Pallet impact station and associated methods
First Claim
1. A pallet impact station comprising:
- a frame;
at least one pendulum swing arm rotatably coupled to said frame;
a carriage assembly carried by said at least one pendulum swing arm;
a latching mechanism extending between said frame and said at least one pendulum swing arm, and configured toengage said at least one pendulum swing arm when said carriage assembly is in a lowered position,raise said carriage assembly to a raised positon, anddisengage said at least one pendulum swing arm at the raised positon so that said carriage assembly strikes a pallet;
a movement sensor carried by said frame and configured to generate a signal corresponding to how high said carriage assembly is raised by said latching mechanism; and
a controller configured to operate said latching mechanism, including disengaging said at least one pendulum swing arm when a height of the carriage assembly corresponds to a desired release height so that a predetermined impact force strikes the pallet.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A pallet impact station includes a frame, at least one pendulum swing arm rotatably coupled to the frame, and a carriage assembly carried by the at least one pendulum swing arm. A latching mechanism extends between the frame and the at least one pendulum swing arm, and engages the at least one pendulum swing arm when the carriage assembly is in a lowered position, raises the carriage assembly to a raised positon, and disengages the at least one pendulum swing arm at the raised positon so that the carriage assembly strikes a pallet. A sensor generates a signal corresponding to how high the carriage assembly is raised. A controller operates the latching mechanism, including disengaging the at least one pendulum swing arm when a height of the carriage assembly corresponds to a desired release height so that a predetermined impact force strikes the pallet.
10 Citations
25 Claims
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1. A pallet impact station comprising:
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a frame; at least one pendulum swing arm rotatably coupled to said frame; a carriage assembly carried by said at least one pendulum swing arm; a latching mechanism extending between said frame and said at least one pendulum swing arm, and configured to engage said at least one pendulum swing arm when said carriage assembly is in a lowered position, raise said carriage assembly to a raised positon, and disengage said at least one pendulum swing arm at the raised positon so that said carriage assembly strikes a pallet; a movement sensor carried by said frame and configured to generate a signal corresponding to how high said carriage assembly is raised by said latching mechanism; and a controller configured to operate said latching mechanism, including disengaging said at least one pendulum swing arm when a height of the carriage assembly corresponds to a desired release height so that a predetermined impact force strikes the pallet. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A pallet impact station comprising:
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a frame; a front pendulum swing arm and a rear pendulum swing arm rotatably coupled to said frame; a carriage assembly carried by said front and rear pendulum swing arms; a latching mechanism extending between said frame and said rear pendulum swing arm, and configured to engage said rear pendulum swing arm when said carriage assembly is in a lowered position, raise said carriage assembly to a raised positon, and disengage said rear pendulum swing arm at the raised positon so that said carriage assembly strikes a pallet; a movement sensor carried by said frame and configured to generate a signal corresponding to how high said carriage assembly is raised by said latching mechanism; a braking mechanism carried by said front pendulum swing arm and said frame; and a controller configured to operate said latching mechanism, including disengaging said at least one pendulum swing arm when a height of the carriage assembly corresponds to a desired release height so that a predetermined impact force strikes the pallet, and activate said braking mechanism after said carriage assembly strikes the pallet so as to prevent said carriage assembly from bouncing back and striking the pallet again. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. A method for operating a pallet impact station comprising a frame;
- at least one pendulum swing arm rotatably coupled to the frame;
a carriage assembly carried by the at least one pendulum swing arm;
a latching mechanism extending between the frame and the at least one pendulum swing arm;
a movement sensor carried by the at least one pendulum swing arm to generate a signal corresponding to how high the carriage assembly is raised by the latching mechanism, the method comprising;operating the latching mechanism to engage the at least one pendulum swing arm when the carriage assembly is in a lowered position; operating the latching mechanism to raise the carriage assembly to a raised positon; monitoring the signal generated by the movement sensor corresponding to how high the carriage assembly is raised by the latching mechanism; and operating the latching mechanism to disengage from the at least one pendulum swing arm when a height of the carriage assembly corresponds to a desired release height so that a predetermined impact force strikes a pallet. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
- at least one pendulum swing arm rotatably coupled to the frame;
Specification