DE8512963U1 - Device for picking up and moving containers - Google Patents

Description

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SCHWABE ·. 3ANE)JvIAJ ft.: · «MARX·. j · · ·

STUNTZSTRASSE 16 · 80OO MUNICH 80

Attorney file 34 355 X

Max Kettner

Verpackungsmaschinenfabrik GmbH ü. Co. KG Ottobrunner Str. 1 8000 Munich 83

Device for picking up and moving containers

The invention relates to a device for picking up and moving containers, according to the preamble of claim 1.

Such a device, generally known as a palletizer, is used preferably in the food industry, and most often in the beverage industry, to grasp and pick up containers made up of cans, bottles, cartons or other individual items that form a flat layer and stack them on a pallet, or vice versa, to remove them from a stack on a pallet and place them at a station designated for this purpose.

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»(089)988272-74 " Telecopier: (089.)£8}Q49 *: · '.'. JBiulsXonteiji'Bayer.Vereinsbank Munich 453--~O(BLZ70020270)

Telex: 524560 Swan d Kalte Infotec 6350 CJr. Il+{II '. .1 "^po-Bank München 4410122850 (BLZ 70020011) Swilt Code: HYPO DE MM

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In the most common design, such a device has a portal-like machine frame, on whose crossbeam a carriage can be moved back and forth, on the underside of which a lowerable gripper head is attached.

The space required for such a portal frame is relatively large, and accommodating this frame within a system, such as a system for palletizing bottles, is difficult, since the conveyor flows for empty pallets, containers and filled pallets must each leave space for the two vertical columns of the portal frame, the distance between which is fixed. This means that such a known device is not very flexible and causes problems in particular when a system that has already been built and in which this device is included is to be converted while retaining this device. It would in principle be possible to manufacture devices of this type with crossbeams of different lengths, but this would create a highly undesirable variety of types.

Another disadvantage is the fact that the supply lines, which may also include suction and pressure lines, must always be guided along the moving carriage carrying the gripper head.

and thus inevitably sag.

In order to remedy some of these disadvantages, it is known from DE-OS 31 13 976 to attach the horizontal beam centrally to a single horizontal column. However, since the horizontal beam must always be long enough to allow the horizontal movement distance for the gripper head for which the device is designed, the known device is also bulky and therefore not very flexible in use. Furthermore, the problem of sagging supply lines for the gripper head also exists here.

In order to remedy these difficulties, the generic transfer device mentioned at the beginning is known from DE-OS 33 03 922, in which a horizontal parallelogram rod is attached to a vertical column, the pivotable cross member of which carries the gripper head.

Depending on the distance of movement required for the gripper head, the size of the area covered by the parallelogram linkage also changes, so that the generic device can be better adapted to the existing construction requirements than the previously discussed devices. It also solves the problem of sagging supply lines, as these are always guided along the swivel arm.

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However, the generic device has a decisive disadvantage compared to the devices mentioned above: the container to be moved follows a circular arc during the transfer process. If this transfer process is to take place as quickly as one would expect from a high-performance palletizer, then, in addition to the unavoidable acceleration forces, considerable centrifugal forces also act on the containers carried by the gripper head, which limit the working speed of the palletizer and can cause malfunctions. In addition, the curved path of movement must be blocked off from access by safety barriers, whereby parts of a palletizing system that must be accessible for adjustment and maintenance work are located within the cordoned-off safety area.

For this reason, the generic devices equipped with a swivel arm could not prevail in practice.

Based on this state of the art, the invention is based on the task of developing the latter, generic device in such a way that

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while using only a small installation space for the device, the path covered by the gripper head in the horizontal direction should have a significantly weaker curvature.

This object is solved by the features of claim 1.

Instead of the previously used two swivel arms, which form the parts of a parallelogram linkage, only a single, but two-part arm is used. The first arm section is fixed and pivotable, while the second arm section, which is pivotably connected to the first arm section, carries the gripper head at its free end.

The drive for this two-part swivel arm is designed in such a way that the angular velocity with which the first arm member swivels around the stationary bearing and the angular velocity with which the second arm member swivels around the end of the first arm member are related in such a way that the free end carrying the gripper head follows the branch of a hypocycloid in whole or in part. The geometric relationship mentioned in claim 1

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(where 1 , I ₂ is the length ü ₁ , Q^ is the angular velocity of the first and second arm segments respectively) corresponds exactly to the actual hypocycloid, where j is the radius of the outer circle of the sum of the effective

I lengths of both links, while the radius

I of the inner circle, which rolls on the outer circle, the

■) effective length of the second arm segment, which

\ carries the gripper head at its free end.

I The geometric relationship mentioned in claim 1 applies

I, however, only approximately; it is possible to determine the geo-

I metric relationship within reasonable limits as well

I to be modified so that the gripper head follows the trajectory

^ of a branch of an extended or shortened hypo-

} cycloide. In any case, with reasonable

; ger choice of dimensions the curvature of the gripper

&iacgr; head traveled trajectory smaller than the curvature

of the circular arc which the fully extended swivel

I arm would put back if he only had to move around his stationary

I pivot point would be pivoted.

If the gripper head is attached to the end of the second arm section so that it cannot rotate, it will rotate around its own axis during the transfer process, which may be undesirable. For this reason,

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For these reasons, the gripper head is preferably mounted so that it can rotate and is driven in such a way that its angular velocity, relative to the stationary bearing, is always equal to that of the first arm link, also relative to ;

the stationary bearing. The orientation of the gripper head therefore always remains the same.

If the geometry of the two-part swivel arm according to the invention is fixed, then the greatest possible horizontal distance that the gripper head can cover corresponds to the length of a branch of the hypocycloid. However, if only a shorter distance is required, then it is sufficient to attach at least one fixed limit switch to the machine frame in the path of movement of the first arm link in order to limit its movement to the desired extent.

In this case, parts of the swivel arm extend only slightly beyond the movement path, in contrast to the parallelogram linkage of the generic device, so that the head space used by the device does not exceed the movement path of the
gripper head does not or only slightly exceeds the set length.

The security area that is not accessible to staff

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may be moved up to the movement path of the gripper head, since those parts of the swivel arm that protrude beyond this movement path in their middle move at such a height that they do not pose a danger to personnel.

The geometry of the swivel arm according to the invention reaches an optimum when the effective length of the first arm member is equal to that of the second arm member. The trajectory of the gripper head intersects the vertical axis of the stationary bearing and forms a straight line. This design is preferred when the rest of the structure of the machine frame allows such a trajectory, e.g. when the stationary bearing is mounted on the ceiling or on a stationary crossbeam mounted overhead, or when the machine frame has a vertical, gallows-like frame in which the stationary bearing is at a distance from the column in the horizontal direction. If such a design of the vertical column is not possible, for example for reasons of strength, then according to the invention the lengths of the two arm members are coordinated so that the gripper head runs as close to the column as possible, i.e. the trajectory it travels has as great a curvature as possible. According to a preferred embodiment of the

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In accordance with the invention, the effective length of the first arm member is 1.38 times that of the second arm member, so that the angular velocity of the first arm member around the stationary bearing is 0.42 times that of the second arm member, and the trajectory should be exactly the branch of a hypocycloid. In this case, the stationary bearing is located slightly overhanging the upper end of a vertical column, past which the gripper head moves with a sufficient safety distance, while it travels a trajectory with a very slight curvature, the effect of which on the bundle carried by the gripper head is equivalent to that of a straight trajectory.

It is basically possible to use a stepper motor or a controlled gear motor on each swivel bearing, whereby a central control ensures that the angular speed assignments according to the invention are maintained. The particular advantage of such an embodiment is that by fine-tuning the individual speeds, tolerances can be compensated that can occur during assembly of the stations assigned to the device. According to one embodiment of the invention, however, it is particularly advantageous that the drive of

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a single drive motor which is connected to all pivot bearings via a gear box* This embodiment has the advantage of greater robustness and operational reliability, so that it is given preference within the scope of this invention.

For example, a hydraulic displacement gear could be used as the gear; according to a preferred embodiment of the invention, however, the gear is designed as a chain or toothed belt gear.

I, whereby the chains or toothed belts are

I or multiple rows parallel to the individual links

i stretch so that no gear parts are pushed sideways

s? · protrude beyond the swivel arm.

I Due to the relatively high weight and loading

'& acceleration forces acting on the end of the swivel arm

I, its members are preferably box-shaped

s carrier, of which at least the first

\ Arm limb has a considerable marginal fiber distance.

&Idigr; This high edge fiber spacing enables the

I delivery of the entire chain or toothed belt drive

I inside the box girder so that the gearbox

is completely separated and protected from the surroundings.

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Since according to the above mentioned design all drives
of the swivel arm according to the invention are connected to each other, a translation

ratio due to the geometry of the swivel arm

geüen, whereby the gear ratio over the entire \

swivel arm is a total of 1, since the angle |

speed of the first arm segment is equal to that f

of the gripper head. |

The drive motor can, for example, be installed in the vertical [

column to relieve the swivel arm. I According to one embodiment of the invention, however, it is |

It is particularly advantageous to install the drive motor on the

The arm joint is attached to the
fixed pivot bearing a first sprocket or gear which is held non-rotatably. At the free end
of the first arm joint is in association with
this first chain or gear wheel, a second chain or gear wheel which is mounted on a shaft driven by the drive motor directly or via a gear box.
The translation ratio between these two
Chain or gear wheels or the ratio of their number of teeth corresponds to the ratio of the two above-mentioned angular velocities CJ _{1 {} {J>i ·

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The second arm link is fixedly mounted on the drive shaft at its lower end. Furthermore, another chain or gear wheel is non-rotatably mounted at the end of the first arm link, which is connected via a chain or toothed belt to the chain or gear wheel on whose shaft the gripper head is mounted. The transmission ratio between the last two chains or gear wheels is determined by the fact that the sum of this reduction ratio and the above-mentioned transmission ratio calculated from the two angular velocities for the two arm links must be 1.

The device according to the invention thus has a very simple gear mechanism in order to reliably generate the relatively complicated trajectory of the gripper head.

The gear ratio for the two chain or gear wheels for pivoting the two arm links is 21/50 at the above-mentioned preferred value (the effective length of the first arm link is 1.795 times that of the second arm link), so that the gear ratio between the two chain or gear wheels for pivoting the gripper head is 29/50*

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The subject matter of the invention is explained in more detail with reference to the attached, schematic drawing, in which:

Fig. 1a to 1b the curves of a hypocycloid, an extended hypocycloid and a shortened hypocycloid, respectively, Fig. 2 the schematic top view of the

Swivel arm of the device according to the invention,

Fig. 3 shows the schematic elevation through the device according to the invention, and

Fig. 4 is a plan view of a part of the system in which the device according to the invention is used.

Fig. 1a shows a hypocycloid, i.e. a curve described by a peripheral point of a circle when it rolls without slip on the inside of another circle.

In Fig. 1b an extended hypocycloid is shown, while in Fig. 1c a shortened hypocycloid is shown, i.e. a curve described by a point that lies outside (Fig. 1b) or inside (Fig. 1c) of a circle rolling without slip on the inner circumference of another circle.

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s, In Fig. 2, the two-part swivel arm of the inventive

The device according to the invention is shown schematically in plan view. This has a first arm member 2 which can be pivoted horizontally about a stationary bearing 1 and which has a pivot bearing 3 at its free end in which a second arm member 4 is mounted so as to be pivotable horizontally, which in turn has a pivot bearing 5 at its free end.

:-&iacgr; carries a pivot bearing 5, on which a in Fig. 2

j; gripper head (not shown) is pivotably mounted.

I The first arm link 2 should be counterclockwise

I around the axis of the stationary pivot bearing 1 with a

f angular velocity uj _�L rotate. In this case

f the second arm link 4 rotates around the pivot bearing 3

.· clockwise with an angular velocity

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' finally the gyro head counterclockwise

t sense with a third angular velocity CO ₃ .

■■\ The effective length of the first arm link 2, namely the

i Distance between the axes of bearings 1 and 3,

\ hereinafter referred to as I^. The effective length of the

i second arm link 4, i.e. the distance between the axes of the

I bearings 3 and 5, is designated with 1”. The following applies:

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If 1 and 1” are equal, then the axis of the load

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gers 5 the trajectory shown in Fig. 2 in dot-dash lines back/ namely a straight line. However, the dashed line is preferred, in which the trajectory has a very slight curvature. The dashed curve goes back to the following length ratios:

_I1 = 1.795. _I2 .

In this case, the angular velocities behave as follows:

^ ₁ = 0.42CJ ₂ .

The trajectory shown corresponds to the branch of a hypocycloid as shown in Fig. 1a (for I ₁ = 3·I ₂ ). If the angular velocities are not precisely matched to the geometric conditions, as can be the case either due to manufacturing inaccuracies or for the purpose of adjusting the course of a trajectory, the trajectories shown in Fig. 1b or 1c result. Limit switches ensure that the axis 5 only runs through the one branch of a trajectory shown in solid lines in Figs. 1a to 1c, but not the entire trajectory.

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In Fig. 3, the device according to the invention is shown schematically in elevation. This device has a vertical column 6 which is anchored to the ground preferably via supports and of which only the upper part is shown.

A projecting leg section 7 is attached to the top of the vertical column 6, which carries the stationary bearing λ.

Coaxial to the vertical axis of this stationary bearing Λ is a non-rotatable shaft 8 which non-rotatably supports a schematically shown horizontal sprocket 9. Although only one sprocket is shown schematically in the drawing, a sprocket package is usually used since several chains are usually required to transmit the required drive forces.

Above and below the chain wheel 9, the end of the first arm link 2 facing the bearing �L is supported in pivot bearings.

The arm member 2 is designed as a hollow box girder, with a link chain (or several parallel link chains) 10 running through its interior, which

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the non-rotatable gear 9 is wound.

The pivot bearing 3 is located at the opposite end of the first arm member 2. A shaft 11 is arranged coaxially to its vertical axis, which is connected to the output shaft of an angle gear 12, which is mounted above the first arm member 2. A motor 13 is arranged above the first arm member 2 and is attached to it and flanged to the angle gear 12.

The shaft 11 carries a sprocket 13 which is connected to the sprocket 9 via the chain 10. If necessary, a chain tensioning device for the chain 10 can be installed within the first arm link 2.

The shaft 11, which is rotatably mounted on the top and bottom of the first arm member 2, is extended downwards beyond this and is connected in a rotationally fixed manner to the facing end of the second arm member 4.

It is clear that the rotation of the electric motor 14 via the angle gear 12 drives the shaft 11 and thus the gear 13, which moves relative to the first arm member 2 at the same angular velocity as the second arm member 4. At the same time, the

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The chain wheel 13 drives the chain 10, which is placed around the stationary gear wheel 9, so that the first arm link 2 performs a pivoting movement around the shaft 8, in the opposite direction to the pivoting movement of the second arm link 4 around the axis of the gravity bearing 3.

On the underside of the free end of the first arm link 2, but still above the second arm link 4, a third sprocket 15 is connected to the first arm link 2 in a rotationally fixed manner. This sprocket 15 is connected via a further drive chain 16 to a fourth sprocket 17, which is mounted coaxially to the bearing 5 and sits on the upper end of a vertical shaft 18, which has a fastening 19 for a gripper head at the lower end. The lifting device for the gripper head is attached to this fastening "r9 / lifting device and gripper head are not shown in the drawing for reasons of clarity.

It is evident that when the second arm member 4 performs a pivoting movement relative to the first arm member 2, the fourth gear 17 also performs a rotary movement, namely in the opposite direction to the pivoting movement between the two arm members 2, 4 and in the same direction as the pivoting movement of the arm member 2 around the

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stationary bearings 1.

The number of teeth of the gears 13 and 9 preferably amounts to 21 and 5ü, whereby the sprocket 9 has more than twice as many teeth as the sprocket 13.

The number of teeth on sprockets 17 and 15 is 29 and 50, with sprocket 15 having almost twice the number of teeth as sprocket 17.

Since the sum of the two ratios is 1, it is clear that the holder 19 for the gripper head always maintains its orientation.

For the sake of simplicity, the sprockets 15 and 17 are shown above the second arm link 4; in practice, however, these two sprockets are located below this arm link in order to prevent excessive bending moments from being applied to the shaft 13 or the associated bearing 3.

In Fig. 4, part of a palletizing system is shown in plan view in which a device of the type shown in Fig. 3 is used.

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As can be seen, a support 22 is attached to both sides of the central column 6, by means of which the entire device rests firmly on the hall floor.

An electric drive 23 is attached to the side of the vertical column 6 facing away from the stationary pivot bearing 1. This can serve as a lifting drive, by means of which the entire swivel arm 2, 4 is preferably lifted up and down. However, it is also possible to attach the lifting drive for the gripper head to the bracket 19 (Fig. 3).

As can be seen from Fig. 4, the device shown receives incoming containers at the receiving station 20 and transfers them to the station 21, where they can be stacked on top of each other.

If .O ₁ φ ^' ^ ^then the gripper head carries out a pivoting movement corresponding to the selected gear ratio; it is then possible to transfer packages from a receiving station to a depositing station which are not parallel to one another, so that the device according to the invention allows greater freedom in plant planning than was previously the case.

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Claims (7)

SCHWABE · _: SANCWAJR j -" PATENT ATTORNEYS. ¹ ... STUNTZSTRASSE 16 · 8000 MUNICH 80 Attorney file 34 355 X Max Kettner Verpackungsipaschinenfabrik GmbH U. Co. KG Ottobrunner Str. 1 8000 Munich 83 Device for picking up and moving containers Expectations 1. Device for picking up and moving containers a) with a machine frame with a horizontal swivel arm mounted on a fixed bearing, and b) with a lifting and lowering device mounted at the end of the swivel arm and horizontally between a station for picking up the containers and a station for setting down these containers by means of a drive-movable gripper head,
characterized by the following features: c) the swivel arm is constructed in two parts (2, 4); X/B/Wr w (08!)) 9882.72-74 Telecopyref: (0£9) gsiaoq? '·'' ,· ·,, J Bank accounts] Bayer.Vereinsbank Munich 453100 (bank code 70020270) Teiex: 524560 Swan d KaIIe lnlotec 6S5.q 6r, U.-CIII ,;,,:,, ,, · Mlff^BenkMünchen 4410122850 (BLZ 7002001t) Swill Code: HYPO DE MM Postal code Munich 65343-808 (bank code 70010080) d) the first arm member (2) has a pivot bearing (3, 1) with a vertical axis at each end with an axis distance of 1. and can be pivoted with the one pivot bearing on a stationary bearing (1) at an angular velocity ^ ₁ stored/ e) the second arm (4) has at both ends a pivot bearing (3, 5) with a vertical axis and with an axle distance of I ₂ and is connected to the one { Pivot bearing on the underside of the free pivot - y, bearing (3) of the first arm link (2) with a Angular velocity of CJ ₂ stored," f) the gripper head is preferably on the underside of the free pivot bearing of the second arm member (4) with an angular velocity (J- pivoted, and g) the drive (12, 14) is designed so that approximately the following angular velocities are maintained become: _I1 ⁺ 1~
Q^= . u)^ t and preferably ¹ 2 2. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the stationary bearing (1) is designed for attachment to a hall ceiling or the like, and that ■ &bull;«lliiiiiiit is. 3. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the stationary bearing (1) is attached to a vertical stand (6) with I ₁ * I ₂ , This value is set so that the gripper head does not hit the vertical stand (6). 4. Device according to claim 1 to 3, characterized in that _I1 = _1.795I2 ,
so daü CJ ₁ Äi 0,42 CJ ₂ - 5. Device according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the drive is formed by a single drive motor (14) which is connected to all pivot bearings (1, 3, 5) via a gear (12). 6. Device according to claim 5, characterized in that the gear is designed as a chain drive (10) or toothed belt drive, the chains or toothed belts of which run parallel to the arm members (2, 4) and preferably within them. 4. « f » S O « f J 7. Device according to claim 6, characterized in that the chain or toothed drive has the following features: - a first chain or gear wheel (9) is attached to the stationary bearing (1),"' - at the end of the first arm member (2) facing away from it, a second (13) and a third (15) Chain or gear wheel attached/ - a fourth chain or gear wheel (17) is attached to the opposite end of the second arm link (4)/ - the first (9) and second (13) as well as the third (15) and fourth (17) chain or gear wheels are each connected to a chain (10/16) or a toothed belt ,* and - the second chain wheel (13) is connected via a shaft (11) to the facing end of the second arm member (4) and to a gear motor (12, 14).