Robot system and method for removing sticks and/or foreign elements from conveyor belts

• US 20070169230A1
• Filed: 11/13/2006
• Published: 07/19/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/10/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: MI Robotic Solutions
• Original Assignee: MI Robotic Solutions
• Inventors: Salamanca, Hugo
• Granted Patent: US 8,418,830 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 414/730
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/0093 co-operating with conveyor means

Abstract

At present, the removal the sticks from the mineral feeding lines, as a result of the mineral extraction, is carried out manually or using mechanical equipment, which means a loss of efficiency of the grinding and crushing system, high exposure to the risks associated to the removal of foreign elements of grinding material, this method does not guarantee problems from this cause in the subsequent stages in the grinding and crushing process. Due to the above, a robot system and method have been developed for the removal of sticks from the conveyor belts. The robotic system is composed mainly of an anthropomorphous robotic manipulator of at least 5 degrees of freedom, and a gripping mechanism which is supported by a vision system allowing, in a sequential and programmed way, to remove the sticks . In this regard, most of the problems associated to the safety of the personnel and the productivity of the current manual and/or mechanical process are eliminated.

Claims

1. A robot system for the removal of sticks and/or foreign elements from the conveyor belts, comprising an anthropomorphous robotic arm of at least 5 degrees of freedom, one control, communication and programming unit, one gripper adapter, one pneumatic gripper, its fingers, one pneumatic gripper driving system, one electric supply system, one container to deposit the sticks and/or foreign elements, one vision system provided with cameras and one logic processing unit wherein the anthropomorphous robotic arm of at least 5 degrees of freedom is provided with a gripping mechanism which allows in a sequential and programmed way to take, manipulate and release the sticks from a conveyor belt, and moves them through a defined path, to a container which is next to the system.

2. A robot system for the removal of sticks and/or foreign elements from the conveyor belts according to claim 1, wherein the robotic manipulator has the capacity to move and manipulate sticks and/or foreign elements in a sequential and programmed way in different paths within the work volume of the robot system.

3. A robot system for the removal of sticks and/or foreign elements from the conveyor belts according to claim 1, wherein a pneumatic or hydraulic gripping mechanism is used to take, manipulate and release the elements.

4. A robot system for the removal of sticks and/or foreign elements from the conveyor belts according to claim 1, wherein the anthropomorphous robotic manipulator could communicate by itself or through a PLC interface with the control system.

5. A robot system for the removal of sticks and/or foreign elements from the conveyor belts according to claim 1, wherein the anthropomorphous robotic manipulator has the capacity to obtain and interpret the information from installed analogue and/or digital sensors.

6. A robot system for the removal of sticks and/or foreign elements from the conveyor belts according to claim 1, wherein the anthropomorphous robotic manipulator has the capacity to generate analogue and/or digital signals to control analogue and/or digital input devices.

7. A robot system for the removal of sticks and/or foreign elements from the conveyor belts according to claim 1, wherein the robotic manipulator has a pneumatic gripping mechanism comprising at least 2 fingers, which allows to grasp and release sticks and/or foreign elements in conveyor belts.

8. A robot system for the removal of sticks and/or foreign elements from the conveyor belts according to claim 1, wherein the anthropomorphous robotic manipulator has an electrical system driven by three-stage induction motors, with vectorial and/or scalar control.

9. A robot system for the removal of sticks and/or foreign elements from the conveyor belts according to claim 1, wherein the robotic manipulator has the capacity to move and manipulate the sticks in different paths within the work volume of the robotic system.

10. A robot system for the removal of sticks and/or foreign elements from the conveyor belts according to claim 1, wherein two mobile drawers are used which are next to the system.

12. robot system for the removal of sticks and/or foreign elements from the conveyor belts according to claim 1, wherein it prevents the plant personnel from being subjected to a high physical demand and harsh environmental conditions.

13. A robot system for the removal of sticks and/or foreign elements from the conveyor belts according to claim 1, wherein the system may operate automatically, or semi-automatically and also allows solutions scalability.

14. A robot system for the removal of sticks and/or foreign elements from the conveyor belts according to claim 1, wherein the system could be integrated to the removal process of sticks and/or foreign elements in different stages of the productive process such as crushing, grinding, smelting, roasting of different metals of interest such as copper, iron, zinc, nickel, silver, gold, tin, lead, etc.

15. A robotic method for the removal of sticks and/or foreign elements from the conveyor belts using the robot System of claim 1 to 14, wherein the anthropomorphous robotic arm of at least 5 degrees of freedom is provided with a gripping mechanism which allows in a sequential and programmed way to take, manipulate and release the sticks from a conveyor belt so as they are moved through a defined path, and deposited in a container, which is next to the system.

16. A robotic method for the removal of sticks and/or foreign elements from the conveyor belts using the robot System of claim 1 to 14, wherein the system has the capacity to move and manipulate the sticks and/or foreign elements in a sequential and programmed way, in different paths within the work volume of the robot system.

17. A robotic method for the removal of sticks and/or foreign elements from the conveyor belts using the robot System of claim 1 to 14, wherein the anthropomorphous robotic manipulator could communicate by itself or through a PLC interface with the control system.

18. A robotic method for the removal of sticks and/or foreign elements from the conveyor belts using the robot System of claim 1 to 14, wherein the anthropomorphous robotic manipulator has the capacity to obtain and interpret the information from installed analogue and/or digital sensors.

19. A robotic method for the removal of sticks and/or foreign elements from the conveyor belts using the robot System of claim 1 to 14, wherein the anthropomorphous robotic manipulator has the capacity to generate analogue and/or digital signals to control the analogue and/or digital inputs devices.

20. A robotic method for the removal of sticks and/or foreign elements from the conveyor belts using the robot System of claim 1 to 14, wherein the robotic manipulator has a pneumatic gripping mechanism which allows to take, manipulate and release the elements.

21. A robotic method for the removal of sticks and/or foreign elements from the conveyor belts using the robot System of claim 1 to 14, wherein the system has a pneumatic gripping mechanism comprising at least 2 fingers, which allows to grasp and release the sticks and/or foreign elements from the conveyor belts.

22. A robotic method for the removal of sticks and/or foreign elements from the conveyor belts using the robot System of claim 1 to 14, wherein the anthropomorphous robotic manipulator has an electrical system driven by three-stage induction motors with vectorial and/or scalar control.

23. A robotic method for the removal of sticks and/or foreign elements from the conveyor belts using the robot system of claim 1 to 14, wherein it has the capacity to move and manipulate the sticks in different paths within the work volume of the robotic system.

24. A robotic method for the removal of sticks and/or foreign elements from the conveyor belts using the robot System of claim 1 to 14, wherein two mobile containers are used which are next to the system.

25. A robotic method for the removal of sticks and/or foreign elements from the conveyor belts using the robot System of claim 1 to 14, wherein productivity and efficiency in the removal process of sticks from conveyor belts increases.

26. A robotic method for the removal of sticks and/or foreign elements from the conveyor belts using the robot System of claim 1 to 14, wherein it prevents the plant personnel from being subjected to a high physical demand and harsh environmental conditions.

27. A robotic method for the removal of sticks and/or foreign elements from the conveyor belts using the robot System of claim 1 to 14, wherein the system may operate automatically or semi-automatically, and also allows solution scalability.

28. A robotic method for the removal of sticks and/or foreign elements from the conveyor belts using the robot system of claim 1 to 14, wherein it could be integrated to the removal of sticks and/or foreign elements in the different stages of the productive process such as crushing, grinding, smelting, roasting of different metals of interest such as copper, iron, nickel, silver, gold, tin, lead, etc.

11. A robot system for the removal of sticks and/or foreign elements from the conveyor belts, wherein productivity and efficiency of the removal of sticks from the conveyor belts increases.