Automated lumber cutting and delivery system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12594686-B2
Application number	US-202318319531-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 18, 2023
Priority date	Oct 20, 2017
Publication date	Apr 7, 2026
Grant date	Apr 7, 2026

Abstract

A lumber cutting and delivery system for use in assembling trusses on a truss table includes a saw for cutting a piece of material into pieces of a truss. A trunk conveyor system receives the pieces cut from the saw. The trunk conveyor system has a first conveying element to transport the pieces over a distance in a travel direction and an ejector for discharging the pieces from the first conveying element in a first discharge direction. A branch conveyor system is configured to receive the pieces discharged from the trunk conveyor system in the first discharge direction. The branch conveyor system has a main conveying element to transport the pieces.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A system for automated production of truss components comprising:
a saw for automated cutting of pieces of lumber to form truss components; a conveyor for transporting the truss components toward a first table configured for assembling the truss components into a number of trusses; a controller being in communication with the saw and configured to control operation of the saw, the controller being configured to receive information regarding the number of trusses to be produced and types of truss components needed for each truss to be produced, to create instructions for the saw to cut the lumber to produce truss components for at least two of said number of trusses and to execute said instructions for the saw to cause the saw to cut from a single piece of lumber truss components for different ones of the at least two of said number of trusses to be produced, the controller being in communication with the conveyor and configured to control the conveyor for transporting at least some of the truss components to the first table for assembly of one of the at least two of said number of trusses.

2 . The system as set forth in claim 1 wherein the instructions created by the controller cause the saw to cut lumber to form truss components so that an amount of waste pieces created by the saw in cutting lumber to form the truss components for the at least two of said number of trusses to be produced is reduced.

3 . The system as set forth in claim 2 wherein the instructions are configured to control the saw to produce said truss components for said at least two of said number of trusses to be produced with waste pieces being less than an amount of waste pieces that would be produced if the lumber was sawn to produce the truss components first for one of said at least two of said number of trusses to be produced and then for another of said at least two of said number of trusses to be produced.

4 . The system as set forth in claim 1 wherein the conveyor is configured to transport the truss components toward the first table and a second table and the controller is configured to control the conveyor for selectively transporting truss components from the saw to the first table for forming a first truss of said number of trusses and to the second table for forming a second truss of said number of trusses.

5 . The system as set forth in claim 4 wherein the controller selects which of the first table and the second table a particular one of the first truss and the second truss is to be formed upon.

6 . The system as set forth in claim 1 wherein the controller receives the information from software used to design said number of trusses.

7 . The system as set forth in claim 1 wherein the controller is configured to select which of a first truss and a second truss of said number of trusses is to be constructed before the other of the first truss and the second truss.

8 . The system as set forth in claim 1 wherein the instructions control the saw to reduce a number of cuts made by the saw.

9 . The system as set forth in claim 8 wherein the instructions control the saw to cut truss components that have a same angle of cut from a same piece of lumber.

10 . The system as set forth in claim 1 wherein the instructions include instructions for an orientation of each truss of said number of trusses to be constructed on one of the first table and a second table.

11 . The system as set forth in claim 1 wherein the controller includes a memory for storing component information about each truss component cut by the saw.

12 . The system as set forth in claim 11 wherein the component information includes a final destination of each truss component.

13 . A system for automated production of truss components comprising:
a saw for automated cutting of pieces of lumber to form truss components; a conveyor for transporting the truss components toward a first table configured for assembling the truss components into a number of trusses; a controller being in communication with the saw and configured to control operation of the saw, the controller being configured to receive information regarding the number of trusses to be produced and types of truss components needed for each truss to be produced, to select which of the first table and a second table a particular one of the first truss and the second truss is to be formed upon, to create instructions for the saw to cut the lumber to produce truss components for at least two of said number of trusses, the conveyor being configured to transport the truss components toward the first table and the second table and the controller is configured to control the conveyor for selectively transporting truss components from the saw to the first table for forming a first truss of said at least two of said number of trusses and to the second table for forming a second truss of said at least two of said number of trusses.

14 . A system for automated production of truss components comprising:
a saw for automated cutting of pieces of lumber to form truss components; a conveyor for transporting the truss components toward a table configured for assembling the truss components into a number of trusses; a controller being in communication with the saw and configured to control operation of the saw, the controller being configured to receive information regarding the number of trusses to be produced and types of truss components needed for each truss to be produced, to create instructions for the saw to cut the lumber to produce truss components for at least a first truss and a second truss of said number of trusses, the controller being configured to select which of the first truss and the second truss will be constructed before the other of the first truss and the second truss, the controller being further configured to operate the saw to cut the lumber into the truss components for the first truss and the second truss.

15 . A system for automated production of truss components comprising:
a saw for automated cutting of pieces of lumber to form truss components; a conveyor for transporting the truss components toward a first table configured for assembling the truss components into a number of trusses; a controller being in communication with the saw and configured to control operation of the saw, the controller being configured to receive information regarding the number of trusses to be produced and types of truss components needed for each truss to be produced, to create instructions for the saw to cut the lumber to produce truss components for at least two of said number of trusses, the instructions including instructions for an orientation of each truss to be constructed on one of the first table and a second table, the controller being configured to operate the saw for cutting the pieces of lumber used to construct said number of trusses.

16 . A system for automated production of truss components comprising:
a saw for automated cutting of pieces of lumber to form the truss components; a conveyor for transporting the truss components toward a table configured for assembling the truss components into a truss; a sensor configured for detecting when a portion of the conveyor for holding truss components to be assembled on the table is at capacity; a controller operatively connected to the sensor and configured to control the saw to alter operation of the saw based on a signal from the sensor indicating the portion of the conveyor for holding the truss components to be assembled on the table is at capacity.

17 .

Assignees

• Mitek Holdings Inc

Inventors

• Jin Kathy
• Kim Du
• Carroll Vicky
• Vielhaber Karl
• Brown Kyle
• Fritz Jr Jeffrey
• Shelton Travis
• Efenedo Efegbare
• Kanjee Manish

Classifications

• Y10T29/49625

  Openwork, e.g., a truss, joist, frame, lattice-type or box beam · CPC title

• B27B31/00 Primary

  Arrangements for conveying, loading, turning, adjusting, or discharging the log or timber, specially designed for saw mills or sawing machines (B27B29/00 takes precedence {; arrangements for raising or lowering the feed rollers of gang saw mills B27B3/14; driving mechanisms for the feed rollers of gang saw mills B27B3/16}) · CPC title

• B65G2201/0282

  Wooden articles, e.g. logs, trunks or planks · CPC title

• Y10T29/5397

  and assembling press [e.g., truss assembling means, etc.] · CPC title

• B07C5/14

  Sorting timber or logs {, e.g. tree trunks, beams, planks or the like} · CPC title