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EP-4291364-B1 - A MOVEMENT SYSTEM OF A PICK AND PLACE ROBOT

EP4291364B1EP 4291364 B1EP4291364 B1EP 4291364B1EP-4291364-B1

Inventors

  • MONTI, GIUSEPPE

Dates

Publication Date
20260506
Application Date
20220209

Claims (6)

  1. A movement system (100) of a robot (RT) of the pick and place, or anthropomorphic, type, for moving the robot (RT) in alternating translation along a translation direction (Z), comprising: a carriage (1) that bears the robot (RT); a longitudinal sliding guide rail (10), the carriage (1) that bears the robot (RT) being mounted slidably on the guide rail (10), movement means (2), configured and arranged to move the carriage (1) that bears the robot (RT), and thus the robot, in alternating translation along the guide rail (10) and thus along a translation direction (Z), wherein the movement means (2) comprise: a first pulley (21) mounted idle about a first rotation axis (R1); a second pulley (22) mounted idle about a second rotation axis (R2); the first pulley (21) being arranged in proximity of a first end (11) of the guide rail (10) and the second pulley (22) being arranged in proximity of a second end (12) of the guide rail (10), the first pulley (21) and the second pulley (22) being arranged in such a way that the respective first rotation axis (R1) and second rotation axis (R2) are parallel to one another and contained in a horizontal plane parallel to the guide rail (10); a drive pulley (23) activatable in rotation about a third rotation axis (R3), arranged inferiorly of the guide rail (10) and with the respective third rotation axis (R3) parallel to the first rotation axis (R1) of the first pulley (21) and the second rotation axis (R2) of the second pulley (22); characterised in that the first pulley (21) is conformed in such a way as to comprise a first annular groove (210) coaxial to the first rotation axis (R1); wherein the second pulley (22) is conformed in such a way as to comprise a second annular groove (220) coaxial to the second rotation axis (R2); wherein the drive pulley (23) is conformed in such a way as to comprise a third annular groove (231) and a fourth annular groove (232), parallel to one another and coaxial to the third rotation axis (R3); wherein the movement means (2) further comprise: a first cable (24), constrained at a respective first end (241) to a first point of the carriage (1) that bears the robot (RT) and at a second end (242) to a first anchoring point (A1) present in the drive pulley (23), in such a way that the first cable (24) is partly wound about the first pulley (21) within a portion of the first annular groove (210) and a part of the first cable (24) is wound about the drive pulley (23) within a portion of the third annular groove (231); a second cable (25), constrained at a respective first end (251) to a second point of the carriage (1) that bears the robot (RT), opposite the first point with respect to the robot (RT), and at a second end (252) to a second anchoring point (A2) present in the drive pulley (23), in such a way that the second cable (25) is partly wound about the second pulley (22) within a portion of the second annular groove (220) and a part of the second cable (25) is wound about the drive pulley (23) within a portion of the fourth annular groove (232); in such a way that, when the drive pulley (23) is activated in rotation about the respective third rotation axis (R3) in a first rotation direction (N1), the first cable (24) is pulled so as to wind about the drive pulley (23) within the third annular groove (231) while the second cable (25) is unwound from the drive pulley (23), and the carriage (1) that bears the robot (RT) is thus translated on the guide rail (10) along the translation direction (Z) in a first transversal direction (Z1), and when the drive pulley (23) is activated in rotation about the respective third rotation axis (R3) in a second rotation direction (N2) the second cable (25) is pulled so as to wind about the drive pulley (23) within the fourth annular groove (232) while the first cable (24) is unwound from the drive pulley (23), and thus the carriage (1) that bears the robot (RT) is translated on the guide rail (10) along the translation direction (Z) in a second translation direction (Z2).
  2. The movement system (100) of claim 1, wherein the drive pulley (23) is dimensioned in such a way that the respective primitive circumference has a length greater than the length of the guide rail (10) which defines the entity of the linear translation travel for the carriage (1) that bears the robot (RT).
  3. The movement system (100) of claim 2, wherein the first pulley (21), the second pulley (22) and the drive pulley (23) are reciprocally arranged with respect to one another in such a way that the third rotation axis (R3) of the drive pulley (23) is in a vertical plane that is equidistant from the vertical planes containing respectively the first rotation axis (R1) of the first pulley (21) and the second rotation axis (R2) of the second pulley (22).
  4. The movement system (100) of claim 3, wherein the first pulley (21), the second pulley (22), the drive pulley (23) and the guide rail (10) are reciprocally arranged in such a way that, when the carriage (1) that bears the robot (10) is positioned at a median point of the length of the guide rail (10), the carriage (1) is located at a position that is equidistant from the first pulley (21) and the second pulley (22), with the third rotation axis (R3) of the drive pulley (23) and the median point of the length of the guide rail (10) being located in a same vertical plane.
  5. The movement system (100) of claim 4, wherein the first cable (24) and the second cable (25) are dimensioned in such a way as to have a respective length such that, when the carriage (1) that bears the robot (10) is positioned at a median point of the length of the guide rail (10), the first cable (24) has a winding portion within the third annular groove (231) which is wound in the third annular groove (231) for at least or more than 180° degrees, on the opposite side of the third rotation axis (R3) of the drive pulley (23) with respect to the first rotation axis (R1) of the first pulley (21), and the second cable (25) has a winding portion within the fourth annular groove (232) which is wound in the fourth annular groove (232) for at least or more than 180° degrees, on the opposite side of the third rotation axis (R3) of the drive pulley (23) with respect to the winding portion of the first cable (24) and with respect to the second rotation axis (R2) of the second pulley (22).
  6. The movement system (100) of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the first pulley (21), the second pulley (22) and the drive pulley (23) are reciprocally arranged in such a way that the first annular groove (210) of the first pulley (21) and the third annular groove (231) of the drive pulley (23) are arranged on a same first vertical plane perpendicular to the first rotation axis (R1) of the first pulley (21) and to the third rotation axis (R3) of the drive pulley (23), and that the second annular groove (220) of the second pulley (22) and the fourth annular groove (232) of the drive pulley (23) are arranged on a same second vertical plane perpendicular to the second rotation axis (R2) of the second pulley (22) and to the third rotation axis (R3) of the drive pulley (23).

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention concerns the technical sector relating to pick-up and transfer devices of articles, known as robots of the pick and place, or anthropomorphic, type, which are predisposed to pick up one or more articles from a first position, and to transfer them, possibly by rotating them and/or stacking them, to a second position. In particular, the present invention concerns a movement system of a robot of the pick and place, or anthropomorphic type. DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART Use of a robot of the pick and place or anthropomorphic type is known, for carrying out the pick-up of articles, which are for example moved according to an advancement direction by means of a transport line (for example a conveyor belt), and for transferring and releasing the articles at a release position, for example constituted by an infeed line of a packaging machine of articles internally of relative packages. For example, in an application of the pick and place robot, these can be used to pick up blister packs which are transported by a first conveyor belt, in arrival from a blister machine, and to transfer the blister packs, possibly stacking them one on another, on a second conveyor belt, for supplying a boxing machine arranged to insert the blister packs into relative boxes. This type of robot usually comprises a gripping element, for picking up and releasing one or more articles, which is borne by a series of arms which are hinged to one another and drivable in rotation with respect to one another about the relative hinge axes, in such a way as to be able to move the gripping element in three-dimensional space according to a plurality of movement axes. In order to be able to carry out the pick-up of articles transported by a transport line, the robots must be translatable parallel to the transport line in order to be positioned at the point in which the article to be picked up is located. Further, when the transport line is activated in continuous mode, the robots must be translatable parallel to the transport line so that the gripping element can follow the article to be picked up, be positioned above the article, and pick up while it is in movement. For this purpose, movement systems are known for translating the robots in a translation direction parallel to the transport line which transports the articles to be picked up, or other types of transfer means of articles, such as for example a channel or a vibrating plane. Figure 1 illustrates a movement system of a pick and place, or anthropomorphic robot, according to the prior art. The translation system (S) comprises a carriage (C), or a platform, for supporting the robot (R), and a sliding guide (G). The carriage (C), which bears the robot (R), is mounted slidably on the sliding guide (G). The sliding guide (G) must be arranged in such a way as to be parallel to the transport line (L) (schematically illustrated in figure 1) of the articles to be picked up. The translation system (S) further comprises a cogged belt (D) wound in a closed loop about a pair of cogged pulleys (P, M), of which at least one pulley (M) is a drive pulley as it is connected to a motor (not illustrated). The carriage (C) which bears the robot (R) is constrained to the upper branch (DS) of the cogged belt (D). In this way, by driving the drive pulley (M) in rotation in a first rotation direction (V1) (for example in a clockwise direction, looking at figure 1), the upper branch of the cogged belt (D) will be activated in translation according to a first translation direction (T1), and instead activating the drive pulley (M) in a second rotation direction (V2) (for example in an anticlockwise direction, looking at figure 1), the cogged belt (D) will be activated in translation according to a second translation direction (T2), opposite the first translation direction (T1). Therefore, the robot (R) can be translated, in two opposite directions and parallel to the transport line (L), in order to be positioned in a positioned flanked to the transport line (L) at the position on the transport line (L) of the article to be picked up. Further, in a case where the transport line (L) is activated in continuous mode, the robot (R) can be translated to follow the article to be picked up and enable the gripping element to be positioned, with a nil relative velocity, above the article, so as to pick it up. Once the article has been gripped and picked up from the transport line, the robot can be translated by means of the belt so as to be positioned in a position facing a release position of the article, which for example can be constituted by a second transport line. In a case in which the second transport line is also driven in continuous mode, the release of the article thereon by the robot must take place with the robot being translated to follow the release position on the second line so that the gripping element, during the release step of the article, has a nil relative veloc