Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65C—LABELLING OR TAGGING MACHINES, APPARATUS, OR PROCESSES
  • B65C9/00—Details of labelling machines or apparatus
  • B65C9/08—Label feeding
  • B65C9/18—Label feeding from strips, e.g. from rolls
  • B65C9/1865—Label feeding from strips, e.g. from rolls the labels adhering on a backing strip
  • B65C9/1876—Label feeding from strips, e.g. from rolls the labels adhering on a backing strip and being transferred by suction means
  • B65C9/1884—Label feeding from strips, e.g. from rolls the labels adhering on a backing strip and being transferred by suction means the suction means being a movable vacuum arm or pad
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B23—MACHINE TOOLS; METAL-WORKING NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • B23Q—DETAILS, COMPONENTS, OR ACCESSORIES FOR MACHINE TOOLS, e.g. ARRANGEMENTS FOR COPYING OR CONTROLLING; MACHINE TOOLS IN GENERAL CHARACTERISED BY THE CONSTRUCTION OF PARTICULAR DETAILS OR COMPONENTS; COMBINATIONS OR ASSOCIATIONS OF METAL-WORKING MACHINES, NOT DIRECTED TO A PARTICULAR RESULT
  • B23Q7/00—Arrangements for handling work specially combined with or arranged in, or specially adapted for use in connection with, machine tools, e.g. for conveying, loading, positioning, discharging, sorting
  • B23Q7/03—Arrangements for handling work specially combined with or arranged in, or specially adapted for use in connection with, machine tools, e.g. for conveying, loading, positioning, discharging, sorting by means of endless chain conveyors
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B23—MACHINE TOOLS; METAL-WORKING NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • B23Q—DETAILS, COMPONENTS, OR ACCESSORIES FOR MACHINE TOOLS, e.g. ARRANGEMENTS FOR COPYING OR CONTROLLING; MACHINE TOOLS IN GENERAL CHARACTERISED BY THE CONSTRUCTION OF PARTICULAR DETAILS OR COMPONENTS; COMBINATIONS OR ASSOCIATIONS OF METAL-WORKING MACHINES, NOT DIRECTED TO A PARTICULAR RESULT
  • B23Q7/00—Arrangements for handling work specially combined with or arranged in, or specially adapted for use in connection with, machine tools, e.g. for conveying, loading, positioning, discharging, sorting
  • B23Q7/04—Arrangements for handling work specially combined with or arranged in, or specially adapted for use in connection with, machine tools, e.g. for conveying, loading, positioning, discharging, sorting by means of grippers
  • B23Q7/048—Multiple gripper units
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65C—LABELLING OR TAGGING MACHINES, APPARATUS, OR PROCESSES
  • B65C9/00—Details of labelling machines or apparatus
  • B65C9/0006—Removing backing sheets
  • B65C2009/0009—Removing backing sheets by means of a peeling tip

Definitions

• the invention relates to a device for releasing articles, to which the articles are conveyed attached to a carrier web and wherein the articles are released from the carrier web in order to be used in an assembly process, the release device comprising a mating surface in the direction of which the carrier web is arranged to travel, a gripper arranged to grip an article attached to a part of the carrier web residing on the mating surface, and a release point arranged after the mating surface in the direction of travel of the carrier web to bend the carrier web such that the article attached to the gripper is released from the carrier web.
• the invention further relates to a method for using a device for releasing articles, to which release device the articles are conveyed attached to a carrier web and wherein the articles are released from the carrier web, the method comprising arranging a part of the carrier web onto a mating surface, pressing a gripper against the part of the carrier web residing on the mating surface and making the gripper grip an article attached to the carrier web, conveying the article still attached to the carrier web and the gripper gripping it to a release point, and changing the direction of travel of the carrier web at the release point such that the article gripped by the gripper is released from the carrier web.
• the assembly industry has for a long time known a method of using a specific carrier web for bringing articles to an assembly line or cell.
• the articles are stored and transported attached to the carrier web that is typically rolled into a roll or another easily handled and transported entity.
• the product is detached from the carrier web by means of a specific release device.
• the articles are typically attached by glue to the carrier web.
• the article can be a adhesive label, a protective window of the display of an electronic device, such as mobile phone, PDA (Personal Digital Assistan t) or communicator, an electronic component or the like.
• the release device typically operates as described in the following.
• the carrier web and the articles on it are conveyed to a slide om the release device.
• the release device has a gripper that is arranged to move perpendicular to the plane of the carrier web.
• a robot usually runs the grip-per.
• Said slide is arranged in the working area of the gripper and usually has a planar mating surface and, after this in the direction of travel of the carrier web, a tip ending the mating surface.
• the slide is movably fastened to the frame of the release device so that it has an inner and outer position in relation to it.
• the carrier web is transported along the mating surface of the slide and onward around the tip so that the direction of travel of the carrier web changes substantially at the tip.
• the tip forms a release point, at which the article detaches from the carrier web.
• the carrier web is stopped and kept stationary so that it cannot move forward or backward. Mext, the gripper is pressed against the article such that the gripper grips the article.
• the gripper has fastened to the article, the carrier web is tightened at the end that has passed the gripper and the tip. The tightening of the carrier web forces the movably fastened slide of the device to move to the inner position with respect to the frame of the device. The slide then moves away from below the gripper and the tip of the slide moves from below the article fastened to the gripper.
• the article detaches from the carrier web and remains attached to the gripper.
• the gripper moves the article fastened to it to the actual assembly.
• the slide moves back to its outer position and pulls the carrier web back from the go side to the mating surface of the slide. Next, more carrier web is fed to the mating surface, after which the work cycle described above starts again.
• the release device of the invention is characterized in that the carrier web is arranged to move forward when the gripper grips the article, that the gripper is arranged to move such that it has a velocity component whose direction and magnitude substantially correspond to the movement of the carrier web on the mating surface, and that the gripper is arranged to move to the release point while gripping the article.
• the method of the invention is characterized by moving the carrier web onward, bringing the gripper into a movement having a velocity component whose direction and magnitude are substantially convergent with respect to the onward movement of the carrier web, making the gripper grip the article moving with the carrier web, and bringing the gripper, attached to the article, to the release point.
• the invention provides the advantage that the carrier web is not used to pull the slide back, owing to which the breaking risk of the carrier web is substantially reduced.
• the loads of the carrier web remain substantially similar during the entire release process, which permits the use of less expensive and weaker materials in the carrier web, or alternatively the release rate can be increased.
• the release cycle time can be shortened substantially, because no time is required to move the slide.
• Another advantage is that the structure of the release device can be simplified with respect to the structures regulating the tightness of the carrier web.
• the release device comprises two or more grippers. This provides the advantage that the work phase of the release device becomes even more efficient.
• the essential idea of yet another embodiment of the invention is that there are as many grippers as there are product slots in the product palette used in the assembly. This provides the advantage that one and the same work phase of the release device inserts an article in each product in the palette.
• Figures 1a and 1b are schematic side views of the operation of a release device of the prior art
• Figures 2a and 2b are schematic side views of a release device of the invention.
• Figure 3 is a schematic side view of a second release device of the invention.
• FIGs 1a and 1 b are schematic side views of the operation of a release device of the prior art.
• the release device is preferably located in proximity to an assembly line.
• the articles 1 required in the assembly are fastened to the carrier web 2 by glue, for example.
• the carrier web 2 is a substantially elongated, relatively thin web-like product.
• the length of the carrier web may be hundreds of metres, its width typically 20 to 100 mm and thickness typically 0.1 to 0.4 mm.
• the number of articles 1 fastened to the carrier web 2 varies in each case.
• the articles 1 are fastened to the carrier web 2 one after the other in one row, but carrier webs 2 are also known, in which the articles 1 are fastened in two parallel rows.
• the carrier web 2 is in most cases made of plastic, such as polyethyleneterephtalate PET, or paper.
• the article 1 can for instance be a tape, adhesive label, protective window of the display of an electronic device, such as mobile phone, PDA (Personal Digital Assistant) or communicator, an electronic component or a corresponding product that can be detachably attached to the carrier web and to the handling of which, the use of the carrier web provides an advantage.
• an electronic device such as mobile phone, PDA (Personal Digital Assistant) or communicator
• an electronic component or a corresponding product that can be detachably attached to the carrier web and to the handling of which, the use of the carrier web provides an advantage.
• the carrier web with the articles 1 attached to it is rolled into an article roll 3, which is easy and simple to transport and store.
• the carrier web 2 is fed from the article roll 3 in the direction of arrow M to a mating surface 8 on the top surface of the frame 7 of the release device and a slide 5 movably fastened thereto, and on around the end of the slide 5 all the way to the receiving roll 9 for used carrier web.
• the slide 5 can move on a guide bar 6 relative to the frame 7.
• the release device has a gripper 4 operated for instance by a robot or manipulator that is not shown in the figure to simplify the presentation.
• the gripper 4 is pressed in the direction shown by arrow D against the article 1 fastened to the carrier web 2.
• the article 1 thus remains between the gripper 4 and the mating surface 8.
• a brake 11 and a pulling device 10 the pull of which is stopped, do the locking.
• the carrier web is tightened at the end that has passed the gripper 4 by pulling it with the pulling device 10 and keeping the brake 11 still locked.
• the carrier web 2 pulls the slide 5 closer to the frame 7 until the slide 5 touches the frame 7, Figure 1b.
• the gripper 4 and the article 1 attached thereto remain stationary relative to the frame 7, but the mating surface 8 on the slide 5 moves relative to them.
• a release point 12 is formed at the end of the slide 5, i.e. at the opposite end of the slide to the guide bar 6, a release point 12 is formed.
• the direction of travel of the carrier web 2 is forced to change abruptly; in other words, the carrier web 2 bends at the release point 12.
• the release point moves with the movement under the article 1 attached to the gripper 4.
• the bending of the carrier web 2 makes the article 1 attached to the gripper 4 to detach during the movement of the slide 5 from the carrier web 2.
• the gripper 4 and the article 1 attached to it is lifted up and conveyed to the actual assembly. Meanwhile, the slide 5 pushes into its outer position shown in Figure 1a.
• the brake 11 is still kept locked and the carrier web 2 that has passed the mating surface 8 and is free of articles 1 is allowed back to the mating surface 8.
• the part of the carrier web 2 that is allowed back is typically gathered in a loop.
• the loop and the means required to make it are not shown in Figures 1a, 1b.
• the strength of the carrier web 2 limits the release rate of the articles 1 , because the slide 5 is pulled back by means of the carrier web. When increasing speed, the risk of breaking the carrier web 2 increases substantially. In addition, bringing a new article 1 to the mating surface 8 requires several method steps that take a lot of time to perform.
• FIGS 2a and 2b are schematic side views of a release device of the invention and its operation.
• the carrier web 2 and the articles 1 fastened to it move in the direction of arrow M onward from the article roll 3 to the receiving roll 9 for used carrier web.
• the transport of the carrier web 2 is arranged by power transmission means comprising a pulling device 10 in contact with the carrier web and run by a power unit 13.
• the power unit 13 is for instance an electric motor, hydraulic motor or the like.
• the movement of the carrier web 2 can also be arranged by other types of power transmission means.
• the release device has a frame 7 that comprises a mating surface 8 and a release point 12 arranged after the mating surface in the direction of travel of the carrier web 2.
• the carrier web 2 is run along the mating surface 8 to the release point 12.
• the direction of travel of the carrier web changes abruptly, as already described in connection with the previous figures.
• the gripper 4 can move with a velocity component V, which is a velocity component perpendicular to the direction of travel of the carrier web 2 moving forward on the mating surface 8, and a velocity component H, which is perpendicular to the velocity component V and moves in the direction of travel of the carrier web 2 moving forward on the mating surface 8.
• a velocity component V which is a velocity component perpendicular to the direction of travel of the carrier web 2 moving forward on the mating surface 8
• H which is perpendicular to the velocity component V and moves in the direction of travel of the carrier web 2 moving forward on the mating surface 8.
• the gripper refers to a machine element that attaches detachably to one article 1 on the carrier web 2, moves it to the assembly phase, and detaches from the article in the assembly phase.
• the gripper 4 grips the article 1 approaching the release point 12 and moves simultaneously at substantially or exactly the same rate, i.e. collinear rate, with the direction of travel of the carrier web 2 moving forward on the mating surface 8.
• the gripper 4 and the article 1 attached to it are at the release point 12, the article 1 detaches from the carrier web 2 that changes its direction of travel substantially.
• the change in the directior of travel of the carrier web 2 that is necessary to detach the article 1 varies from one application to another, but it is generally 100° to 170°.
• the gripper 4 moves it to the assembly. At this stage, the movement of the carrier web 2 can be stopped so as to allow the gripper 4 enough time to take the article 1 to the assembly. However, it is not necessary to stop the carrier web 2, if the time required by the gripper 4 is not very long.
• the gripper 4 is arranged to a robot, manipulator or a corresponding actuator, the control system of which contains a conveyor tracking function. With this function, the control system monitors the movement and location of the articles 1 , and based on the monitoring, it sets the velocity components V and H of the gripper 4 movement such that when the gripper 4 grips an article 1 , the velocity component H is equal or substantially equal to the forward rate of travel of the carrier web on the mating surface 8.
• the release device of the invention loads the carrier web 2 very little, because a slide is not moved on the carrier web. This way, the web 2 does not break as easily as in the prior-art release device, which makes it possible to increase the release rate higher than that of the prior-art release devices, or it is possible to use weaker or less expensive web materials.
• Test runs showed that the release cycle time of an article detached from a carrier web with a prior-art release device was approximately 6 seconds, whereas the cycle time achieved with the release device of the invention was approximately 2 seconds: in other words, a 2/3 decrease was achieved in the cycle time.
• the release device also comprises other components than those examined in connection with the previous figures, such as carrier web controllers, but they are not shown in the figures to simplify the presentation.
• the carrier web 2 need not be rolled into an article roll 3, but it can be in any form from which it can be fed into the release device. Neither is a receiving roll 9 the only alternative for arranging the reception of a carrier web 2 empty of articles 1 : the carrier web 2 can for instance be guided freely to a transport platform.
• Figure 3 shows a schematic side view of a second release device of the invention.
• the release device has two grippers 4a, 4b that are arranged to be run by one actuator, herein a robot 14.
• Two articles 1a, 1b are released from the carrier web 2 at the same time.
• the articles 1a, 1b are taken to an assembly process 15, in which the products to be assembled are processed in product palettes 16.
• One product palette 16 takes two products 17a, 17b. All articles 1a, 1b to be arranged to the products of the product palette 16 are released at the same time. This way, the processing of the product palette 16 and the entire assembly process 15 is fast.
• the articles 1a, 1b that are released simultaneously can also be side by side on the carrier web 2.
• the grippers 4a, 4b are then naturally also arranged side by side in a similar manner.
• each gripper 4a, 4b has a separate frame 18a, 18b.
• Another alternative is that the grippers 4a, 4b are arranged to a common frame.

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Advancing Webs (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=8565868

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (2)

Cited By (5)

Families Citing this family (3)

Citations (4)

• 2003
  • 2003-03-25 FI FI20030446A patent/FI115122B/sv not_active IP Right Cessation
• 2004
  • 2004-03-24 WO PCT/FI2004/000163 patent/WO2004085264A1/en not_active Ceased

Patent Citations (4)

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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