Device for the automated loading of a load carrier with load units forming a load stack and a method

专利摘要:
A device (1) is provided for the automated loading of a load carrier (2) with load units forming a load stack, the device (1) conveying a means of conveying the load carrier (2) in at least one plane direction (X) and one vertical axis (Y) (17) and the device has a positioning conveyor (18) with at least two conveyor belts (12, 13) which convey the loading unit in the direction of the load carrier (2) and which move relative to the load carrier (2) in the longitudinal direction (X) and in the transverse direction (Z ) are movable and the device has a transfer conveyor (19) that transports the loading unit onto the positioning conveyor (18), the positioning conveyor (18) having a fixed lateral distance (23) between the conveyor belts (12, 13) provided independently of the loading unit and the transfer conveyor (19) has a loading unit receiving sliding plate (7) and a pusher (8), which to The loading unit is to be transported on the sliding plate (7) in the direction of the conveyor belts (12, 13) of the positioning conveyor (18).
公开号:CH717227B1
申请号:CH01012/20
申请日:2020-08-12
公开日:2021-09-30
发明作者:Begert Urs
申请人:Stoecklin Logistik Ag；
IPC主号:

专利说明:

The invention relates to a device for the automated loading of a load carrier with a loading stack forming loading units, wherein the device has a load carrier in at least one plane direction and a vertical axis to conveying means and the device has a positioning conveyor with at least two the loading unit in the direction of Has load carrier conveying conveyor belts which can be moved relative to the load carrier in the longitudinal direction and in the transverse direction and the device has a transfer conveyor that conveys the loading unit onto the positioning conveyor, according to the preamble of claim 1.
The loading units can be units that are required when picking products for retail or branch operations. A range of branches required for the respective company is put together from a large number of different products.
These units or load units are put together on a load carrier in the form of a pallet, for example, the units being put together on the pallet to form product stacks, often in the form of a predetermined order that is specified by the store.
An example of such loading units, which must be handled with particular care during order picking, are stackable piece goods containers which contain fruit and vegetable products.
The loading units can therefore be present as disposable containers in the form of, for example, cardboard boxes or as reusable containers, which are formed from a plastic material or from cardboard material or also around folding boxes, ie containers with foldable side walls.
[0006] Fresh goods are often dispatched from large distributors in the form of the containers mentioned, which must be justly piled up on load carriers in the form of pallets or roll containers at the branch. The sequence already mentioned above plays a role in the formation of stacks, which is brought about by the operating personnel when the loading stacks are created manually on the load carrier and is specified by a control device in the form of a master computer, for example, for the automated loading of the load carriers.
A manual formation of the stack on the load carrier is very laborious and time-consuming in the case of containers that are often up to 20 kg in weight
In the fresh goods warehouse with fruit and vegetable products there are often container sizes which are standardized in terms of dimensions and usually have a base of 600 by 400 mm with different heights or a base of 300 by 400 mm with different heights.
The containers are mostly open at the top and can not be handled with conventional automated devices for palletizing in the form of robots with gripping arms, since the products in the containers are pressure-sensitive and the robots often have pincer-like recordings, which the side surfaces of the Apply pressure to the container and damage the sensitive products.
In addition, the known multiple grippers, as they are usually used in order picking in the retail sector, have disadvantages in terms of the hourly output that can be achieved, which in turn contradicts the aforementioned sensitive and perishable products.
From EP 0 799 780 A2, a palletizing device for packaged stacks of paper sheets or the like has become known which has a height-adjustable pallet table on which a pallet to be loaded is held ready. A feed conveyor is provided, the storage end of which can be moved back and forth in the conveying direction over the pallet table. The feed conveyor can also be moved transversely to its conveying direction and transversely to the pallet. The feeder is fed via a stationary feeder and an intermediate conveyor that changes its conveying direction depending on the transverse position of the feeder.
A loading device for a load carrier has become known from EP 1 462 394 B1. This has a loading tongue for receiving a loading unit and a scraper that wipes the loading unit from the loading tongue onto the load carrier.
EP 2 592 027 A1 has disclosed a device for the controlled depositing and arrangement of objects on a load carrier. This known device has a so-called bull nose belt with which loading units are conveyed in the direction of a loading belt from which loading units are deposited on a pallet.
Finally, a picking system and method for loading a load carrier are known from EP 2 247 517 B2, in which a loading unit is fed via a feed device to an alignment device, by which the loading unit is aligned relative to a positioning conveyor device and delivered onto it. The positioning conveyor has two conveyor belts which are arranged at an adjustable distance from one another and can be extended in the direction of the storage location of the loading unit on the load carrier. The distance between the two conveyor belts of the positioning conveyor is determined with regard to a conveying property of the stacking unit to be loaded and / or as a function of a gap width of a stack gap in a stack layer of the loading stack.
Based on this, the present invention is based on the object of providing a device for the automated loading of a load carrier with loading units forming a loading stack, which is much simpler and at the same time has a significantly higher palletizing performance than known devices. A method for the automated loading of a load carrier with loading units forming a loading stack is also to be provided.
In order to achieve this object, the invention has the features specified in claim 1 with regard to the device. Advantageous embodiments thereof are described in the further claims.
In addition, with regard to the method, the invention has the features specified in claim 13; advantageous embodiments of the method are described in the further claims.
The invention provides a device for the automated loading of a load carrier with a loading stack forming loading units, wherein the device has a load carrier in at least one plane direction and a vertical axis to conveying means and the device has a positioning conveyor with at least two the loading unit in the direction of Has load carrier conveying conveyor belts which can be moved relative to the load carrier in the longitudinal direction and in the transverse direction and the device has a transfer conveyor that transports the loading unit onto the positioning conveyor, the positioning conveyor having a fixed lateral distance between the conveyor belts provided independently of the loading unit and the transfer conveyor having a Has loading unit receiving sliding plate and a slider which is used to transport the loading unit on the sliding plate in the direction of the conveyor belts n the positioning conveyor is provided.
The device according to the invention is provided for the automated loading of a load carrier. For this purpose, a control device, which is described in more detail below, can be provided which controls the device and also controls, for example, the loading of the positioning conveyor with loading units in the prescribed sequence.
This prescribed sequence can be specified by the large distributor, so for example the operator of the device or can be determined as a function of the dimensions and weight of the individual loading units.
The device can have a conveyor which is provided for conveying empty load carriers to the device according to the invention and is also provided, for example, to remove the load carriers filled with load units and to exchange them for an empty load carrier.
In addition, the device according to the invention also has a positioning conveyor which is provided for conveying and positioning the loading units at the predetermined or calculated location for stacking and for this purpose has at least two conveyor belts which convey the loading unit in the direction of the load carrier and which are longitudinally oriented relative to the load carrier and can be moved in the transverse direction so that the loading unit can be placed on the load carrier at the predetermined location.
In addition, the device according to the invention also has a transfer conveyor which carries out the positioning of the loading unit on the positioning conveyor so that it takes over the loading unit and then conveys it to form stacks on the load carrier.
The positioning conveyor is characterized according to the invention in that there is a predetermined lateral distance between the conveyor belts, which is not changed as a function of the loading unit to be transported. The width of a conveyor belt of a conveyor belt can be selected depending on the width of the loading unit to be transported, so that the corresponding loading unit can rest over the entire surface of the conveyor belt.
If such a loading unit is to be palletized, then only one conveyor belt has to be actuated in the conveying direction in order to deposit the loading unit on the load carrier. If instead a wider loading unit is to be palletized, it is placed by the transfer conveyor before the transfer to two conveyor belts on a sliding plate provided according to the invention in such a way that the loading unit rests at least largely in the middle or centered at the transition from the sliding plate to the two conveyor belts, so that During the transport through the two conveyor belts of the two conveyor belts, the loading unit rests on the conveyor belts over the entire dwell time on the positioning conveyor and is supported from below.
The inventive design of the positioning conveyor with at least two conveyor belts, which, however, always have the same distance from one another regardless of a property of the loading unit, ensures that an expensive unit for adjusting the distance between the conveyor belts is not necessary and thus also the one The associated control effort for the controlled or regulated adjustment of the clear lateral distance between the conveyor belts is not necessary. This on the one hand avoids the expense of producing and installing such an adjustment unit and on the other hand also avoids the maintenance effort for this adjustment unit. In addition, the effort for integrating the functionality of the adjustment unit into a control device or a master computer for the device is eliminated, which also achieves a technical simplification and reduces the complexity of the system and the maintenance effort in terms of both hardware and software .
The inventive design of the transfer conveyor with a sliding plate receiving the loading unit also ensures a significant simplification of the device compared to known devices. A sliding plate has the advantage that it can be operated without a conveyor belt, does not require its own drive and also does not require its own control for the drive, which in turn simplifies the device according to the invention compared to the known device and reduces the installation and maintenance costs for the hardware and the software is reduced again and, in addition, due to the omission of a drive for a conveyor belt, the energy costs when operating the device according to the invention can be reduced compared with the known device.
The fact that it is provided according to the invention that the transfer conveyor has a slide which is provided for transporting the loading unit on the sliding plate in the direction of the conveyor belts of the positioning conveyor means that a transition from a belt to a belt is achieved is avoided, which is problematic due to unavoidable contamination of the belts during the operation of such a device, since each belt transition can lead to lateral displacements of the loading unit or rotating movements of the loading unit on the belt. If such a rotational movement of the loading unit were to take place, this would lead to a disruption in the automated loading of the load carrier, since such a twisted loading unit could collide with a loading unit already arranged on the load carrier and thus a system malfunction would occur.
Since the slide according to the invention provided not only transports the loading unit on the sliding plate, but aligns it relative to the conveyor belt or conveyor belts and the loading unit aligned in this way is released from the sliding plate directly onto the conveyor belt or conveyor belts and still continues from the slide during the delivery process is kept aligned, the risk of lateral displacement of the loading unit relative to the conveyor belt or conveyor belts is avoided and also the risk of a rotating movement of the loading unit when transitioning to the conveyor belt or belts is avoided, since the loading unit rests on the sliding plate and off the pusher is guided, cannot twist.
According to a development of the invention it is provided that the slide is designed as a corner pusher with an abutment surface and a sliding surface and is designed for positioning relative to the sliding plate as a function of the predeterminable position of the loading unit on the load carrier.
This ensures that the loading unit to be manipulated or displaced by the slider is transported by a conveyor technology not described in detail in the direction of the slider until the loading unit comes to rest against the abutment surface of the slider and there, for example, already relative to the conveyor belt or conveyor belts of the positioning conveyor is aligned.
The slide can already be positioned on the sliding plate relative to the predetermined position of the loading unit on the load carrier before it receives the loading unit from the conveyor system, so that a transverse movement of the loading unit on the sliding plate is no longer required, but the loading unit in the The corner area of the abutment surface and sliding surface, which are arranged, for example, at a 90 degree angle to one another, is positioned and thus an exact alignment of the loading unit relative to the conveyor belt or conveyor belts is achieved before the loading unit is shifted from the pusher onto the conveyor belt or conveyor belts .
According to a development of the invention, it is provided that the slide and the conveyor belts can be positioned independently of one another in the transverse direction to the conveying direction of the conveyor belts as a function of the predetermined position of the loading unit on the load carrier. This ensures that the pusher can be positioned or displaced again transversely to the conveying direction of the conveyor belts again immediately after it has pushed the loading unit onto the conveyor belt or belts and the conveyor belt or belts carry out the onward transport of the loading unit onto the load carrier, in accordance with the predetermined Position of the next load unit to be positioned on the load carrier to be aligned. This also includes the advantage that if a loading unit is only on one of the conveyor belts for onward transport in the direction of the load carrier, the pusher can push the next load unit to be positioned onto the other conveyor belt, which then further transports this loading unit in the direction of the load carrier can move while the other loading unit is still on the conveyor belt previously loaded by the pusher. As a result, the performance of the device according to the invention can be increased, that is to say the number of loading units palletized per hour.
According to a further development of the invention, it is also provided that the conveyor belts are designed so that they can be controlled independently of one another in the conveying direction to the load carrier. In this way, for example, one conveyor belt can be driven in the conveying direction while the other conveyor belt is at a standstill. It is thus also included that one of the conveyor belts is extended or moved or displaced in the direction of the load carrier, i.e. in the longitudinal direction, while the other conveyor belt does not experience any extension movement in the direction of the load carrier, which is advantageous, for example, if there is currently only one the conveyor belts a load unit to be transported to the load carrier is located and this conveyor belt is extended in the direction of the load carrier. An adjacent conveyor belt is ready to receive the next loading unit, since it is arranged adjacent to the sliding plate.
It is therefore provided according to a development of the invention that the conveyor belts are designed to be extendable independently of one another in the direction of the load carrier and have a constant distance from one another in the transverse direction relative to one another, so the distance between the conveyor belts does not change and the Thus, for example, the distance is also not changed as a function of the dimensions or another charging unit property.
According to a further development of the invention, it is also provided that this has a device for receiving respective lateral contact surfaces of a load carrier designed as a roll container, the device being designed to align the contact surfaces largely parallel to one another.
The device according to the invention is therefore provided for the automated loading of a load carrier, which can be a pallet, a Euro pallet, a roll container or another load carrier. It has been shown that when picking fresh goods, pallets and roll containers are often used; the device according to the invention is provided and designed for the automated loading of both pallets and roll containers.
It has been found in roll containers which have a rollable platform, on the transverse sides of which there are lateral contact surfaces in the form of, for example, side rails, these side rails have a side inclination in the direction of the longitudinal center axis of the rollable platform after a longer period of operation of the roll container, for example, Thus the receiving space between the lateral contact surfaces of the roll container tapers starting from the platform along the vertical axis of the lateral contact surfaces, so the receiving space becomes smaller starting from the platform when viewed upwards.
This diminishing receiving space of the roll container is enlarged during manual loading of the roll container by the operator in that the operator pulls or pushes or pushes the lateral contact surfaces in the outward direction to move the roll container from the platform layer by layer in the direction to be able to load the top with loading units.
The device according to the invention now has a device for receiving respective lateral contact surfaces of a load carrier in the form of a roll container and it is designed so that it can align the lateral contact surfaces largely parallel to one another, so that the problem of the receiving space tapering from the platform of the roll container is eliminated.
It is provided according to a development of the invention that the device is wedge-shaped and has a contact surface assigned to a respective contact surface, which in a plan view from above has a configuration widening in the conveying direction to the load carrier and / or the device has a has rotatably arranged roller assigned to the respective contact surface, the outer circumferential surface of which is wedge-shaped in a view from above onto a cross section through the roller.
Both configurations, i.e. the wedge-shaped device and the roller with an outer peripheral surface which is wedge-shaped in a view from above onto a cross-section through the roller, are used to ensure that the arrangement of the roll container on the wedge surface and / or the roller ensures that that the lateral contact surfaces, for example the side rails, come into contact with the wedge surface or come into contact with the roller and this physical contact between the side rails and the wedge surface or the roller ensures that the side rails are pressed or displaced in an outward direction, thus take up a configuration in which the side rails are aligned largely parallel to one another and thus a collision of loading units transported into the receiving space of the roll container with the lateral contact surfaces is avoided.
According to a development of the invention, it is also provided that the conveyor belts each have a load strand and a slack strand and have a configuration between the load strand and the slack strand that tapers in the direction of the load carrier in the vertical axis direction.
The conveyor belts can have a deflection roller and / or drive roller on the end region adjacent to the sliding plate and also have a deflection roller and / or a drive roller on the end region adjacent to the load carrier.
This tapered configuration can be achieved in that the deflection roller and / or drive roller at the end region assigned to the load carrier has a smaller diameter than the deflection roller and / or drive roller at the end region which is assigned to the sliding plate.
As a result of this tapering of the band thickness, the loading unit can be deposited with a small difference in height from the upper edge of the band to the upper edge of the already deposited or palletized loading unit. The conveyor belts are withdrawn when the load unit to be palletized is located adjacent to the predetermined storage position. The retraction speed of the conveyor belts is slightly lower than the existing belt speed in the conveying direction to the load carrier, so that the loading unit is always moved in the direction of the storage position. As a result, a gap or gap to an already deposited or palletized load unit or a stop surface in the area of or on the load carrier can be closed. At the same time, the conveyor belts can be moved together in the transverse direction, so that a gap or gap to the neighboring loading unit is also closed. The transverse movement of the conveyor belts takes place in such a way that they always have a constant lateral distance from one another.
Since the invention also includes that only one conveyor belt of two or more conveyor belts are extended in the conveying direction to the load carrier, a narrow gap existing on the load carrier can be closed in this way with a palletized or stacked load unit with only one extended conveyor belt . The loading units or containers are arranged on the conveyor belt or conveyor belts during the entire transport process until they are placed on the load carrier, so that they are supported over a large area from below and in this way even damp or soft loading units can be gently and automatically depalletized.
According to a further development of the invention, it is also provided that the slide is designed to move in the direction of the conveyor belts at a speed corresponding to the conveying speed of the conveyor belts. As a result, the loading unit, when it comes into the detection area of the conveyor belt or conveyor belts, is supported by the slider from the rear at a conveying speed corresponding to the conveying speed of the conveyor belt or conveyor belts, and thus a twisting or angular displacement of the loading unit during Transition from the sliding plate to the conveyor belt or conveyor belts is avoided.
According to a further development of the invention, provision is also made for the conveyor belts to be designed for a displacement movement in the direction transverse to the conveying direction of the conveyor belts. The conveyor belts are always moved or displaced together in the transverse direction to the conveying direction, so that a change in the lateral distance between the conveyor belts is not provided and accordingly a device for changing the lateral distance between the conveyor belts is also not required. With the transverse movement of the conveyor belts, gaps or gaps between the individual load units on the load carrier can be reduced or closed.
According to a further development of the invention, provision is also made for the positioning conveyor to have three conveyor belts which can be operated independently of one another and can be displaced together transversely to the conveying direction.
Thus, the conveying capacity of the conveyor belts is increased and the hourly output of the device according to the invention is increased significantly compared with the known device.
According to a further development of the invention, it is also provided that the device has a control device which is designed to actuate the slide by means of a drive in the direction of the conveyor belts at a translation speed corresponding to the conveying speed of the conveyor belts in the conveying direction to the load carrier. The device according to the invention can thus prevent the loading unit from twisting during the transition from the sliding plate to the conveyor belt or conveyor belts. This also prevents a loading unit from being compressed during the transition from the sliding plate to the conveyor belt or belts. Such a compression of the loading unit could happen if the slide were moved at a higher translational speed in the direction of the conveying direction of the conveyor belts, since a pressure force would then be exerted by the slide on the back of the loading unit, which is already partially resting on the conveyor belt and this in the case of a moist container or a moist loading unit, for example, would lead to the loading unit being compressed, which would also lead to products located in the loading unit being pressed or crushed or squeezed.
Such damage to the products received in the loading unit is to be avoided in particular in the case of fresh goods, such as, for example, fruit and / or vegetables, since this would lead to pressure points on the product.
The device according to the invention is also characterized in that the control device is designed for actuating a conveyor belt by means of a drive in the direction transverse to the conveying direction of the conveyor belt while maintaining a fixed lateral distance between the conveyor belts. The lateral distance between the conveyor belts therefore always remains the same.
According to the invention, a method is also provided for the automated loading of a load carrier with loading units forming a loading stack, in which a load carrier is conveyed in at least one plane direction and one vertical axis direction and the loading unit is conveyed in the direction by means of a positioning conveyor with at least two conveyor belts is conveyed to the load carrier, the conveyor belts being movable relative to the load carrier in the longitudinal direction and in the transverse direction and the loading unit being conveyed to the positioning conveyor by means of a transfer conveyor, the loading unit being conveyed by means of a pusher from a sliding plate onto the conveyor belts of the positioning conveyor, and the conveyor belts have a predetermined fixed spacing between the conveyor belts from one another during a movement in the longitudinal direction and in the transverse direction.
Since the conveyor belts of the positioning conveyor have an intended fixed side distance from one another, regardless of the loading unit, and this distance is not changed, i.e. not depending on the loading unit or its dimensions or its position relative to the sliding plate and / or relative to the load carrier is changed, there is also no need for a unit for adjusting the distance and / or a control device which is provided for controlling the change in the distance. This achieves a significant reduction in the complexity of the device and also of the method for operating the device and also reduces the energy requirement for operating the device.
Because the transfer conveyor does not have a conveyor belt, but has a sliding plate on which the loading unit to be palletized comes to rest in the area of the transfer conveyor and the loading unit is then transported by means of a simple slide in the direction of the conveyor belts of the positioning conveyor Conveyor belt gone, a drive for the conveyor belt and also a control for operating the conveyor belt are no longer necessary. This also reduces the complexity of the system and achieves a corresponding cost advantage with regard to installation, maintenance and operation of the device.
According to a further development of the method according to the invention, a transverse movement of the conveyor belts prior to the delivery of the loading unit is also provided in order to reduce a distance between loading units arranged on the load carrier before or after the load unit has reached a predetermined position in the longitudinal direction relative to the load carrier the load carrier or another loading unit is carried out, the conveyor belts being moved transversely as a unitary structural unit during the transverse movement.
This ensures that the distance between adjacent loading units on the load carrier can be reduced or adjacent loading units can be arranged lying next to one another on the load carrier and the loading units can thus also support each other on the load carrier and, moreover, those on the load carrier the available space is used to the best of its ability.
According to a development of the method according to the invention, it is also provided that the conveyor belts are withdrawn against the conveying direction of the belts at a retraction speed before the loading unit is deposited, which is lower than the conveying speed of the belts of the conveyor belts and the conveyor belts largely at the same time Withdrawal movement can be shifted in the transverse direction. In this way, the time required for placing the loading units on the load carrier can be reduced and the efficiency of the device according to the invention and the method according to the invention can be increased and the storage capacity of the device in loading units per unit of time can be increased compared with the known device.
Finally, the method according to the invention also provides for lateral stop surfaces of a load carrier to be aligned largely parallel to one another by changing the clear distance between the stop surfaces with wedge surfaces and / or rollers in contact with the stop surfaces.
In this way, the clear distance between the stop surfaces of the load carrier, which can be, for example, a roll container with side rails, can be changed so that the stop surfaces are automated using the device provided on the device according to the invention largely parallel to each other be aligned and thus a collision of the load unit automatically transported onto the load carrier in the form of, for example, the mentioned roll container with the side rails can be avoided.
The roll container can be transported by means of the conveyor, which conveys the load carrier in a plane direction and a vertical axis direction, to the specified storage location for the load carrier and raised there to a first level for storing a first layer of load units on the load carrier. After a first layer of the load units has been positioned on the load carrier, the roller container can be lowered a little by means of the conveyor until the upper level of the already palletized load units then corresponds to the vertical level for the arrangement of the next load units. During the process of lowering the roll container, the side rails of the roll container can remain in contact with the device provided on the device, so that the side rails are kept largely parallel to one another at a distance, so that further loading units can be placed or palletized immediately on the already palletized Level of loading units can be continued.
The invention is explained in more detail below with reference to the drawing. This shows in: FIG. 1 a perspective illustration of a device for the automated loading of a load carrier, with a roll container as the load carrier and also a Euro pallet as the load carrier; FIG. 2 shows a representation similar to that according to FIG. 1 with a large number of loading units already available for loading on the Euro pallet shown, which are shown schematically; FIG. 3 is an illustration similar to that of FIG. 2, showing the euro pallet in the raised position and positioned to receive loading units; FIG. 4-8 perspective representations of the device for explaining the sequence of the automated loading of the load carrier with two loading units in a sequential representation; 9-11 perspective representations of the device for explaining the sequence of the automated loading of the load carrier with a further loading unit in a sequential representation; 12-15 perspective representations of the device for explaining the sequence of the automated loading of the load carrier with a further loading unit; 16-18 perspective representations of the device for explaining the sequence of the automated loading of the load carrier with a smaller loading unit; 19-21 perspective representations of the device for explaining the automated loading of the load carrier with a further smaller loading unit; 22-23 perspective representations of the device for explaining the positioning of a loading unit in the form of a roll container; 24-25 two representations to explain the largely parallel alignment of the side rails of the roll container by means of the device according to the invention; 26-28 are perspective illustrations to explain the automated loading of a roll container with a loading unit; 29-31 perspective representations to explain the automated loading of a roll container with a further loading unit; 32-34 perspective representations to explain the automated loading of a roll container with a further loading unit; 35-37 perspective representations to explain the automated loading of a roll container with a further loading unit; 38-40 are perspective illustrations to explain the automated loading of a roll container with a smaller loading unit; 41-44 are perspective illustrations to explain the automated loading of a roll container with a further smaller loading unit; 45-47 are schematic representations in a view from above to explain a modified embodiment of the device during the automated loading of a roll container; and FIG. 48 shows a schematic representation in a view from above to explain the device according to the invention during the automated loading of a load carrier in the form of a Euro pallet.
1 of the drawing shows a perspective illustration of a device 1 for the automated loading of a load carrier 2, with a roll container 3 as the load carrier and also a Euro pallet 4 as the load carrier.
The device according to the invention is therefore intended and suitable for automatically loading different load carriers 2 with load units, wherein the load carrier can be, for example, a pallet, Euro pallet or even a roll container.
The loading units 5, which can be seen in more detail, for example, with reference to FIG. 2 of the drawing, are provided on a feed device 6 via a suitable conveyor system and are made available, for example, by this conveyor system on a sliding plate 7.
Adjacent to the sliding plate 7, a slide 8 is provided, which in the illustrated embodiment is a corner pusher which has a sliding surface 9 and an abutment surface 10, the two surfaces 9, 10 in the illustrated embodiment of the corner pusher 8 Include a 90 degree angle.
The slide or corner pusher 8 is arranged so that it can be moved in a controlled or regulated manner by means of a schematically illustrated drive 11 both in the transverse direction Z and in the longitudinal direction X, so that a loading unit 5 arranged on the slide plate 7 is removed from the slide plate 7 by the slide or corner pusher 8 can be conveyed on a conveyor belt 12 or 13 or on both conveyor belts 12, 13, as will be explained in more detail below.
The device 1 according to the invention can be controlled by means of a control device 14, as will be explained in more detail below.
The loading unit 2 in the form of, for example, the roll container 3 and the Euro pallet 4 can be raised by means of a conveyor 15 in the form of, for example, a combination conveyor lift 16 in the direction of the vertical axis direction Y in order to be arranged adjacent to the respective outlet end of the two conveyor belts 12, 13 as can be seen from FIG. 1 of the drawing.
Load carriers 2 intended for loading are fed to the combination conveyor lift 16 via a combination conveyor 17, as can be seen from FIG. 1 of the drawing.
The combination conveyor lift 16 then conveys the roll container 3 or the Euro pallet 4 to the height in the vertical axis direction Y which is suitable for loading with the loading units 5.
The positioning conveyor device 18 provided according to the invention comprises the two conveyor belts 12, 13 and the transfer conveyor 19 is designed in the form of the pusher or corner pusher 8.
The two conveyor belts 12, 13 or a third conveyor belt 20 shown in FIG. 45 thus form elements of the positioning conveyor 18 and can be moved individually in the longitudinal direction X according to the coordinate system according to FIG. 1 by means of a respective linear conveyor unit 21 Place load units 5 on the load carrier 2.
By means of a linear unit or linear conveyor unit 22 shown in FIG. 1 of the drawing, the conveyor belts 12, 13, 20 are each jointly displaced in the transverse direction to the load carrier 2; 1 of the drawing, the lateral distance from one another, which can be seen, is always constant, that is to say is not changed, and in particular is not changed as a function of a property of the loading unit 5.
Such a change is also not provided because the loading unit 5 is positioned on only one conveyor belt 12 or 13 or 20 or also on two conveyor belts 12, 13 or 13, 20 or, for example, also on three conveyor belts 12, 13, 20 can be positioned by means of the corner pusher or slide 8, so that a change in the lateral distance 23 between the conveyor belts 12, 13, 20, which can also be seen, for example, with reference to FIG. 46 of the drawing, is not required.
Since the side distance 23 between the belts 12, 13, 20 does not have to be changed, it is also not necessary to have a unit for adjusting or changing the side distance 23 in terms of apparatus and also a control unit which, for example, in Changing depending on a conveying property of the loading unit 5 is not necessary, so that the device according to the invention has a correspondingly high cost advantage compared to a device which provides for an adjustment of the lateral distance between the conveyor belts.
Since the slide or corner slide 8 can be displaced both in the transverse direction Z and in the longitudinal direction X by means of the drive 11, which can be seen for example with reference to FIG be positioned in the transverse direction Z in a position corresponding to the loaded position of the loading unit 5 on the load carrier 2, this being controlled, for example, by means of the control device 14.
As soon as the load unit 5 to be positioned on the load carrier 2 is transferred to the sliding plate 7, the slide or corner pusher 8 in the transverse direction Z already has a position corresponding to the later loading position in the direction of the transverse axis Z on the load carrier 2, so that a corresponding position Speed advantage can be achieved compared to a situation in which the loading unit 5 to be positioned must first be aligned or positioned in the Z direction on the sliding plate 7 before the corner pusher or pusher 8 positions the loading unit 5 on one of the conveyor belts or the conveyor belts only one movement of the slide or corner slide 8 in the longitudinal axis direction X according to FIG. 1 is carried out.
A stop 24, shown for example in FIG. 1 of the drawing, serves as an end stop for positioning the loading units 5 in the longitudinal direction X, as can be seen from the figures, for example using FIG. 5 of the drawing. In addition, the device 1 also has a side stop 25, which can be seen, for example, on the basis of FIG. 2 of the drawing and is used to align or position the loading units 5 of a Euro pallet 4 open on all sides, this also being done, for example, on the basis of FIG. 5 of the drawing can be seen.
In general, the invention provides that at such a time at which the loading unit 5 has been moved from the pusher or corner pusher 8 to a single conveyor belt 12, 13, 20 or to two or three conveyor belts 12, 13, 20 and thus the loading unit 5 has left the detection area of the sliding plate 7, the slide or corner pusher 8 is moved in the X and Z directions back into the receiving position, which can be seen, for example, from Fig. 1 of the drawing, so that the sliding plate 7 for receiving a loading unit 5 is ready and the pusher or corner pusher 8 is already positioned in the transverse direction corresponding to the position Z, which corresponds to the receiving position in the transverse direction Z on the load carrier 2 to be loaded.
2 of the drawing shows an initial situation in which a loading unit 5, labeled A, is arranged in front of the sliding plate 7 and can be conveyed onto the sliding plate 7 by a conveyor device (not shown) until it rests against the abutment surface 10. It is moved relative to the corner pusher 8 in such a way that it is aligned between the abutment surface 10 and the sliding surface 9 and is exactly aligned with the loading position on the Euro pallet 4 in terms of the angular position, which in the position in FIG. 2 is not yet in the Y direction was raised. 2 of the drawing also shows that a roll container 3 is already arranged in a waiting position on the combination conveyor 17 and is provided as the next load carrier 2 for loading with load units 5.
In the position shown in FIG. 3 of the drawing, the euro pallet 4 has already been moved in the vertical axis direction Y into a position in which it is positioned for receiving loading units 5 in a first stacking layer. The side stop 25 and the stop 24 or the stop surface 24 have also already been arranged on the Euro pallet 4 as load carriers 2 in such a way that they are flush with the respective rear and left-hand end surfaces of the Euro pallet 4. The loading unit 5 is already arranged on the sliding plate 7, as has already been explained above.
4 of the drawing shows a next step in the sequence of the automated loading of the loading unit 5 on the load carrier 2.
The loading unit 5 is shown schematically in each case and can, for example, represent a container with fruit and vegetable products that is open at the top.
The loading unit 5 or the container 5 has already been transferred to both conveyor belts 12, 13 by means of the slide 8, with the belts 26, 27 of the conveyor belts 12, 13 having a synchronized rotational speed, i.e. rotating at the same speed. When the loading unit 5 is positioned on the conveyor belts 12, 13, the corner pusher 8 conveys the loading unit 5 at a speed corresponding to the speed of the conveyor belts 12, 13 in the conveying direction (X direction) of the conveyor belts, so that the loading unit 5 can be damaged by excessive pressure , which is exerted by the sliding surface 9 on the back of the container 5, can be avoided. In this way, the formation of pressure points on the fruit and vegetable products in the container 5 is avoided.
In a next loading step, shown in FIG. 5 of the drawing, the two conveyor belts 12, 13 have been extended in the X direction in the direction of the load carrier 2 and the loading unit 5 is ready for storage on the load carrier 2. For this purpose, the conveyor belts 12, 13 are controlled in such a way that they are moved back in the direction of the starting position shown in FIG before being driven in the conveying direction.
This ensures that the container 5 resting on the contact surface 24 is deposited exactly in the corner area between the contact surface 24 and the side stop 25 on the load carrier 4 in the first stacked layer or stacked layer.
While the first container 5 is still being positioned on the Euro pallet 4, the next loading unit 5, labeled B, is moved onto the sliding plate 7 by the conveyor system, not shown in detail, in such a way that it comes into contact with the abutment surface ten of the corner pusher 8 and is aligned with the loading position shown in FIG. 8 of the drawing on the load carrier 2. During the process of loading the loading unit 5 onto the sliding plate 7, the two conveyor belts 12, 13 are moved back in the direction of the starting position shown in FIG. 1 of the drawing. In fact, until the end regions 28 of the conveyor belts 12, 13 assigned to the Euro pallet 4 are located at the later transfer position on the load carrier 2.
Fig. 7 of the drawing shows that the loading unit 5 has already been transferred from the corner pusher 8 to the conveyor belts 12, 13, which then convey the loading unit 5 in the direction of the later loading position on the load carrier 2 according to FIG from Fig. 8 of the drawing can be seen.
While the load carrier 2 is still being loaded with the loading unit 5, which is denoted by B in FIG. 8 of the drawing, a next loading unit 5 (loading unit C) is positioned on the sliding plate 7 and taken over by the corner pusher 8.
Before the loading unit C is taken over by the corner pusher 8, the corner pusher 8 is moved in the transverse direction Z relative to the sliding plate 7 into the position corresponding to the later position of the loading unit C on the load carrier 2 according to FIG Direction taken over by the two conveyor belts 12, 13 and, as can be seen from FIG. The two conveyor belts 12, 13 are moved together in the direction of Z1 according to FIG. 11, i.e. without changing a lateral distance between the two conveyor belts 12, 13, so that when loading the loading unit C on the load carrier 4, one is adjacent to the two already positioned loading units A, B maintained gap space between the loading unit C and the loading units A, B is preferably reduced to zero, so that the loading units A, C are arranged on the load carrier 4 next to one another. Of course, it is also possible within the scope of the invention for the joint movement of the conveyor belts 12, 13 in the direction of Z1 to be controlled by the control device 14 in such a way that a gap is maintained between the two containers A, C. This can be advantageous, for example, if there are arranged in the containers or loading units A, C fruit and vegetable products that are to be kept at a distance from one another.
While the loading unit C is still being arranged on the Euro pallet 4, the loading unit D is provided on the sliding plate 7, as can be seen from FIG Before the loading unit D is made available in the transverse direction Z, the later storage position of the loading unit D has been positioned on the Euro pallet 4, so that a subsequent movement of the corner pusher 8 in the longitudinal direction X means that the loading unit D can be delivered to the two conveyor belts 12, 13 . These two conveyor belts 12, 13 then convey the loading unit D in the direction of the specified storage position on the product pallet 4. Via a retraction movement of the two conveyor belts 12, 13 against the conveying direction of the rotating belts 26, 27 while the conveying movement of the two belts 26, is maintained at the same time, 27, the loading unit D is deposited on the euro pallet 4 adjacent to the already positioned loading units A, B, C at the predetermined storage position of the euro pallet 4. The individual steps of depositing the loading unit D on the euro pallet 4 can be seen from FIGS. 12, 13 and 14 and 15.
While the two conveyor belts 12, 13 deposit the loading unit D on the euro pallet 4, the corner pusher 8 moves relative to the sliding plate 7 to the position corresponding to the transverse direction Z of the next loading unit E on the euro pallet 4, as shown in FIG 16 of the drawing can be seen. The loading unit E has already been positioned on the abutment surface 10 of the corner pusher 8 and a subsequent movement of the corner pusher 8 in the direction of the longitudinal direction X according to FIG 10 and the sliding surface 9 of the corner pusher 8 is aligned, is conveyed onto the conveyor belt 12, while the conveyor belt 13 remains empty, since the loading unit E is only half as wide as the loading units A, B, C, D previously positioned on the euro pallet 4 .
A subsequent movement with which the conveyor belt 12 loaded with the loading unit E is extended in the direction of the storage position on the loading unit A already placed on the Euro pallet 4, that is to say is extended in the direction X, leads to the fact that - as shown on the basis of the Further Figures 17, 18, 19 of the drawing can be seen - the loading unit E is deposited on the upper side of the loading unit A and thus a stacking of loading units on the Euro pallet 4 takes place.
As can be seen from FIGS. 16 to 19 of the drawing, the stop 24 and the side surface 25 were moved in the vertical axis direction Y onto the plane corresponding in the vertical axis direction for positioning the loading unit E, so that the loading unit E on the stop surface of the stop 24 comes to rest and comes to rest via a transverse movement of the two conveyor belts 12, 13 together in the transverse direction Z on the side stop 25 or the side stop surface of the side stop 25 and thus an exact alignment of the loading unit E on the upper surface 29 (Fig. 16) of the already positioned loading unit A takes place.
While the loading unit E is still being placed on the upper surface 29 of the loading unit A, the next loading unit F is conveyed onto the sliding plate 7, as can be seen from FIG. 19 of the drawing and then, as can be seen from FIG. 20 of the drawing can be seen, moved by the corner pusher 8 onto the conveyor belt 12 in a manner precisely aligned with the longitudinal direction of the conveyor belt 12 through the sliding surface 9 and the abutment surface 10. This avoids the risk of the loading unit F twisting when it is arranged on the conveyor belt due to the exact positioning of the loading unit by means of the sliding surface 9 and the abutment surface 10 of the corner pusher 8. The corner pusher 8 pushes the loading unit F onto the conveyor belt 12 at a speed corresponding to the conveying speed of the conveyor belt 12, as already explained above, so that on the one hand the risk of twisting the loading unit and damaging the loading unit F is safely avoided.
As can be seen from FIG. 21 of the drawing, the loading unit F is placed directly on the end face 30 of the already positioned loading units G on the surface or top 31 of the loading unit B that has already been positioned. Any lateral distance of the loading unit F relative to the contact surface 32 of the side stop 25 is reduced to zero by a transverse movement of the two conveyor belts 12, 13 in the transverse direction Z. Such a lateral distance can result, for example, from the fact that the two conveyor belts 12, 13 are kept at a controlled distance from the contact surface 32 during the movement of the loading unit F to be positioned in the longitudinal direction X, whereby a collision of the loading unit F through its end face with the contact surface 32 is avoided can be. The subsequent transverse movement of the two conveyor belts 12, 13 in the transverse direction Z reduces this intentionally created lateral distance to zero, so that maximum utilization of the storage space provided by the Euro pallet four is achieved and, moreover, the stacks of loading units formed on the Euro pallet 4 are precisely aligned one above the other will.
By repeating the processes described with reference to the present explanation during the automatic loading of the load carrier 4, additional levels of load units placed on the Euro pallet 4 can be provided so that the device according to the invention is used to automatically form stacks of load units on the load carrier.
The loading of a load carrier in the form of a roll container 3 with loading units will be explained below with reference to FIGS. 22 to 44.
22 of the drawing shows that the roll container 3 has already been placed on a lifting platform 33, specifically by means of the combination conveyor 17, which already has a Euro pallet 4 ready as the next load carrier.
Via the combination conveyor lift 16, which can transport both euro pallets 4 and roll containers 3 in the vertical axis direction Y, the roll container 3 is raised in the vertical axis direction Y in a next step, namely up to a height at which the receiving surface 34 of the roll container 3 is in the vertical axis direction Y largely covers the storage level height of the conveyor belts 12, 13 corresponding to the vertical axis direction Y.
The stop 24 is still located at a clear distance from the side rails 35, 36 of the roll container 3. It has been shown that the side rails 35, 36 of roll containers 3, which have already been in use, tend to shift in the direction of the longitudinal center axis 40 of the receiving surface 34 shown in FIG. 24 of the drawing. This displacement movement of the side rails 35, 36 would result in a loading unit to be placed by the device 1 according to the invention on the receiving surface 34 colliding with one of the side rails 35, 36 or both side rails 35, 36 during the displacement movement in the longitudinal direction X.
In order to avoid such a collision, the device 1 according to the invention has a device 37 which is designed to accommodate the respective lateral contact surfaces of a roll container 3, that is to say, for example, serves to hold the side rails 35, 36 of the roll container 3.
As is readily apparent from FIG. 24 of the drawing, the device 37 has wedge-shaped receptacles 38, 39 which engage with the side rails 35, 36, while the stop 24 in the X direction on the side rails 35, 36 is delivered. Such a displacement movement of the stop 24 leads to the side rails 35, 36 being spread apart so that the side rails 35, 36 are largely aligned parallel to one another and the risk of a loading unit to be placed colliding with the side rails 35, 36 is now avoided.
During a lowering movement of the roll container 3 in the vertical axis direction Y, which is carried out when, for example, a first layer of loading units has been placed on the receiving surface 34, the wedge-shaped receptacles 38, 39 remain in contact with the side rails 35, 36, so that a tilting movement of the side rails 35, 36 in the direction of the longitudinal center axis 40 (FIG. 24) is avoided.
As an alternative to this, it is also provided according to the invention that the receptacles 38, 39 are brought out of engagement with the side rails 35, 36 by a corresponding retraction movement of the stop 24 relative to the roll container 3 and after the lowering movement of the roll container 3 Execution of the lowering movement of the roll container 3, the receptacles 38, 39 are brought into engagement again with the side rails 35, 36 and in this way the side rails are again largely aligned parallel to one another.
26 of the drawing shows the roll container 3 in a position held ready for receiving a first loading unit A.
As can also be seen from FIG. 26, a first loading unit A has already been positioned on the sliding plate 7 in such a way that the corner pusher 8 is already in the transverse direction Z in one of the later storage positions of the loading unit A in the transverse direction Z is located on the corresponding position on the roll container 3.
Via a pushing-off movement of the corner pusher 8 on the loading unit A, the latter is conveyed onto the two conveyor belts 12, 13, this being evident from FIG. 27 of the drawing. The two conveyor belts 27 take the loading unit A in an aligned orientation relative to the storage position on the receiving surface 34 of the roll container 3 due to being extended while maintaining a circulating movement of the conveyor belts 12, 13 in the conveying direction X in the longitudinal direction X in the direction of the receiving surface 34, as shown on the basis can be seen from Fig. 28 of the drawing. The loading unit A comes into contact with the abutment surface of the stop 24 at the predetermined storage position and at the same time the two conveyor belts 12, 13 are withdrawn against the conveying direction X, so that the loading unit A is gently deposited on the receiving surface 34. In a similar way, the loading units are gently placed on the respective storage surface of a Euro pallet 4.
The gentle storage of the respective loading units 5 on the load carrier 2 can be brought about by the fact that the respective conveyor belts 12, 13, 20 at the respective storage end area 41 (FIG. 3) have a smaller wrap diameter than at the opposite end area, so that a wedge-shaped configuration 42 (FIG. 3) of the conveyor belts 12, 13 in the conveying direction X results. This prevents the loading units from being placed on the respective receiving surface of the roll containers 3 or Euro pallets 4 or a stack of loading units already formed on them via a falling movement of the loading units, i.e. not falling onto the receiving surfaces or already formed stacks of loading units, but being gently placed on them will.
28 of the drawing also shows that the corner pusher 8 is already in a position aligned in the transverse direction Z while the loading unit 8 is being deposited on the roller container 3, which is the later position of the loading unit B on the roller container 3 in the Z direction is equivalent to.
This loading unit B is now conveyed to the sliding plate 7 by means of a conveyor device, not shown, and there comes into contact with the abutment surface 10 of the corner pusher 8 and can be removed from the corner pusher 8, as can be seen from FIG. 29 of the drawing are transported on the two conveyor belts 12, 13. These are extended in direction X towards the roller container 3 until the storage position of the loading unit B has been reached on the roller container 3 and the loading unit B can be gently set down on the roller container 3.
The procedure just described for depositing the loading unit B on the roll container 3 can be seen in individual steps with reference to FIGS. 29, 30 and 31 of the drawing. While the loading unit B is still being placed on the roll container 3 by the two conveyor belts twelve, 13, the corner pusher 8 is already being withdrawn again in the X direction towards the sliding plate 7 and is ready to receive the next loading unit C, as can be seen from FIG. 31 of the drawing can be seen.
32 of the drawing shows that the next loading unit C has already been placed on the sliding plate 7 and then, as explained in FIG. 33 of the drawing, is moved to and from the two conveyor belts 12, 13 by means of the corner pusher 8 then, as can be seen from FIG. 34 of the drawing, it is deposited at the predetermined storage location on the surface of the loading unit A already placed on the roll container 3. 33 of the drawing also shows that the combination conveyor lift 16 has already lowered the roll container 3 by one stacking level in the vertical axis direction Y before the loading unit C is moved by the automated device for loading the load carrier in the direction of the between the two side grids 35, 36 of the roll container 3 located recording room is conveyed.
34 of the drawing also shows that the corner pusher 8 has been moved back again in the longitudinal direction X to the sliding plate 7 during the conveying movement of the loading unit C on the roll container 3, and is ready to receive the next loading unit D to be placed, which is then ready , is provided on the sliding plate 7, as can be seen from FIG. 35 of the drawing.
36 of the drawing shows a position in which the loading unit D has already been moved by the corner pusher 8 onto the two conveyor belts 12, 13 and these are in the extension movement in the longitudinal direction X so that the loading unit D is between the two side rails 35 , 36 can be transported in order to be deposited by the conveyor belts 12, 13 on the upper side of the loading unit B already placed there and in this way a stacking of loading units takes place on the load carrier, as can be seen from FIG. 37 of the drawing.
FIGS. 38 to 41 of the drawing show the automated loading of the load carrier with a loading unit E which is only half the width of the loading units A, B, C, D previously placed.
38 shows that the loading unit E has already been made available on the sliding plate 7, namely in contact with the abutment surface 10 of the corner pusher 8, which then, according to FIG. 39 of the drawing, conveys the loading unit E in the direction of the conveyor belt 12, and on the conveyor belt 12, as can be seen from FIG. 40 of the drawing. Via an extension movement of the conveyor belt 12 with the loading unit E placed on it and a circulating movement of the conveyor belt 26 of the conveyor belt 12, the loading unit E is deposited on the upper side of the loading unit C that has already been placed, as can be seen in FIG. 41 of the drawing. The loading unit E is brought up to the contact surface of the stop 25 and the two conveyor belts 12, 13 are moved together in the direction of the side grille 36 in the transverse direction Z in order to close a gap between a side surface of the loading unit E and the side grille 36, so that exactly stacked layers of loading units arranged on top of one another are formed on the roll container 3.
41 of the drawing also shows that during this a next loading unit F is already being conveyed in the direction of the sliding plate 7 or the corner pusher 8 arranged on it, while the loading unit E is still being deposited on the top of the already stacked loading unit C, so that the process of placing the loading unit E and transporting the loading unit F onto the sliding plate 7 takes place simultaneously.
Also, as can be seen from Fig. 42 and 43 of the drawing, the next loading unit F can already during the loading of the load carrier with the loading unit E from the corner pusher 8 in the direction of the other of the two conveyor belts 12, 13, so the Conveyor belt 13 can be moved so that the loading of the load carrier with two load units can be carried out largely simultaneously in direct succession to each other via an independent control of the two conveyor belts 12, 13, with any transverse movement of the two conveyor belts 12, 13 in the transverse direction Z, however, always takes place together.
Fig. 44 of the drawing finally shows that the corner pusher 8 has already moved the loading unit F onto the conveyor belt 13 and this is then extended in the longitudinal direction X to deposit the loading unit F on the top of the already deposited loading unit C, while the Conveyor belt 12 is already in a retracted position.
45 of the drawing shows a schematic representation of a modified embodiment of the device according to the present invention, in which the positioning conveyor 18 has three conveyor belts 12, 13, 20, the lateral distance 23 between the conveyor belts being different from conveyor belt to conveyor belt , however, this respective side distance is static, i.e. is not changed, for example, as a function of a conveying property of a loading unit or another property of the loading unit.
In the illustration designated with the additional designation 1, the corner pusher 8 is arranged on the sliding plate 7 in a position which is aligned for the transfer of the loading unit 5 to the left conveyor belt 12 and the middle conveyor belt 13.
According to the representation labeled with the additional designation 2, the loading unit 5, which is so wide that it rests flat on two conveyor belts 12, 13 and is thus supported from below during the entire transport process from the sliding plate 7 to the roll container 3 and thus bending of the loading unit 5 is avoided, already deposited on the two conveyor belts by the corner pusher 8. The loading unit 5 is conveyed by the conveyor belts 12, 13 in the direction of the roll container 3 and is thereby brought into an extended position, as can be seen from the illustration labeled with the additional designation 3.
The illustration labeled with the additional designation 3 also shows that the two conveyor belts 12, 13 for depositing the loading unit 5 can be extended together in the direction of the load carrier 3, while the lateral distance 23 between the respective conveyor belts does not change.
The illustration labeled with the additional designation 3 also shows that while the roll container 3 was being loaded with the loading unit 5, the corner pusher 8 was already moved back onto the sliding plate 7 and also carried out a lateral movement or transverse movement, so that another loading unit, In this case, a loading unit with half a width is already available on the sliding plate 8 for positioning on the conveyor belt 20.
The illustration labeled with the additional designation 4 shows that this loading unit was delivered from the sliding plate 7 onto the conveyor belt 20 and is then transported by means of the conveyor belt 20 in the direction of the roll container 3.
The illustration denoted by the additional designation 5 shows that even while the small loading unit is being deposited by means of the conveyor belt 20 on the roll container 3, a loading unit that is twice as wide as the small loading unit transported by the conveyor belt 20 is already on the sliding plate 7 in the detection area of the and was provided in the system at the corner pusher 8, d. H. while loading units are being conveyed in the direction of the load carrier, other loading units can already be provided on the sliding plate 7 and also while a loading unit is being conveyed from a conveyor belt, here for example by the conveyor belt 20, in the direction of the load carrier, onto another or different conveyor belt, Here, for example, the conveyor belts 12, 13 are moved so that the transport of load units in the direction of the load carrier from different conveyor belts 12, 13, 20 can also be carried out at the same time, which contributes to a considerable increase in the performance of the device according to the invention compared to known devices.
The representations labeled with the additional designations 6, 7, 8 show that the transport of a loading unit 5 in the direction of the roll container 3 takes place simultaneously with the provision of a further loading unit on the sliding plate 7 and its transport in the direction of the roll container or another load carrier can.
Finally, those with the additional designations 9, 10, 11, 12 show schematic representations which show that with the device according to the invention also a loading unit three times the width compared to the loading unit shown in the representation designated with the additional designation 3 on the sliding plate 7 can be promoted. The embodiment of the device according to the invention with three conveyor belts 12, 13, 20 thus has the advantage that loading units with a width that corresponds to the width of one of the conveyor belts 12, 13, 20 and loading units with a width that, viewed in the width direction of the conveyor belts, amount to two Conveyor belts rest, can be transported simultaneously in the direction of the load carrier, whereby the hourly output of the device according to the invention in loading units per hour can be significantly increased compared to the known device and loading units can also be transported in the direction of the load carrier, which viewed in the width direction of the loading unit at all three conveyor belts 12, 13, 20 rest.
48 of the drawing shows that two to three different loading units can be arranged one behind the other on two conveyor belts at the same time, which contributes to a considerable increase in the hourly output of the device according to the invention, the conveyor belts being able to be moved together or individually in the X direction , while they are always moved simultaneously in the transverse direction Z. Compared with the known device, the hourly output of the device according to the invention in loading units per hour also increases significantly because there is no change in the lateral distance between the conveyor belts, for example depending on a property of the loading units, and thus such a respective setting of the distance between the conveyor belts also leads to a time advantage in favor of the device according to the invention.
The device according to the invention and the method according to the invention are now characterized, inter alia, in that different and in particular differently dimensioned loading units can be automatically assembled into stacks of loading units on the load carrier in the order predetermined for this, the loading units being in the form of different sized containers can be present. For example, the device and the method can be used when picking fruit and vegetable products or other fresh goods or other goods. Merely for the sake of explanation, such loading units or containers filled with fruit and vegetable products can have base dimensions of 600 by 400 mm or 300 by 400 mm. Since such containers are usually designed to be open at the top and, moreover, the products contained therein are very sensitive to pressure, known automated palletizing devices are unsuitable for the desired automated order picking of such sensitive products.
The device according to the invention is also characterized in that the loading units or containers are always supported from below during the entire transport process from the sliding plate to the positioning of the loading units on the load carrier, i.e. the loading units with their respective base area over the entire surface of the sliding plate and also rest over the entire surface or almost over the entire surface on the conveyor belts of the positioning conveyor and in particular the situation does not arise that a wide loading unit or container only rests on conveyor belts with lateral areas of the base area, as is the case with the known device. In this way, the risk is also reduced that a system-related moist base surface of the loading unit due to the products arranged in the loading unit tends to bend or break through. In contrast to the known device, the loading units to be handled in the device according to the invention do not initially have to be aligned relative to the positioning conveyor by means of an adjusting unit provided with conveyor belts, which results in a significant time advantage in handling the loading units and thus increases the hourly output of the device according to the invention considerably .
In the device according to the invention and the method according to the invention, only one belt transition takes place, namely when the loading unit is transferred from the sliding plate to the conveyor belt or the conveyor belts of the positioning conveyor. With such a belt transition, there is a risk of the loading unit twisting relative to the conveyor belt or the conveyor belts, particularly if the conveyor belt is soiled. This problem has also been eliminated by the device according to the invention and the method according to the invention, since the respective loading unit is kept aligned relative to the conveyor belt or conveyor belts by the cross slide relative to the conveyor belt or conveyor belts at this belt transition until the loading unit is fully positioned on the conveyor belt or conveyor belts, so that positioning the loading unit on the conveyor belt or the conveyor belts in a twisted or rotated position relative to the longitudinal direction of the respective conveyor belt is avoided.
With regard to features of the invention not explained in detail above, reference is also expressly made to the patent claims and the drawing.
List of reference symbols
1. Device 2. Load carrier 3. Roll container 4. Euro pallet 5. Loading unit 6. Feed device 7. Sliding plate 8. Slider, corner pusher 9. Sliding surface 10. Abutment surface 11. Drive 12. Conveyor belt 13. Conveyor belt 14. Control device 15. Conveyor means 16. Combination conveyor lift 17. Combination conveyor 18. Positioning conveyor device 19. Transfer conveyor 20. Conveyor belt 21. Ruler conveyor unit 22. Linear unit, linear conveyor unit, 23. Surface 32. Contact surface 33. Lifting platform 34. Support surface 35. Side rails 36. Side rails 37. Device 38. Support 39. Support 40. Longitudinal central axis 41. Storage end area 42. Wedge-shaped configuration

权利要求:
Claims (16)
[1]
1. Device (1) for the automated loading of a load carrier (2) with loading units (5) forming a load stack, the device (1) having a conveyor (15) that conveys the load carrier (2) in at least one plane direction and one vertical direction and the device has a positioning conveyor (18) with at least two conveyor belts (12, 13, 20) which convey the loading unit (5) in the direction of the load carrier (2), which are movable relative to the load carrier (2) in the longitudinal direction and in the transverse direction and which The device has a transfer conveyor (19) which transports the loading unit (5) onto the positioning conveyor (18), characterized in that the positioning conveyor (18) has a fixed lateral distance (23) between the conveyor belts (12, 13) provided independently of the loading unit (5) , 20) to one another and the transfer conveyor (19) has a sliding plate (7) receiving the loading unit (5) and a slide (8) which is provided for conveying the loading unit (5) on the sliding plate (7) in the direction of the conveyor belts (12, 13, 20) of the positioning conveyor (18).
[2]
2. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the slide (8) is designed as a corner slide with an abutment surface (10) and a sliding surface (9) and for positioning relative to the sliding plate (7) depending on the position on the load carrier (2) predetermined position of the loading unit (5) is formed.
[3]
3. Apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the slide (8) and the conveyor belts (12, 13, 20) depending on the predetermined position of the loading unit (5) on the load carrier (2) independently of one another in the transverse direction to the conveying direction the conveyor belts (12, 13, 20) can be positioned.
[4]
4. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the conveyor belts (12, 13, 20) are designed to be controllable independently of one another in the conveying direction to the load carrier (2).
[5]
5. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the conveyor belts (12, 13, 20) are designed to be extendable independently of one another in the direction of the load carrier (2) and have a constant distance (23) from one another in the transverse direction relative to one another.
[6]
6. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by a device (37) for receiving respective lateral contact surfaces (35, 36) of a load carrier (2) designed as a roll container (3), the device (37) for alignment provided largely parallel to one another the contact surfaces (35, 36) is formed.
[7]
7. The device according to claim 6, characterized in that the device (37) is wedge-shaped and has a contact surface assigned to a respective contact surface (35, 36) which, in a top view from above, has a configuration that widens in the conveying direction to the load carrier (2) or the device has a rotatably arranged roller assigned to a respective contact surface, the outer circumferential surface of which is wedge-shaped in a view from above onto a cross section through the roller.
[8]
8. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the conveyor belts (12, 13, 20) each have a load strand and a slack strand and a configuration (42) tapering towards the load carrier in the vertical axis direction between the load strand and the slack strand .
[9]
9. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the slide (8) is designed to move in the direction of the conveyor belts (12, 13, 20) at a speed corresponding to the conveying speed of the conveyor belts.
[10]
10. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the conveyor belts (12, 13, 20) are designed for a common displacement movement in the direction transverse to the conveying direction of the conveyor belts (12, 13, 20).
[11]
11. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the positioning conveyor (18) has three conveyor belts (12, 13, 20) which can be operated independently of one another and can be displaced together transversely to the conveying direction
[12]
12. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by a control device (14) which- is designed to operate the slide (8) by means of a drive (11) in the direction of the conveyor belts (12, 13, 20) with a translation speed corresponding to the conveying speed of the conveyor belts (12, 13, 20) in the conveying direction to the load carrier (2) and or- for actuating a conveyor belt (12, 13, 20) by means of a drive in the direction transverse to the conveying direction of the conveyor belt (12, 13, 20) while maintaining a fixed lateral distance between the conveyor belts (12, 13, 20) from one another.
[13]
13. A method for the automated loading of a load carrier (2) with loading units (5) forming a loading stack, in which a load carrier (2) is conveyed in at least one plane direction and one vertical axis direction and by means of a positioning conveyor (18) with at least two conveyor belts ( 12, 13, 20) the loading unit (5) is transported in the direction of the load carrier (2), the conveyor belts (12, 13, 20) being movable relative to the load carrier (2) in the longitudinal direction and in the transverse direction and the loading unit (5) is conveyed to the positioning conveyor (18) by means of a transfer conveyor (19), characterized in that the loading unit (5) is transferred from a sliding plate (7) to the conveyor belts (12, 13, 20) of the positioning conveyor (18) by means of a pusher (8) ) is conveyed and the conveyor belts (12, 13, 20) a fixed distance (23) between the conveyor belts (12, 13, 20) during a movement in the longitudinal direction and in the transverse direction have to each other.
[14]
14. The method according to claim 13, characterized in that to reduce a distance between the loading units (5) arranged on the load carrier (2) before or after reaching a predetermined position of the loading unit (5) in the longitudinal direction relative to the load carrier (2) a transverse movement the conveyor belts (12, 13, 20) is carried out before the delivery of the loading unit onto the load carrier (2) or another loading unit (5), the conveyor belts (12, 13, 20) being moved transversely as a unitary structural unit during the transverse movement.
[15]
15. The method according to claim 13 or 14, characterized in that the conveyor belts (12, 13, 20) are withdrawn against the conveying direction of the conveyor belts (12, 13, 20) with a retraction speed, which is lower, before the loading unit (5) is deposited is than the conveying speed of the belts (26, 27) of the conveyor belts (12, 13, 20) and the conveyor belts (12, 13, 20) are shifted largely simultaneously with the retraction movement in the transverse direction.
[16]
16. The method according to any one of claims 13 to 15, characterized in that lateral contact surfaces (35, 36) of a load carrier (2) are aligned largely parallel to one another by being in contact with the contact surfaces (35, 36) wedge surfaces and / or Rolling the clear distance between the contact surfaces (35, 36) is changed.

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同族专利:

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公开号 | 公开日

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DE102020121097A1|2022-02-17|

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法律状态:

优先权:

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申请号 | 申请日 | 专利标题

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DE102020121097.3A|DE102020121097A1|2020-08-11|2020-08-11|Device for the automated loading of a load carrier with load units forming a load stack and method therefor|

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