METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR HANDLING ARTICLES, PIECE GOODS, OR BUNDLES, RESPECTIVELY

• US 20160280475A1
• Filed: 03/22/2016
• Published: 09/29/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/2015
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Krones AG (Krones)
• Original Assignee: Krones AG (Krones)
• Inventors: KOLLMUSS, Manuel, ESCHLBECK, Richard, RUEEGG, Hubert
• Application Number:
  US15/076,726
• Publication Number:
  US 20160280475A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 57/03 from above
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 57/11 the articles being stacked by direct action of the feeding conveyor
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 57/32 characterised by stacking during transit
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 61/00 Use of pick-up or transfer devices or of manipulators for stacking or de-stacking articles not otherwise provided for

Abstract

Disclosed is a method for conveying, handling, manipulating, stacking, and/or palletizing articles (20), piece goods, and/or bundles, which are fed in conveying direction (38) to a handling station and/or grouping station (52) and are taken up there within a defined manipulating section (50) by means of a handling device and/or manipulating device (34), are rotated and/or shifted and thus respectively brought into an arrangement (46) to each other so as to be stackable or palletizable. The arrangements (46) are subsequently stacked on top of one another and/or palletized for the purpose of forming stacked layers (60) of articles, piece goods, and/or bundles. The articles (20), piece goods, and/or bundles are transferred to the handling station and/or grouping station (52) as pairs or triplets (14), which have been stacked pairwise or triple-wise on top of one another in a stacking station 64 arranged upstream.

Moreover disclosed is a corresponding arrangement of stations (12) for conveying, handling, and/or palletizing, which are arranged consecutively in conveying direction (38), for the purpose of conveying, handling, manipulating, stacking, and/or palletizing articles (20), piece goods, and/or bundles. A handling station and/or grouping station (52) comprises a handling device and/or manipulating device (34) for taking up, rotating, and/or shifting the articles (20), piece goods, and/or bundles within a defined manipulating section (50). Arranged downstream in conveying direction (38) from the handling station and/or grouping station (52) is a palletizing station (54) for the purpose of stacking and/or palletizing stackable or palletizable arrangements (46) of articles, piece goods, and/or bundles. In addition, a stacking station (64) is arranged upstream in conveying direction (38) from the handling station and/or grouping station (52) for the purpose of pairwise or triple-wise stacking on top of one another articles (20), piece goods, and/or bundles before they are transferred to the handling station and/or grouping station (52).

Claims

1. A method for conveying, handling, manipulating, stacking, and/or palletizing articles (20), piece goods, and/or bundles, which are fed in conveying direction (38) to a handling station and/or grouping station (52) and are taken up there within a defined manipulating section (50) by means of a handling device and/or manipulating device (34), are rotated and/or shifted and thus respectively brought into an arrangement (46) to each other so as to be stackable or palletizable, which arrangements (46) can subsequently be stacked on top of one another and/or palletized for the purpose of forming stacked layers (60) of articles, piece goods, and/or bundles, wherein the stacked groups (14) of articles, piece goods, and/or bundles, which are transferred to the handling station and/or grouping station (52), are double- or triple-stacked on top of one another in a stacking section (64), which is arranged upstream, in particular, spatially immediately upstream in conveying direction (38), from the handling station and/or grouping station (52), and wherein the articles (20), piece goods, and/or bundles are transferred to the handling station and/or grouping station (52) as pairs or triplets (14), which have been stacked pairwise or triple-wise on top of one another.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, in which the stacked groups (14) of articles, piece goods, and/or bundles are stacked by means of conveyor track switches (68), which release individual articles (20), piece goods, and/or bundles at respectively different heights and thus stack them on top of one another.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, in which the stacked groups (14) of articles, piece goods, and/or bundles are stacked by means of separate gripping devices (72), which are arranged upstream from the handling station and/or grouping station (52), which gripping devices (72) take up individual articles (20), piece goods, and/or bundles from the horizontal conveying devices or feeder devices and place them on top of respectively other articles (20), piece goods, and/or bundles and thus stack them on top of one another.

4. The method as recited in one of the claims 1 to 3, in which the handling device and/or manipulating device (34) of the handling station and/or grouping station (52) seizes the groups (14) of articles, piece goods, and/or bundles, which are stacked pairwise or triple-wise on top of one another, at variably adjustable heights for the purpose of taking up, rotating, and/or shifting them within the manipulating section (50).

5. An arrangement of stations (12) for conveying, handling, and/or palletizing, which are arranged consecutively in conveying direction (38), for the purpose of conveying, handling, manipulating, stacking, and/or palletizing articles (20), piece goods, and/or bundles, with:

a handling station and/or grouping station (52), which comprises a handling device and/or manipulating device (34) for taking up, rotating, and/or shifting the articles (20), piece goods, and/or bundles within a defined manipulating section (50);

with a palletizing station (54) arranged downstream in conveying direction (38) from the handling station and/or grouping station (52) for the purpose of stacking and/or palletizing stackable or palletizable arrangements (46) of articles, piece goods, and/or bundles,

and with a stacking station (64) arranged upstream in conveying direction (38) from the handling station and/or grouping station (52) for the purpose of pairwise or triple-wise stacking on top of one another articles (20), piece goods, and/or bundles before they are transferred to the handling station and/or grouping station (52).

6. The arrangement as recited in claim 5, in which the stacking station (64) is arranged upstream, in particular, spatially immediately upstream in conveying direction (38), from the handling station and/or grouping station (52).

7. The arrangement as recited in claim 5 or 6, in which the stacking station (64) comprises conveying devices (66) with conveyor track switches (68) for transferring individual articles (20), piece goods, and/or bundles at respectively different heights and for stacking them on top of one another.

8. The arrangement as recited in claim 5 or 6, in which the stacking station (64) comprises separate gripping devices (72) for taking up individual articles (20), piece goods, and/or bundles from horizontal conveying devices or feeder devices and for placing them on respectively other articles (20), piece goods, and/or bundles.

9. The arrangement as recited in one of the claims 5 to 8, in which a handling device and/or manipulating device (34) of the handling station and/or grouping station (52) comprises a shiftable, rotatable, and/or liftable and lowerable gripping unit (76) with gripping jaws (78) or gripping bars, which are advanceable toward each other, for seizing and manipulating the groups (14) of articles, piece goods, and/or bundles, which are stacked pairwise or triple-wise on top of one another, for the purpose of taking up, rotating, and/or shifting them within the manipulating section (50), wherein the gripping jaws (78) or gripping bars of the gripping unit (76), which gripping jaws (78) are advanceable toward each other, are respectively variably adaptable to different contours of the lateral surfaces of the groups (14) of articles, piece goods, and/or bundles to be seized.

10. The arrangement as recited in claim 9, in which the gripping jaws (78) or gripping bars of the gripping unit (76), which gripping jaws (78) are advanceable toward each other, are articulatedly mounted and adjustable within a definable adjustment angle about horizontal pivot angles.

11. The arrangement as recited in one of the claims 5 to 10, in which the handling device and/or manipulating device (34) comprises a gantry robot, which is movable in the area of the handling station and/or grouping station (52) in two horizontal axes, with a gripping unit (76), which is adjustable in a vertical axis and/or rotatable about the vertical axis.

12. The arrangement as recited in one of the claims 5 to 10, in which the handling device and/or manipulating device (34) comprises a parallel kinematic robot, which is movable in the area of the handling station and/or grouping station (52), with a rotatable gripping unit (76).

13. The arrangement as recited in one of the claims 5 to 10, in which the handling device and/or manipulating device (34) comprises a multi-axis robot, which is movable and pivotable about a plurality of axes, with a spatially adjustable and/or rotatable gripping unit (76).