Patent Description:
The term working table means a working table used in a workpiece machining center (in which said pieces can be panels made of wood or other material) comprising a plurality of bars to support said workpieces.

For such reason, said working table is called a "bar working table".

In general, said working table is supported by a basement and said bars are parallel to each other, and movable along said basement.

Said working table is mainly used for passing machining (i.e. cutting a panel into parts or drilling through holes on the panel and subsequently machining the edge of the panel).

The term support element means a support element that can support a positioning and blocking device for positioning and blocking a workpiece on said working table, or a clamping device for clamping a workpiece on said working table.

In particular, one or more support and blocking devices and/or one or more clamping elements can be positioned on each bar of the bar working table by means of respective support elements.

In particular, the invention relates to a method conceived to carry a row of support elements (comprising at least two support elements) on a bar of said bar working table by means of a single slider, movable along said bar, and to position each support element by means of said slider.

As is known, one or more positioning and blocking devices and/or one or more clamping elements can be positioned on a bar working table by means of respective support elements.

One or more support elements are positioned along a bar of the bar working table by means of the presence of a slider.

The slider is movable along the bar and is equipped with a hooking element for being hooked to a support element, so that said support element is carried along said bar when said slider is hooked to said support element.

The position of each support element along the bar is predetermined since, before the machining of one or more pieces, it is necessary to position said one or more positioning and blocking devices and/or one or more clamping elements.

The slider is controlled by a control unit so that each support element occupies a respective predetermined position.

Currently, a method that allows to position one support element at a time by means of a slider is known (see for example <CIT>).

From time to time, the slider hooks a support element and moves it along a bar until said support element occupies the required position.

A disadvantage of such a method is given by the fact that it is not possible to move a plurality of support elements by means of a single slider.

The aim of the invention is to overcome said disadvantage, providing a method for carrying and positioning a plurality of support elements on a working table by means of a single slider movable along a bar of said working table, avoiding that each support element needs a respective slider to be positioned on the working table.

Further aim of the invention is to provide a method capable of speeding up the positioning of a plurality of support elements by means of a single slider.

Advantageously, by means of a single slider, it is possible to carry a row of support elements and position, from time to time, a support element belonging to said row of support elements, regardless of the position of said support element in said row of support elements.

It is, therefore, specific object of the present invention a method for carrying a plurality of support elements arranged on a bar of a bar working table and for positioning each support element along said bar, said method comprising the following steps:.

In a first alternative, said predetermined position corresponds to a first desired position for said first support element, and when said first support element is positioned in said first desired position, said method comprises the following steps:.

In a second alternative, said predetermined position corresponds to a second desired position for said second support element, and when said second support element is positioned in said second desired position, said method comprises the following steps:
F2) moving along said guide element said slider until said first support element is positioned along said bar in a first desired position for said first support element.

In particular, step D may comprise the substep of moving said slider until said second support element contacts a third support element and so on in such a way that said row of support elements comprises a number N of support elements arranged in succession, and step E may comprise the substep of carrying said row of support elements along said bar up to a predetermined position, wherein said predetermined position is a desired position for one of said N support elements.

With reference to the guide element, said guide element may be connected to a portion of said bar, preferably a side portion.

With reference to the slider, said slider may be connected to a drive belt and said drive belt is connected to a motor, so that the movement imparted by said motor to said drive belt is transmitted to said slider by means of said drive belt.

Further, in said rest position, said hooking element may be retracted inside the body of said slider, and in said operating position, said hooking element may have a portion protruding with respect to said body to be hooked to a support element.

Advantageously, said slider may be provided with detection means for detecting the presence of a support element when said slider is positioned in correspondence with said support element.

Said detection means may comprise an optical proximity sensor or an inductive proximity sensor or a magnetic proximity sensor or a capacitive proximity sensor or an ultrasonic proximity sensor or a radar.

Further, said slider may be provided with identification means for identifying the support element in correspondence with which said slider is positioned.

Said identification means may comprise an RFID reader arranged on said slider and a transponder arranged on each support element, or a reader arranged on said slider and a QR code arranged on each support element.

In the various figures, similar parts will be indicated with the same numerical references.

With reference to the figures, it is described a method for carrying a plurality of support elements, arranged on a bar B of a bar working table, and positioning each support element along said bar B in a respective predetermined position, corresponding to a desired position for each support element, in which said position is determined on the basis of the dimensions of the workpiece (such as for example a panel made of wood or another material) and/or of the type of machining.

In fact, the bar working table is used for working one or more pieces P, in particular panels made of wood or another material.

In the embodiment that is described, it will be made reference to a bar working table, of which only one bar B is visible.

On said bar two support elements are arranged, i.e. a first support element S1 and a second support element S2.

A slider <NUM> is movable along a guide element G for carrying or dragging said first support element S1 and said second support element S2, and positioning each of said support elements along said bar B in a respective predetermined position (i.e. in a respective desired position).

The slider <NUM> comprises a body <NUM> provided with a hooking element <NUM> to be hooked/unhooked to/from a support element S1, S2.

In particular, the slider <NUM> is movable between a rest position, in which said hooking element <NUM> is unhooked from a support element S1, S2, and an operating position, in which said hooking element <NUM> is hooked to a support element S1, S2.

More specifically, in the rest position, the hooking element <NUM> is retracted inside the body <NUM>, and in the operating position, the hooking element <NUM> has a protruding portion with respect to the body <NUM> to be hooked to a support element S1, S2.

Each support element S1, S2 is provided with a respective recess S11, S21 to allow the hooking by the slider <NUM>, through said hooking element <NUM>.

Each recess S11, S21 is shaped to allow at least the partial insertion of said hooking element <NUM>.

As explained below, a motor (not shown) transmits the movement to the slider <NUM> through a drive belt C.

A control logic (not shown) is connected to the motor and to the slider <NUM> and configured to.

When the slider <NUM> is positioned in correspondence with a support element, said slider <NUM> is positioned in such a way that said support element is overlapped or substantially overlapped on said slider <NUM>.

In particular, when the slider <NUM> is positioned in correspondence with said first support element S1, said slider <NUM> hooks said first support element S1 and carries said first support element S1 along the bar B until said first support element contacts a second support element S2, so that said two support elements (in contact with each other) form a row of support elements, in which the second support element S2 is arranged in succession to the first support element S1.

The number of support elements part of the row of support elements can increase if further support elements are arranged on the bar B and the slider <NUM> continues to slide on the guide element G.

For example, if further support elements were arranged on the bar B and the slider <NUM> continued to slide along the guide element G, the second support element S2 could contact a third support element, and said third support element could contact a fourth support element and so on, based on the number of support elements arranged on the bar B, so that also the number of support elements belonging to the row of support elements increases proportionally.

Consequently, by means of a single slider <NUM>, it is possible to position along the bar B one support element at a time, regardless of its position in the row of support elements that can be composed of any number of support elements.

In particular, it is possible to position on the bar B any of the support elements of the row of supporting elements first, regardless of its position in said row of support elements.

For the sake of brevity in the embodiment that is described, two support elements S1, S2 are arranged on the bar B.

Consequently, the method object of the invention provides that the slider <NUM> hooks a first support element S1, slides along the bar B, so that said first support element S1 contacts a second support element S2, and a row of support elements composed of said two support elements S1, S2 is formed, and said row of support elements is carried along said bar B up to or said first support element S1 is positioned in a predetermined position with respect to said bar B (in which said predetermined position is a first desired position for said first support element S1), or said second support element S2 is positioned in a predetermined position with respect to said bar B (in which said predetermined position is a second desired position for said second support element S2 ).

When the first support element S1 has been positioned on the bar, the slider <NUM> slides along with the guide element G until it is positioned in correspondence with the second support element S2, and hooks said second support element S2 for carrying it to a second desired position, associated with said second support element S2.

When the second support element S2 has been positioned on the bar, the slider <NUM> slides along with the guide element G until it is positioned in correspondence with the first support element S1, and hooks said first support element S1 for carrying it to a first desired position, associated with said first support element S1.

In particular, this method comprises the following steps:.

In particular, said predetermined position can correspond to a first desired position for said first support element S1, and when said first support element S1 is positioned in said first desired position, said method can comprise the following steps:.

Alternatively, said predetermined position can correspond to a second desired position for said second support element S2, and when said second support element S2 is positioned in said second desired position, said method comprises the following step:
F2) moving said slider <NUM> along said guide element G until said first support element S1 is positioned along said bar B in a first desired position for said first support element S1 (different from the second desired position for said second support element support S2).

In such an alternative, after the step F2, the method can comprise a step G2, in which the first support element S1 is unhooked from said slider <NUM>.

With reference to the guide element G, said guide element G is connected to a side portion of said bar B.

Although not shown in the figures, said guide element G can be connected to any portion of said bar B, different from said side portion.

However, as already said, although not shown in the figures, the row of support elements carried along the bar B by the slider <NUM> can be composed by any number of support elements (i.e. a number greater than two) and by means of a single slider <NUM> it is possible to position a support element at a time along the bar B first, regardless of its position in the row of support elements.

In general, the step D can comprise the substep of moving said slider <NUM> until said second support element contacts a third support element, and so on (i.e. said third support element contacts a fourth support element and said fourth support element support contacts a fifth support element, etc.), in such a way that said row of support elements comprises a number N of support elements arranged in succession, and the step E can comprise the substep of carrying said row of support elements along said bar B up to a predetermined position, in which said predetermined position is a desired position for any one of said N support elements.

Just to make an example referring to the presence of three support elements, the step D of the method can comprise the substep of moving said slider <NUM> until said second support element S2 contacts a third support element, in such a way that said row of support elements comprises said third support element and said third support element is arranged in succession to said second support element S2.

Furthermore, the step E of the method can comprise the substep of carrying said row of support elements along said bar B up to a predetermined position, wherein said predetermined position is a predetermined first desired position for said first support element S1, or a predetermined second desired position for said second support element S2, or a predetermined third desired position for said third support element.

With reference to the slider <NUM>, said slider can be provided with detection means for detecting the presence of a support element when said slider <NUM> is positioned in correspondence with said support element (i.e. when the slider <NUM> is positioned in such a way that the support element is overlapped or substantially overlapped thereto).

Said detection means can comprise an optical proximity sensor, or an inductive proximity sensor, or a magnetic proximity sensor, or a capacitive proximity sensor, or an ultrasonic proximity sensor, or a radar.

Furthermore, said slider <NUM> can be provided with identification means for identifying the support element in correspondence with which said slider <NUM> is positioned.

This allows knowing if the slider <NUM> is positioned in correspondence with the desired support element.

In other words, it is possible to know if the position of the slider is correct with respect to the support element to be hooked.

In a variant, said identification means can comprise a RFID reader arranged on said slider <NUM>, and a transponder arranged on each support element.

In a second variant, said identification means can comprise a reader arranged on said slider <NUM> and a QR code arranged on each support element.

With reference to the <FIG>, and in particular to <FIG> and <FIG>, the figures show the guide element G, on which said slider <NUM> slides and the drive belt C, by means of which a motion is transmitted to said slider <NUM> by means of a motor (not shown), in particular an electric motor.

Consequently, when the drive belt C is moved by said motor, the slider <NUM> slides on said guide element G, until a predetermined position along said guide element G. corresponding to a desired position.

However, it is not necessary that the motion to the slider <NUM> is imparted by means of a drive belt C.

For example, the motion to the slider <NUM> can be imparted through any motion transmission system, such as, for example, a pinion-rack type transmission system, without departing from the scope of the invention.

Claim 1:
Method for carrying a plurality of support elements (S1,S2) arranged on a bar (B) of a bar working table and for positioning each support element (S1, S2) along said bar (B), said method comprising the following steps:
A) providing a slider (<NUM>) movable along a guide element (G) connected to said bar (B), wherein said slider (<NUM>) comprises a body (<NUM>) provided with a hooking element (<NUM>) to be hooked/unhooked to/from a support element (S1, S2) of said plurality of support elements (S1,S2), wherein said hooking element (<NUM>) is movable between a rest position, in which said hooking element (<NUM>) is unhooked from said support element (S1,S2), and an operating position, in which said hooking element (<NUM>) is hooked to said support element (S1,S2),
B) moving along said guide element (G) the slider (<NUM>) to position said slider (<NUM>) in correspondence with a first support element (S1),
C) when said slider (<NUM>) is arranged in correspondence with said first support element (S1), hooking said first support element (S1) by said slider (<NUM>),
said method being characterized in that it comprises the following steps:
D) moving along said guide element (G) said slider (<NUM>) to which said first support element (S1) is hooked to form a row of support elements arranged in succession to each other, wherein said row of support elements comprises at least a second support element (S2) arranged in succession to said first support element (S1),
E) carrying said row of support elements along said bar (B) up to a predetermined position, wherein said predetermined position is the desired position of a support element of said row of support elements.