Unwinding assembly and method for automatically loading reels into an unwinding assembly

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10822190-B2
Application number	US-201816011558-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 18, 2018
Priority date	Jun 20, 2017
Publication date	Nov 3, 2020
Grant date	Nov 3, 2020

Abstract

An unwinding assembly comprising first and second unwinding and handling units comprising respective robots having respective wrists movable under the control of at least one electronic control unit, wherein each of said unwinding and handling units comprises a respective unwinding device mounted on the wrist of the respective robot. The present invention also relates to an unwinding and handling unit capable of handling the reel carried by it with high freedom of movement, while maintaining small dimensions.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An unwinding and handling unit of a reel containing a web designed to feed a production machine, comprising a robot provided with at least one arm, a wrist that is pivotable with respect to the arm, an electronic control unit that controls the wrist, a vision device configured to acquire images usable by the electronic control unit, and an unwinding device mounted on the wrist, wherein:
said unwinding device comprises a support fixed to the wrist, and an unwinding shaft rotatable about an axis driven by an electric motor, wherein said electric motor has a rotation axis perpendicular to the axis, and the unwinding shaft includes a plurality of mobile expansion elements projecting from an outer surface of the unwinding shaft:
the vision device is mounted to the support; and
the electronic control unit is programmed to:
move of the wrist to insert the unwinding shaft inside an opening of a central core of the reel,
push the mobile expansion elements outwards to lock the reel on the unwinding shaft,
detect images of an outer surface of the reel acquired with the vision device, and
process the images of the outer surface of the reel to determine the angular position of a strip of adhesive tape that joins a head end of the web wound onto the reel to the outer surface of the reel.

2. A unit according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of mobile expansion elements are configured to move outwards by means of pressurized air.

3. A unit according to claim 1 , wherein the unwinding device comprises an encoder that detects the angular position and instantaneous speed of the unwinding shaft.

4. A unit according to claim 1 , wherein the robot is an anthropomorphic robot.

5. A method for automatically loading reels onto an unwinding assembly comprising a first and a second unwinding and handling unit comprising respective robots each having at least one respective arm and at least one respective wrist movable under the control of at least one electronic control unit, the at least one respective wrist being pivotable with respect to the at least one respective arm, wherein each of the unwinding and handling units comprises a respective unwinding device mounted on the wrist of the respective robot comprising a support fixed to the respective wrist and carrying a respective unwinding shaft rotating about a respective axis, wherein each of the unwinding shafts comprises a plurality of mobile expansion elements projecting from an outer surface of the unwinding shaft, wherein the method comprises:
arranging a plurality of reels in a storage area having respective central cores provided with respective openings,
moving the wrist of one of the robots under the control of the at least one electronic control unit and inserting the respective unwinding shaft inside one of the respective openings;
pushing the mobile expansion elements outwards to lock the reel on the respective unwinding shaft;
detecting images of a reel with a vision device carried by the support; and
processing the images of the outer surface of said reel with the at least one electronic control unit and determining the angular position of a strip of adhesive tape that joins a head end of a web wound onto said reel to the outer surface of the reel.

6. A method according to claim 5 , comprising:
acquiring images, with the vision device, of an opening of a central core of a reel located in said storage area;
and
controlling the movement of the wrist of one of the robots with the at least one electronic control unit to guide the insertion of the respective unwinding shaft inside the opening on the basis of the images of the opening.

7. A method according to claim 6 , comprising:
moving one of the unwinding devices about a reel located in the storage area; and
acquiring images of an outer surface of the reel with the vision device.

8. A method according to claim 7 , comprising:
moving one of the unwinding devices about a reel located in the storage area;
acquiring, with the vision device, images of a label containing data of the material wound onto the reel, and
processing the images of the label with the at least one electronic control unit and acquiring the data of the material wound onto the reel.

Assignees

• Fameccanica Data Spa

Inventors

• Pasqualoni Paolo

Classifications

• B65H2555/30

  Multi-axis · CPC title

• B65H75/243

  actuated by use of a fluid · CPC title

• B65H2301/46176

  cutting both spliced webs simultaneously · CPC title

• B65H2301/4634

  Heat seal splice · CPC title

• B29C66/853

  Machines for changing web rolls or filaments, e.g. for joining a replacement web to an expiring web · CPC title