Automated Box Opening Apparatus

• US 20070162174A1
• Filed: 12/09/2005
• Published: 07/12/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/09/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cornerstone Automation Systems LLC, Design & Assembly Concepts, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Cornerstone Automation Systems LLC, Robotica Incorporated
• Inventors: Dugat, Jay, Doke, Michael
• Granted Patent: US 7,720,567 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/117
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 11/0055 Cutting
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/0093 co-operating with conveyor means
• CPC Class Codes: B26D 1/0006 Cutting members therefor
• CPC Class Codes: B26D 1/04 having a linearly-movable cutting member B26D1/46, B26D1/547 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B26D 2001/0033 assembled from multiple blades
• CPC Class Codes: B26D 2001/623 for selecting different knife sets by shifting the angle of the rotary cylinder
• CPC Class Codes: B31B 2100/00 Rigid or semi-rigid containers made by folding single-piece sheets, blanks or webs
• CPC Class Codes: B31B 2120/30 collapsible; temporarily collapsed during manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 69/0033 by cutting B65B69/0008-B65B69/0025 take precedence

Abstract

An apparatus includes a conveyor, a programmable motion device, and a controller. The conveyor preferably includes actuatable rollers, and the programmable motion device is preferably a robotic arm. The controller operates the conveyor, a stopping rail, and a positioning rail to move and position a box in a cutting position relative to the robotic arm. The controller determines three dimension of the box and translates a programmed cut pattern to those determined dimensions. Based on the determined dimensions, the controller then operates the robotic arm to perform the programmed cut pattern in the box with the cutting element. The cutting element preferably has square blade so that each of the four blades can be used to cut a side of the box without having to rotate the cutting element during operation.

Claims

1. A box processing apparatus, comprising:

a conveyor;

a programmable motion device adjacent the conveyor for moving a cutting element;

a memory for storing a programmed cut pattern; and

a controller operably coupled to the conveyor, the programmable motion device, and the memory, the controller being programmable to;

operate the conveyor to move a box to a position relative to the programmable motion device, and operate the programmable motion device to perform the programmed cut pattern in the box with the cutting element.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the conveyor comprises at least two zones being separately operable, a first of the at least two zones adjacent the programmable motion device, a second of the at least two zones conveying the box to the first zone.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the conveyor comprises a plurality of actuatable rollers controlled by the controller.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the programmable motion device comprises a robotic arm, the cutting element coupled to the robotic arm and being translatable by the robotic arm in at least three orthogonal axes.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the cutting element is rotatable by the robotic arm about at least one of the three orthogonal axes.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein adjustment of rotation of the cutting element about the at least one axis is capable of adjusting a cutting depth producible with the cutting element.

7. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein repeated rotation of the cutting element about the at least one axis while the cutting element is translated in a direction is capable of producing a perforated cut with the cutting element.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a first rail being substantially orthogonal to a direction of the conveyor and being selectively operable by the controller to stop the box in the position on the conveyor relative to the programmable motion device.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the first rail comprises a first actuator controlled by the controller to move at least a portion of the first rail above and below a plane defined by the conveyor.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, further comprising a second rail positioned substantially parallel to the conveyor, the second rail being selectively operable by the controller to engage the box on the conveyor.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the second rail comprises a second actuator controlled by the controller to position a side of the box against a third rail being fixed and substantially parallel to the second rail.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, further comprising a linear displacement transducer coupled to the second rail and to the controller to determine a dimension of the box.

13. The device of claim 1, further comprising at least one sensor operably coupled to the controller to determine at least one dimension of the box, the controller translating the programmed cut pattern to the at least one dimension of the box.

14. The device of claim 13, wherein the at least one sensor comprises a scanner for reading a code or detecting a radio frequency tag of the box, the code or tag associated with the dimension and the programmed cut pattern for the box.

15. The device of claim 13, wherein the at least one sensor comprises a camera obtaining an image of at least a portion of the box.

16. The device of claim 13, wherein the at least one sensor comprises:

a first laser sensor directed substantially orthogonal to the conveyor to determine a first orthogonal dimension of the box;

a second laser sensor directed substantially parallel to the conveyor to determine a second orthogonal dimension of the box; and

a linear displacement transducer moveable substantially parallel to the conveyor to determine a third orthogonal dimension of the box.

17. The device of claim 1, further comprising at least one sensor operably coupled to the controller to detect a presence of a biological or explosive agent associated with the box.

18. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the programmed cut pattern comprises one or more cuts, slits, scores, or perforations performed in one or more sides of the box and being parallel or angled relative to the sides of the box.

19. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the cutting element comprises at least one blade having at least one cutting surface.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the at least one blade is oriented at a substantially orthogonal angle to an axis of the cutting element, oriented at a non-orthogonal angle relative to the axis, or is pivotable relative to the axis.

21. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the cutting element comprises:

a blade being substantially symmetrical and having a plurality of cutting surfaces;

a first portion attacheable to the programmable motion device; and

a second portion attacheable to the first portion to hold the blade therebetween.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein:

a first of the cutting surfaces produces a first cut in a first side of a box when the programmable motion device translates the cutting element in a first direction, and a second of the cutting surfaces produces a second cut in a second side of the box when the programmable motion device translates the head in a second direction without rotating the cutting element.

23. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the cutting element is rotatable about a central axis by the programmable motion device, and wherein a rotated orientation of the cutting element relative to a side of the box determines a depth of the blade in the side of the box while the programmable motion device translates the cutting element in a direction substantially parallel to the side.

24. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the cutting element comprises:

a body coupleable to the programmable motion device;

a pivot mechanism attached to the body; and

a blade attached to the pivot mechanism,

wherein the blade is adapted to pivot on the pivot mechanism substantially in a direction the body is moved during cutting.

25. A box processing apparatus, comprising:

means for moving each box to a stationary position in the apparatus;

means for determining one or more dimensions of each box in the apparatus; and

means for programmably cutting each box in the stationary position with a programmed cut pattern based on the one or more determined dimensions of each box.

26. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the means for moving each box to the stationary position in the apparatus comprises means for conveying each box with at least two separately operable zones.

27. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the means for moving each box to the stationary position in the apparatus comprises means for selectively stopping and holding each box in the stationary position.

28. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the means for determining one or more dimensions of each box in the apparatus comprises means for determining three substantially orthogonal dimensions of each box.

29. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the means for programmably cutting each box in the stationary position with the programmed cut pattern based on the one or more determined dimensions of each box comprises means for moving a cutting element relative to one or more sides of each box in the stationary position.

30. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the means for moving the cutting element relative to one or more sides of each box in the stationary position comprise means for translating the cutting element in at least three substantially orthogonal axes.

31. The apparatus of claim 30, wherein the means for moving the cutting element relative to one or more sides of each box in the stationary position comprise means for rotating the cutting element about at least one of the substantially orthogonal axes.

32. The apparatus of claim 30, wherein the means for rotating the cutting element about at least one of the substantially orthogonal axes comprises means for producing a perforated cut in the boxes with the cutting element.

33. The apparatus of claim 25, further comprising means for detecting presence of a biological or explosive agent associated with the box.

34. The apparatus of claim 25, further comprising means for determining location of contents in the box.