points for each bar B.

Advantageously, the seatings <NUM> are designed with the same number and spacing as the gripping seatings <NUM> of the gripping matrix <NUM>.

The seatings <NUM> have a greater depth than the diameter, or more generally a transverse size, of the bars B that they have to contain. Furthermore, the seatings <NUM> are disposed on two facing rows distanced from each other in the transverse direction T by an internal distance L greater than a width W of the gripping matrix <NUM> (<FIG>). In this way, when the pick-up head <NUM> descends to position the bars B, it can keep them firmly in position while the lateral supports <NUM> act in the transverse direction T.

According to some embodiments, each lateral support <NUM> comprises a base plate <NUM> from which pegs, or pins, <NUM> project vertically, defining between them straightening channels <NUM> for the passage of the bars B. The straightening channels <NUM> are aligned with the seatings <NUM> of the central support <NUM>.

More specifically, there is provided a first line of pegs <NUM> which are distanced from each other by a measure at least slightly greater than the diameter of the bars B, and a second line of pegs <NUM> facing the first line and distanced with respect to the latter in the transverse direction T.

Between the first and the second line of pegs <NUM> there are rollers <NUM> on which the portion of the bar B which is supported in the straightening channels <NUM> is able to rest (<FIG> and <FIG>). In this way, when the lateral supports <NUM> move in the transverse direction T to recover and straighten the bars B, friction is limited.

The secondary supports <NUM> are disposed aligned in the transverse direction T and equally spaced apart in such a way as to sustain the bars B in segments for their entire length.

The lateral supports <NUM> have a lateral movement amplitude such as to go beyond the last secondary supports <NUM> on both sides, so as to completely release the bars B at the end of the "combing" and leave them resting only on the central support <NUM> and on the secondary supports <NUM> which, as stated, are mobile in order to deposit the bars B on the delivery plane <NUM>.

The secondary supports <NUM> are provided with inlets <NUM>, each able to support a respective bar B section. When the secondary supports are in a raised position, the inlets <NUM> are aligned both to the straightening channels <NUM> and also to the seatings <NUM> of the central support <NUM>. The seatings <NUM>, the straightening channels <NUM> and the inlets <NUM> define a temporary support plane L for the bars B, indicated for example in <FIG> and <FIG>.

According to some embodiments, shown in <FIG>, there is provided a method for picking up bars B according to the present invention, with which it is provided to selectively pick up and extract at least one bar B from a plurality of bars B disposed on the feed plane <NUM> of the apparatus <NUM> and to position it on the delivery plane <NUM> with the pick-up device <NUM> by moving the support arm <NUM> terminally provided with the pick-up head <NUM>.

The method provides to temporarily support the at least one bar B, for example three bars B, on the temporary support means <NUM>, wherein the central support <NUM> stably supports the central portion b1 of the at least one bar B, and the lateral supports <NUM> are moved away from the central support <NUM> in the transverse direction T in order to support and extract respective lateral portions b2, b3 of the at least one bar B, aligning them to the central portion b1.

It is clear that modifications and/or additions of parts may be made to the device <NUM> for picking up bars and to the method as described heretofore, without departing from the field and scope of the present invention, as defined by the claims.

It is also clear that, although the present invention has been described with reference to some specific examples, a person of skill in the art shall certainly be able to achieve many other equivalent forms of device and corresponding method for picking up bars, having the characteristics as set forth in the claims and hence all coming within the field of protection defined thereby.

Claim 1:
Pick-up device (<NUM>) comprising a support arm (<NUM>) terminally provided with a pick-up head (<NUM>), configured to selectively pick up and extract, from a feed plane (<NUM>), at least one bar (B) in order to position it on a delivery plane (<NUM>), wherein said pick-up device (<NUM>) comprises temporary support means (<NUM>), having at least one central support (<NUM>) provided with seatings (<NUM>) which are configured to support a central portion (b1) of said at least one bar (B), and lateral supports (<NUM>) mobile away from said central support (<NUM>) in a transverse direction (T), configured to support and extract respective lateral portions (b2, b3) of said at least one bar (B) aligning said lateral portions to said central portion (b1), wherein said pick-up head (<NUM>) comprises a gripping matrix (<NUM>) mobile in an operating direction (F) transverse both with respect to said positioning direction (D) and also with respect to said transverse direction (T), wherein said gripping matrix (<NUM>) is made, or coated, in whole or in part, with a magnetic or electromagnetic material and has a gripping surface (<NUM>) provided with a plurality of gripping seatings (<NUM>) having downward concavity and each one distanced from the other by a predetermined pitch (P), characterized in that said seatings (<NUM>) are distanced by said pitch (P) and have a greater depth than a transverse measurement of said bars (B), and in that said seatings (<NUM>) are disposed on two facing rows distanced from each other in said transverse direction (T) by an internal distance (L) greater than a width (W) of said gripping matrix (<NUM>).