Device and method for aligning the position of plate-shaped parts

• US 8,790,064 B2
• Filed: 03/12/2008
• Issued: 07/29/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/12/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Schuler Automation GmbH & Co. KG (Andritz AG)
• Original Assignee: Schuler Automation GmbH & Co. KG (Andritz AG)
• Inventors: Drner, Reiner, Pottiez, Joachim
• Primary Examiner(s): ADAMS, GREGORY W
• Application Number:
  US12/739,919
• Publication Number:
  US 20100232923A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,330 Days
• Field of Search: 198/345.1, 198/376, 198/395, 198/401, 198/437, 198/444, 198/456, 271226-228, 414/222.05, 414/222.06, 414/749.6, 414/775, 414/781, 414/783, 414/793, 414/797, 414/797.1, 700/262, 700/263, 700/114, 901 46- 47, 901/7, 901/9, 724/20, 724/22
• US Class Current: 414/783
• CPC Class Codes: B21D 43/003 Positioning devices B21D28/04 and B21D28/265 take precedence; stops B21D43/26; centering moving strips B21D43/023
• CPC Class Codes: B21D 43/105 Manipulators, i.e. mechanical arms carrying a gripper element having several degrees of freedom
• CPC Class Codes: B21D 43/11 for feeding sheet or strip material
• CPC Class Codes: B23Q 2240/002 Flat workpieces
• CPC Class Codes: B23Q 7/18 Orienting work on conveyors
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/0084 comprising a plurality of manipulators
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/0093 co-operating with conveyor means
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1697 Vision controlled systems
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/07 Conveyor

Abstract

A device is proposed for the positional orientation of plate-shaped parts (12), comprising continuous conveying equipment (13) for conveying plate-shaped parts (12), an optical measuring device (15) assigned to the continuous conveying equipment (13) for determining the actual position of at least one specific plate-shaped part (12) and for comparing this actual position to a stored set position and for determining the deviation of the actual position from the set position, and a control unit (20) coupled to the optical measuring device (15) for controlling a positioning unit (19) such that at least one specific plate-shaped part (12) the deviation of which from the set position was determined can be picked up by the positioning unit (19) in a pick-up region and deposited in a defined delivery region in the correct position corresponding to the set position for transfer on the continuous conveying equipment (13).

Claims

1. A device for the positional orientation of plate-shaped parts, the device comprising:

continuous conveying equipment for conveying plate-shaped parts, said continuous conveying equipment comprising a first conveyor belt on which previously unstacked plate-shaped parts are conveyed and a second conveyor belt arranged downstream of the first conveyor belt in a transfer direction for conveying plate-shaped parts received from the first conveyor belt,

an optical measuring device assigned to the first conveyor belt for determining an actual position of at least one specific plate-shaped part, for comparing the determined actual position to a stored set position, and for determining a deviation of the actual position from the set position,

a positioning unit assigned downstream of the optical measuring device in a transfer direction to the second conveyor belt, said positioning unit comprising a plurality of robots,

a control unit coupled to the optical measuring device for controlling the plurality of robots to pick up at least one specific plate-shaped part, the deviation of which from the set position was determined, in a pick-up region on the second conveyor belt and cause the at least one specific plate-shaped part to be deposited in a defined delivery region on the second conveyor belt in the set position for further transfer on the second conveyor belt.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the at least one robot are designed as multiaxial articulated robots.

3. The device according to claim 1, wherein the optical measuring device comprises a camera system for taking pictures of the actual position of at least one specific plate-shaped part.

4. The device according to claim 1, wherein the at least two plate-shaped parts are sheet metal blanks.

5. The device according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of robots are controlled by the control unit to orient simultaneously individual plate-shaped parts or a plurality of plate-shaped parts simultaneously into the set position.

6. The device according to claim 1, wherein the optical measuring device is mounted on a gantry-type supporting unit which bridges the first conveyor belt.

7. The device according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of robots comprising two robots placed opposite to each other to the left and to the right of the second conveyor belt.

8. A method for the positional orientation of plate-shaped parts comprising the following steps:

supplying plate-shaped parts on continuous conveying equipment, said continuous conveying equipment comprising a first conveyor belt on which previously unstacked plate-shaped parts are conveyed and a second conveyor belt arranged downstream of the first conveyor belt in a transfer direction for conveying plate-shaped parts received from the first conveyor belt,

determining the actual position of at least two specific plate-shaped parts placed adjacent to each other or one behind the other on the continuous conveying equipment by an optical measuring device and comparing the detected actual position of each plate-shaped part to a stored set position,

determining the deviation of the actual position from the set position,

conveying and transferring the plate-shaped parts, the deviation of which from the set position was determined, to the second conveyor belt,

picking-up simultaneously the at least two specific plate-shaped parts with the detected deviation from the set position in a pick-up region on the second conveyor belt by a positioning unit comprising a plurality of robots, simultaneously bringing the plate-shaped parts into the set positions and simultaneously depositing the plate-shaped parts in the set position in a defined delivery region on the second conveyor belt, and

further transferring the at least two plate-shaped parts on the second conveyor belt.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the at least two plate-shaped parts are deposited in an angular position differing from its original orientation.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the at least two plate-shaped parts are deposited after having been rotated about 90 degrees from its original orientation in the horizontal plane.

11. The method according to claim 8, wherein the delivery region for the plate-shaped parts correspond to the pick-up region.

12. The method according to claim 8, wherein the delivery region differs from the pick-up region.

13. The method according to claim 8, wherein the positioning unit comprises at least two robots.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the at least two robots are multiaxial articulated robots.

15. The method of claim 8, wherein the second conveyor belt is stopped for a short time, so that a well-defined image is created.