Material handling robot and rail assembly
First Claim
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1. A system (20) for handling a plurality of items (26), comprising:
- a conveyor (22) having a longitudinal axis (24) for moving items (26) along said axis;
a robot (30) having a base (32) and an arm (34) supported on said robot base for movement relative to said base; and
a rail (50) supporting said robot base over said conveyor for movement of said robot base along said axis, said rail including two elongate support members spaced apart in parallel to said longitudinal conveyor axis such that such robot base is supported on said elongate support members and said conveyor is positioned between said elongate support members and beneath said robot base.
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Abstract
A robotic system for handling a plurality of items includes a conveyor that moves the items along a central longitudinal axis of the conveyor. A robot base is supported on a rail directly above the conveyor. The robot is moveable along the rail so that it moves along the axis of the conveyor. The robot includes a three-axis arm that is supported for movement relative to the robot base. The robot arm has equal, symmetric access to either side of the conveyor. The robot base does not rotate relative to the conveyor axis.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A system (20) for handling a plurality of items (26), comprising:
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a conveyor (22) having a longitudinal axis (24) for moving items (26) along said axis; a robot (30) having a base (32) and an arm (34) supported on said robot base for movement relative to said base; and a rail (50) supporting said robot base over said conveyor for movement of said robot base along said axis, said rail including two elongate support members spaced apart in parallel to said longitudinal conveyor axis such that such robot base is supported on said elongate support members and said conveyor is positioned between said elongate support members and beneath said robot base. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A system for handling a plurality of items, comprising:
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a conveyor having a starting point and an ending point with a length extending between the starting point and the ending point, the conveyor moving items from the starting point toward the ending point; a robot having a base and an arm supported on the base such that the arm is movable relative to the base; and a rail supporting the robot base directly over the conveyor such that the robot base is movable along the length of the conveyor. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19)
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20. A system for handling a plurality of items, comprising:
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a conveyor having a direction of travel along which the conveyor moves items; a robot having a base and an arm supported on the base such that the arm is moveable relative to the base; and a robot base support that supports the robot base directly above the conveyor such that the conveyor is directly beneath the base support and the robot base is moveable along the direction of travel of the conveyor.
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Specification