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EP-3896015-B1 - MANIPULATION HEAD FOR OBJECTS

EP3896015B1EP 3896015 B1EP3896015 B1EP 3896015B1EP-3896015-B1

Inventors

  • OPPICI, GIORGIO
  • Magri, Giacomo

Dates

Publication Date
20260513
Application Date
20210401

Claims (6)

  1. A seizing head (125) for objects (P) comprising: - a support frame (130) adapted to be coupled to a manipulation robot (115), and - a plurality of picking (215) apparatuses arranged mutually flanked according to a predetermined flanking direction and individually adapted to pick up and withhold at least one object (P), wherein each picking apparatus (215) is installed on a respective mobile frame (165), which is slidably coupled to the support frame (130) according to a sliding direction (B) parallel to the flanking direction, and wherein the seizing head (125) further comprises a plurality of functionally independent activation devices (195), each of which is adapted to activate a respective mobile frame (165) along said sliding direction (B), wherein each activation device (195) comprises a motor (200) installed on the respective mobile frame (165) and adapted to place in rotation a pinion (205) arranged meshing on a rack (210) fixed to the support frame (130), characterized in that each picking apparatus (215) is configured to retain a plurality of objects (P) arranged in a row along an alignment direction perpendicular to the sliding direction (B) of the mobile frames (165).
  2. A seizing head (125) according to claim 1, wherein each picking apparatus (215) comprises at least one gripping member (220) and corresponding actuator members for opening and closing said gripping member (220).
  3. A seizing head (125) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the support frame (130) has a planar conformation and the sliding direction (B) of the mobile frames (165) is parallel to the plane defined by the support frame (130).
  4. A seizing head (125) according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising a connection member (145) to the manipulation robot (115) fixed on the opposite side of the support frame (130) with respect to the picking apparatuses (215).
  5. A seizing head (125) according to claim 4, wherein said connection member (145) comprises a cylindrical body (155) having an axis (A) orthogonal with respect to the sliding direction (B) of the mobile frames (165).
  6. A plant (100) for the formation of groups (F) of objects (P) comprising: - a plurality of channel belts (105) individually adapted to make a row of objects (P) advance, - a collection plane (120), and - a manipulation robot (115) provided with the seizing head (125) according to any one of the preceding claims, for transferring objects (P) from the channel belts (105) to the collection plane (120).

Description

Technical Field The present invention relates to a seizing head for objects, e.g. for bottles, cans or other containers, which is intended to be connected to a manipulation robot, e.g. in the area of a packaging and/or packing plant for the aforesaid objects. Background As is known, some types of objects, e.g. bottles or cans, are sold in bundles, i.e. in smaller or larger groups of objects packaged together. Sometimes the objects that form the bundle, although being structurally identical, e.g. all bottles or all cans, may be of different types, e.g. they may contain different products. To form this type of bundle, the objects are normally loaded onto a series of conveyor belts, also known as channel belts, each of which is adapted to only transport objects of the same type. By advancing in a row on these channel belts, the objects are brought into an operating area in which there is a manipulation robot that picks a certain number of objects from each channel belt and rearranges them on a collection plane, grouping them with the objects picked from the other channel belts to form a group that will constitute the bundle. The collection plane can be defined for example by a further conveyor belt that makes the groups of objects thus obtained advance towards a stabilization station, e.g. for wrapping with extensible film, banding, wrapping in paper or the like, to obtain the bundle. Returning to the manipulation robot, the latter can form the group by picking the objects from one channel belt at a time and arranging them gradually on the collection plane in an orderly way, flanking them with the ones already picked from the other channel belts. This operating method guarantees great flexibility in the formation of groups but has the drawback of being operatively slow, significantly reducing the productivity of the entire packaging and/or packing plant. Another method for forming the group is that of equipping the manipulation robot with a seizing head adapted to pick the objects from a plurality of channel belts at the same time and transport them all together on the collection plane. The document DE 20 2010 001 712 U1 describes such a method and corresponding seizing head. This solution is certainly quicker from an operating point of view but also much more rigid in relation to the formation of the group, which will always be composed of the same number of objects coming from each channel belt, unless production is stopped to reconfigure or replace the manipulation head. EP 3 783 712 A1, which belongs to the state of the art pursuant to Art. 54(3) EPC, describes a manipulation head for objects according to the preamble of the independent claim 1. Disclosure of the invention In light of the above, an object of the present invention is to solve, or at least mitigate, the mentioned drawbacks of the prior art, within the context of a simple and rational solution and at a relatively contained cost. This and other objects are reached thanks to the characteristics of the invention as set forth in the independent claim 1. The dependent claims outline preferred and/or particularly advantageous aspects of the invention but not strictly necessary for its attainment. In particular, an embodiment of the invention provides a seizing head for objects comprising: a support frame adapted to be coupled to a manipulation robot, anda plurality of picking apparatuses arranged mutually flanked according to a predetermined flanking direction and individually adapted to take and withhold at least one object, wherein each picking apparatus is installed on a respective mobile frame, which is slidably coupled to the support frame according to a sliding direction parallel to the flanking direction, andwherein the seizing head comprises a plurality of functionally independent activation devices, each of which is adapted to activate a respective mobile frame along said sliding direction, andwherein each activation device comprises a motor installed on the respective mobile frame and adapted to place in rotation a pinion arranged meshing on a rack fixed to the support frame, andwherein in that each picking apparatus is configured to retain a plurality of objects arranged in a row along an alignment direction perpendicular to the sliding direction of the mobile frames. Thanks to this solution, the seizing head can simultaneously pick up from each channel belt a certain number of objects, to then group them together, e.g. during the transfer step towards the collection plane, by means of the activation of mobile frames that carry the picking apparatuses. In this way, it is advantageously possible to accelerate the forming process of the groups that will constitute the bundles, therefore increasing the productivity of the entire packaging and/or packing plant. On the other hand, since the activation of mobile frames is independent, the seizing head can be easily reconfigured, e.g. through a simple reprogramming of the control software, so a