Robot stacking system for flat glass
First Claim
1. A robotic system for transposing glass sheets of mixed sizes from a conveyor onto unloading platforms and vice versa, the conveyor having a longitudinal axis along which the glass sheets are moving in a substantially horizontal orientation, the system comprising:
- two parallel bridges extending at a predetermined height above and across the conveyor perpendicularly to the conveyor longitudinal axis, the two bridges are spaced apart by a predetermined distance defining a conveyor working surface area there between;
a pair of programmed-controlled articulated industrial robots movably mounted in an upright position each on one of said two bridges for allowing linear movement of the robot along respective bridge, each robot includes an arm, a wrist, a gripping device connected to the wrist and a controller for controlling the movements of the robot; and
a master computer in communication with the robots controllers, the master computer controls the operation of the pair of robots for allowing a synchronized mode of operation for handling glass sheets to heavy and/or too big to be handled by one robot or an individual operation mode where each robot independently handles a single sheet.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
A robotic-based system and method for transposing glass sheets of mixed sizes, including jumbo-sized sheets, from or onto a conveyor onto or from unloading platforms positioned on either side of the conveyor. The system comprises two parallel bridges extending across and above the conveyor and a pair of industrial robots movably mounted each on one of said two bridges for allowing traverse movement of the robots along the bridges such that the robots are having equal reach to both sides of the conveyor. The robots may be operated either in a full synchronized mode for handling sheets too large or to heavy to be handled by a single robot or in an individual operation mode where each robot handles a single sheet.
144 Citations
28 Claims
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1. A robotic system for transposing glass sheets of mixed sizes from a conveyor onto unloading platforms and vice versa, the conveyor having a longitudinal axis along which the glass sheets are moving in a substantially horizontal orientation, the system comprising:
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two parallel bridges extending at a predetermined height above and across the conveyor perpendicularly to the conveyor longitudinal axis, the two bridges are spaced apart by a predetermined distance defining a conveyor working surface area there between;
a pair of programmed-controlled articulated industrial robots movably mounted in an upright position each on one of said two bridges for allowing linear movement of the robot along respective bridge, each robot includes an arm, a wrist, a gripping device connected to the wrist and a controller for controlling the movements of the robot; and
a master computer in communication with the robots controllers, the master computer controls the operation of the pair of robots for allowing a synchronized mode of operation for handling glass sheets to heavy and/or too big to be handled by one robot or an individual operation mode where each robot independently handles a single sheet. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A method for unloading glass sheets of mixed sizes off a conveyor and for stacking the glass sheets onto unloading platforms positioned on both sides of the conveyor and for the reverse operation, the method comprising
installing two parallel bridges across the conveyor at a predetermined distance from each other, defining a conveyor working surface area therebetween; -
providing a pair of programmed-controlled industrial articulated robots movably mounted in an upright position each on one of said two bridges for allowing linear movement of each robot along respective bridge, each robot includes an arm, a wrist, a gripping device connected to the wrist and a controller for controlling the movements of the robot; and
providing a master computer in communication with the robots controllers, the master computer controls the operation of the pair of robots for allowing a synchronized mode of operation for handling sheets too heavy and/or too big to be handled by one robot, or an individual operation mode where each robot independently handles a single sheet. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
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26. A method for unloading glass sheets of mixed sizes off a conveyor onto unloading platforms positioned on either side or both sides of the conveyor in a system comprising at least two bridges extending above and across the conveyor and at least two program-controlled articulated robots movably mounted in an upright position each on one of said at least two bridges, each of the robots is provided with a gripping device, the method comprising the steps of:
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receiving information regarding dimensions and designated unloading platform of an incoming glass sheets;
determining in accordance with said information whether a synchronized operation mode or an independent operation mode is required for handling an incoming glass sheet;
stopping at least one incoming glass sheet between said two bridges;
in an independent operation mode;
moving each of the robots independently along respective bridge to lift at least one glass sheet off the conveyor by the gripping device and to place the at least one glass sheet onto designated unloading platform; and
releasing the at least one glass sheet from the gripping device;
in synchronized operation mode;
moving the at least two robots each along respective bridge to substantially the center of the bridge;
moving the gripping device of each of said at least two robots to be in contact with the glass sheet;
synchronously activating the gripping devices to grip the glass sheet;
synchronously moving the robots and the gripping devices to lift the glass sheet off the conveyor and to place the glass sheet onto designated unloading platform; and
synchronously releasing the glass sheet from the gripping devices. - View Dependent Claims (27, 28)
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Specification