KR-102963680-B1 - SMART CONVEYOR APPARATUS FOR PALLETIZING ROBOT AND CONTROL METHOD THEREOF

KR102963680B1KR 102963680 B1KR102963680 B1KR 102963680B1KR-102963680-B1

Abstract

A smart conveyor device for a palletizing robot according to various embodiments of the present invention is disclosed. The device comprises a conveyor module in which a plurality of rollers are rotatably supported so as to sequentially transport boxes, a buffer module disposed on one side of the conveyor module for storing boxes transported by the conveyor module or discharging previously stored boxes to the conveyor module according to the loading state of boxes by the palletizing robot, and a control module for controlling the operation of the smart conveyor device. The buffer module may include a buffer housing and a buffer transport module installed on the inner upper side of the buffer housing to move the boxes.

Inventors

하주완
김대진
맹주하
이효준

Assignees

주식회사 로보에테크놀로지

Dates

Publication Date: 20260512
Application Date: 20251015

Claims (15)

In a smart conveyor device, A conveyor module in which a plurality of rollers are rotatably supported so as to transport boxes sequentially; A buffer module disposed on one side of the conveyor module and storing boxes transported by the conveyor module or discharging previously stored boxes to the conveyor module according to the loading state of the boxes by the palletizing robot; and A control module that controls the operation of the smart conveyor device; Includes, The above buffer module is, Buffer housing; A buffer transfer module installed on the inner upper side of the above buffer housing to move the box; and A buffer rotation module installed in the inner lower part of the above buffer housing to rotate and move the box; Includes, The above buffer rotation module is, Rotating plate; A partition wall formed protruding from the upper part of the above-mentioned rotating plate to divide the section of the above-mentioned rotating plate; and A rotary drive module installed at the lower part of the above-mentioned rotating plate to rotate the above-mentioned rotating plate; including, Smart conveyor device for palletizing robots.
In a smart conveyor device, A conveyor module in which a plurality of rollers are rotatably supported so as to transport boxes sequentially; A buffer module disposed on one side of the conveyor module and storing boxes transported by the conveyor module or discharging previously stored boxes to the conveyor module according to the loading state of the boxes by the palletizing robot; and A control module that controls the operation of the smart conveyor device; Includes, The above buffer module is, Buffer housing; and A buffer transfer module installed on the inner upper side of the above buffer housing to move the box; Includes, The above buffer transfer module is, Buffer transfer plate; A buffer lifting drive connected to the upper part of the buffer transfer plate and moving the buffer transfer plate up and down; A buffer link member connecting the above buffer lifting drive and the buffer transfer rail; A buffer transfer rail connected to the upper part of the buffer link member and guiding the left and right movement of the buffer link member; and A buffer driving module that moves the buffer transfer plate connected to the buffer link member left and right; including, Smart conveyor device for palletizing robots.
delete
In a smart conveyor device, A conveyor module in which a plurality of rollers are rotatably supported so as to transport boxes sequentially; A buffer module disposed on one side of the conveyor module and storing boxes transported by the conveyor module or discharging previously stored boxes to the conveyor module according to the loading state of the boxes by the palletizing robot; and A control module that controls the operation of the smart conveyor device; Includes, The above buffer module is, Buffer housing; and A buffer transfer module installed on the inner upper side of the above buffer housing to move the box; Includes, The above conveyor module is, A first conveyor module into which the above box is fed; A second conveyor module connected to one end of the first conveyor module; A third conveyor module connected to one end of the second conveyor module, wherein box loading by the palletizing robot or box storage by the buffer module is performed; and A fourth conveyor module connected to the third conveyor module above for discharging unloaded or unstored boxes; including, Smart conveyor device for palletizing robots.
In Paragraph 4, The above conveyor module is, A stopper located at the bottom of the roller and body of the conveyor module, which restricts the movement of the box through the up-and-down movement of the lifting plate; Includes more, The above stopper is, A first stopper positioned at a predetermined distance from one end of the second conveyor module; A second stopper disposed between the second conveyor module and the third conveyor module; and A third stopper disposed between the third conveyor module and the fourth conveyor module; including, Smart conveyor device for palletizing robots.
In Article 5, The above-mentioned first stopper is, A first lifting plate connected to the first lifting link member so as to protrude upward from the first lifting link member; A first lifting link member connecting the first lifting plate and the first lifting means; A first lifting means connected to the lower part of the first lifting link member and moving the first lifting plate connected to the first lifting link member up and down; including, Smart conveyor device for palletizing robots.
In Paragraph 4, The above-mentioned first conveyor module is, First body; A plurality of first rollers installed on the upper part of the first body; and A first rail installed on the side of the first body; including, Smart conveyor device for palletizing robots.
In Paragraph 4, The above second conveyor module is, Second body; A second roller installed on the upper part of the second body, installed in a diagonal shape to form a predetermined angle with the side of the second body; and A second rail installed on the side of the second body; including, Smart conveyor device for palletizing robots.
In a smart conveyor device, A conveyor module in which a plurality of rollers are rotatably supported so as to transport boxes sequentially; A buffer module disposed on one side of the above conveyor module, which stores boxes transported by the conveyor module or discharges previously stored boxes to the conveyor module according to the loading status of boxes by a palletizing robot; A control module for controlling the operation of the smart conveyor device; and An invoice pusher module positioned above a portion of the conveyor module and pressurizing an invoice attached to the box; Includes, The above buffer module is, Buffer housing; and A buffer transfer module installed on the inner upper side of the above buffer housing to move the box; Includes, The above invoice pusher module is, Pusher housing; A pressing member comprising a pressing pad in contact with the above invoice and a pressing plate connected to the upper part of the pressing pad; A connecting member that connects the upper part of the above-mentioned pressing member and the pressing means, and provides elastic force for the pressing action of the above-mentioned pressing means; and A pressing means connected to the upper part of the above connecting member and moving the above pressing member up and down; including, Smart conveyor device for palletizing robots.
In Article 9, The above connecting member is, It includes a plurality of connecting columns that provide elastic force for the pressing action of the above-mentioned pressing means, and a plate-shaped connecting plate that connects the plurality of connecting columns into one. The above invoice pusher module is, A height measuring sensor positioned at the bottom of the above connecting plate to measure the height of the above box; Includes more, The above pressing member is, A through hole is formed at a position corresponding to the height sensor so that the height measuring sensor can sense. Smart conveyor device for palletizing robots.
In a smart conveyor device, A conveyor module in which a plurality of rollers are rotatably supported so as to transport boxes sequentially; A buffer module disposed on one side of the above conveyor module, which stores boxes transported by the conveyor module or discharges previously stored boxes to the conveyor module according to the loading status of boxes by a palletizing robot; A control module for controlling the operation of the smart conveyor device; and A box alignment module positioned at the bottom of a portion of the conveyor module and aligning the boxes to a preset position for stacking the boxes by the palletizing robot; Includes, The above buffer module is, Buffer housing; and A buffer transfer module installed on the inner upper side of the above buffer housing to move the box; Includes, The above box alignment module is, Alignment plate; Alignment link member connecting the above alignment plate and the alignment lifting drive; An alignment lifting drive connected to the lower part of the alignment link member and moving the alignment plate connected to the alignment link member up and down; A lateral movement plate connected to the lower part of the above alignment lifting drive; A lateral movement rail connected to the lower part of the lateral movement plate and guiding the left and right movement of the lateral movement plate; and A lateral actuator that moves the alignment plate connected to the lateral movement rail to the left and right; including, Smart conveyor device for palletizing robots.
In Article 10, The above device is, A distance measuring module comprising a first distance measuring sensor disposed on an inner surface of the pusher housing for measuring the vertical length of the box and a second distance measuring sensor disposed at one corner of the conveyor module for measuring the horizontal length of the box; Includes more, The above control module is, If the box dimensions measured by the height measuring sensor and the distance measuring module differ from the preset dimensions of the box, it is determined to be an abnormal box, and control is performed to discharge the abnormal box through the conveyor module. Smart conveyor device for palletizing robots.
In Article 12, The above device is, A barcode scanner positioned on one outer surface of the above-mentioned pusher housing to scan the barcode of an invoice attached to the above-mentioned box; Includes more, The above control module is, If the box information identified by the above barcode scanner is a separate separation box containing at least one of handling precautions, fresh product, or urgent delivery, control is performed to discharge the separate separation box through the above conveyor module. Smart conveyor device for palletizing robots.
In Article 12, The above device is, A camera module for acquiring an image of the above box; Includes more, The above control module is, Based on a box image obtained from the camera module, determining whether the box corresponds to an abnormal box or a separate separation box, and performing control to discharge the abnormal box or the separate separation box through the conveyor module. Smart conveyor device for palletizing robots.
In a method for controlling a smart conveyor device, A step of stopping the box at a predetermined position by controlling the stoppers of each section of the conveyor module; A step of classifying a box stopped at the above-mentioned predetermined position into a normal box, an abnormal box, or a box to be separated; A step of classifying the above-described normal boxes into loading boxes or storage boxes according to the loading conditions of the palletizing robot; A step of moving the above-described classified loading boxes to a pickup position of a palletizing robot using a box sorting module; A step of moving the above-described classified storage boxes to a storage location using the box sorting module and buffer module; and A step of moving the above-classified abnormal box or the above-classified separation target box to the box discharge section of the conveyor module using the box alignment module; including, Control method for a smart conveyor device for a palletizing robot.

Description

Smart conveyor apparatus for palletizing robot and control method thereof The present invention relates to a conveyor device, and more specifically, to a smart conveyor device for a palletizing robot. Palletizing is an essential process in logistics automation, referring to the process of loading multiple boxes onto a pallet. Traditionally, this task has been accomplished through simple conveyor transfer devices and the repetitive movements of robots. However, in logistics center and warehouse environments, a variety of boxes differing in size, shape, and weight are frequently mixed and introduced, posing a problem where conventional conveyor systems based on simple transfer struggle to guarantee efficient palletizing. In conventional palletizing lines, conveyors were responsible only for transporting goods to the robot section, while robots performed all functions of box identification, verification, and alignment. Consequently, unnecessary cycle time occurred during the process of recognizing target boxes and recalculating their positions; furthermore, when boxes of different sizes and specifications were mixed, frequent gripper switching was required, leading to reduced work speed and increased energy waste. Furthermore, conventional conveyor systems struggle to effectively identify and separate boxes that do not meet specifications or are damaged. As a result, abnormal boxes frequently enter the robot pickup zone, causing loading errors or disrupting the flow of the entire line. This situation not only undermines the reliability of robotic palletizing but is also a major cause of reduced logistics processing efficiency. In this regard, Korean Registered Patent No. 10-2449397 is an invention relating to an IoT data collection conveyor device in a smart supply chain, characterized by detecting the identification code of an item loaded on a conveyor, measuring the image, weight, and volume of the item, and accumulating them in a database to determine the destination and transport speed of the item. However, the aforementioned conventional invention focuses primarily on the collection of product data and statistical analysis, and thus has limitations in real-time alignment of various types of boxes, separation of abnormal boxes, and optimization of integration with robot operations required in actual palletizing environments. In particular, it has the disadvantage of being difficult to efficiently supply and manage mixed boxes due to a lack of flexible flow control and buffering functions at the line level. Therefore, there is an urgent need for the development of smart conveyor technology capable of automatically identifying boxes of various sizes and shapes, effectively separating abnormal boxes, and optimizing the cycle time of robotic palletizing operations. FIG. 1 is a drawing illustrating a smart conveyor device according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a smart conveyor device according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a drawing for explaining a conveyor module according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a drawing for explaining a stopper of a conveyor module according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a drawing for explaining a bill pusher module according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a drawing for explaining a box alignment module according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a drawing for explaining a box alignment module and a distance measurement module according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 8 is a drawing for explaining a buffer module according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 9 is a flowchart for explaining a method for controlling the overall operation of a device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a method for controlling the operation of discharging a box stored in a buffer module in a device according to an embodiment of the present invention. Various embodiments and/or aspects are now disclosed with reference to the drawings. For illustrative purposes, numerous specific details are disclosed in the following description to aid in a general understanding of one or more aspects. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that these aspects may be practiced without such specific details. The following description and the accompanying drawings describe specific exemplary aspects of one or more aspects in detail. However, these aspects are exemplary, and some of the various methods in the principles of the various aspects may be used, and the descriptions are intended to include all such aspects and their equivalents. Specifically, terms such as “exemplary,” “example,” “aspect,” and “example” as used herein may not be interpreted as implying that any described aspect or design is superior or advantageous to other aspects or designs. Hereinafter, identica