Glass stacking systems and methods

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11111086-B2
Application number	US-201916680485-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 11, 2019
Priority date	Nov 11, 2019
Publication date	Sep 7, 2021
Grant date	Sep 7, 2021

Abstract

The invention provides systems and methods for robotically stacking sheets. The systems and methods involve a robot arm and a conveyor line. The robot arm has attached thereto a suction frame. In some embodiments, the systems and methods involve first and second robot arms. In such embodiments, the system and method facilitate and involve a sequentially alternating unloading operation such that the system has a first position in which the first robot arm is elevated and has the first suction frame loaded with one or more sheets while the second robot arm is lowered and has the second suction frame unloaded and the system has a second position in which the second robot arm is elevated and has the second suction frame loaded with one or more sheets while the first robot arm is lowered and has the first suction frame unloaded.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A robotic sheet stacking system comprising first and second robot arms and a conveyor line, the first and second robot arms being located on opposite sides of the conveyor line, the first robot arm having a free end region to which is attached a first suction frame, the second robot arm having a free end region to which is attached a second suction frame, the system having a first position in which the first robot arm is elevated and has the first suction frame loaded with one or more sheets while the second robot arm is lowered and has the second suction frame unloaded, and the system has a second position in which the second robot arm is elevated and has the second suction frame loaded with one or more sheets while the first robot arm is lowered and has the first suction frame unloaded, the conveyor line having a cantilevered end region comprising a plurality of individual conveyor belts with longitudinal gaps therebetween, wherein the system has a first picking configuration in which a first beam of the free end region of the first robot arm extends crosswise directly below the conveyor belts of the cantilevered end region such that the first suction frame projects upwardly through the longitudinal gaps between the individual conveyor belts of the cantilevered end region so as to engage one or more sheets on the conveyor line, the first beam being rotatable about a rotation axis along which the first beam is elongated.

2. The robotic sheet stacking system of claim 1 wherein the first suction frame is above the second suction frame when the system is in the first position, and the second suction frame is above the first suction frame when the system is in the second position.

3. The robotic sheet stacking system of claim 1 wherein the system also has a third position in which the first robot arm is adjacent a storage rack and has the first suction frame loaded with one or more sheets while the second robot arm is adjacent the conveyor line and has the second suction frame unloaded.

4. The robotic sheet stacking system of claim 3 wherein the system also has a fourth position in which the second robot arm is adjacent the storage rack and has the second suction frame loaded with one or more sheets while the first robot arm is adjacent the conveyor line and has the first suction frame unloaded.

5. The robotic sheet stacking system of claim 1 wherein the conveyor line is a single conveyor line, and the system includes a controller configured to move the first and second robot arms in a sequentially alternating unloading operation in which both the first and second robot arms remove sheets from the single conveyor line.

6. The robotic sheet stacking system of claim 5 wherein the system is arranged such that the first and second robot arms are both configured to stack the glass sheets on a single rack located directly downstream from the conveyor line.

7. The robotic sheet stacking system of claim 1 wherein the system has a first approach configuration in which the first suction frame is beneath the cantilevered end region of the conveyer line, and the system has a second approach configuration in which the second suction frame is beneath the cantilevered end region of the conveyor line.

8. The robotic sheet stacking system of claim 1 wherein the conveyor line includes an upstream region that is adjacent to and upstream from the cantilevered end region, the upstream region comprising transport rollers configured such that a glass sheet conveyed along the conveyor line is conveyed from transport rollers of the upstream region directly onto conveyor belts of the cantilevered end region.

9. The robotic sheet stacking system of claim 1 wherein the first robot arm is configured to lift a sheet from the conveyor line and thereafter rotate the sheet about multiple axes.

10. The robotic sheet stacking system of claim 1 wherein the first suction frame comprises a plurality of frame members that are crosswise to the first beam and carry a plurality of suction cups, and wherein the free end region of the second robot arm comprises a second beam that is elongated along a rotation axis of the second robot arm, the second suction frame comprising a plurality of frame members that are crosswise to the second beam and carry a plurality of suction cups.

11. The robotic sheet stacking system of claim 10 wherein one or more of the suction cups are extendable and retractable so as to each have a retracted position and an extended position, such that each such suction cup is configured to move from the retracted position to the extended position in response to operation of an actuator.

12. The robotic sheet stacking system of claim 1 wherein the conveyor line comprises a skew conveyor.

13. The robotic sheet stacking system of claim 12 wherein the skew conveyor is a dual-lane skew conveyor having an adjustable alignment fence.

14. The robotic sheet stacking system of claim 1 further comprising a storage rack configured to retain a stack of sheets in a vertical-offset position, the conveyor line configured to convey sheets in a horizontal position.

15. The robotic sheet stacking system of claim 1 wherein the cantilevered end region has a downstream end, and the longitudinal gaps open through the downstream end of the cantilevered end region, such that when the first suction frame is received in a plurality of the longitudinal gaps it projects, in an upstream direction, through the downstream end of the cantilevered end region.

16. A robotic sheet stacking system comprising first and second robot arms and a conveyor line, the first and second robot arms being located on opposite sides of the conveyor line, the first robot arm having attached thereto a first suction frame, the second robot arm having attached thereto a second suction frame, the system having a first position in which the first robot arm is elevated and has the first suction frame loaded with one or more sheets while the second robot arm is lowered and has the second suction frame unloaded, and the system has a second position in which the second robot arm is elevated and has the second suction frame loaded with one or more sheets while the first robot arm is lowered and has the first suction frame unloaded, wherein the system has a first loaded configuration in which the first suction frame retains two sheets in a first rotational position adjacent the conveyor line, and the system has a second loaded configuration wherein the first suction frame retains said two sheets in a second rotational position adjacent a storage rack, such that said two sheets are effectively offset rotationally by about 90 degrees relative to a vertical axis when in the second rotational position as compared with the first rotational position.

17. The robotic sheet stacking system of claim 16 wherein when the system is in the first loaded configuration said two sheets are spaced apart from each other along a longitudinal axis of the conveyor line, and when the system is in the second loaded position said two sheets are side-by-side such that two bottom edges of said two sheets are substantially flush with each other and substantially equidistant from a bottom wall of an adjacent storage rack.

18. A method of using a robotic sheet stacking system to stack glass sheets, the robotic sheet stacking system comprising first and second robot arms and a conveyor line, the first robot arm having a free end region to which is attached a first suction frame, the second robot arm having a free end region to which is attached a second suction

Assignees

• Cardinal Ig Co

Inventors

• Buchanan Robert C
• Chic Karl T

Classifications

• B65G61/00

  Use of pick-up or transfer devices or of manipulators for stacking or de-stacking articles not otherwise provided for · CPC title

• B65G49/068 Primary

  Stacking or destacking devices; Means for preventing damage to stacked sheets, e.g. spaces (stacking in general B65G57/00; destacking in general B65G59/00; spacer sheets in general B65H) · CPC title

• B65G2249/04

  Arrangements of vacuum systems or suction cups · CPC title

• B65G49/067 Primary

  Sheet handling, means, e.g. manipulators, devices for turning or tilting sheet glass (suction cups B65G49/061; combined with vertical conveyors C03B33/00 - C03B33/10; stacking and destacking B65G49/068) · CPC title

• B65G2201/022

  Flat · CPC title