Process and apparatus for picking up, transferring and depositing a whole layer of products to be palletized

1. A process for picking up, transferring and depositing a whole layer of products to be palletized, comprising:

providing a pickup apparatus ( 1 ) that comprises a flexible loading surface ( 5 ) which is movable between i) a wound position for defining a bottom opening, and ii) a deployed position for closing said opening to thereby define the loading surface, said motion being driven by an associated motor unit ( 17 );

reaching a layer of containers ( 3 ) with the flexible loading surface ( 5 ) in the wound position;

centering the layer of containers ( 3 ) between centering means ( 8 , 9 ), the centering means ( 8 , 9 ) provided inside a casing ( 4 ) of the pickup apparatus ( 1 ); and

transferring the layer of containers ( 3 ) onto the loading surface ( 5 ), said transfer including the substeps of retracting the pickup apparatus ( 1 ) and simultaneously deploying the flexible loading surface ( 5 ) to slide within a corresponding guide means ( 16 ),

wherein the flexible loading surface is driven by a belt wound and tightened between a first pulley ( 7 ) and a second pulley ( 23 ), the flexible loading surface and the belt connected by a fastener block, and the first and second pulleys are configured to draw the flexible loading surface in any of a first and an opposite second direction by said motor unit ( 17 ),

wherein the flexible loading surface ( 5 ) is freely deployed upon disconnection of a drive between the flexible loading surface ( 5 ) and the motor unit ( 17 ) associated thereto by means of a drive modulation means ( 25 ), and

wherein the flexible loading surface ( 5 ) reconnects with the motor unit ( 17 ) at the end of the transferring step.

2. The process as claimed in claim 1 , including the substep of anchoring the flexible loading surface ( 5 ) to a fastening means ( 50 ).

3. The process as claimed in claim 2 , including the substep of disconnecting the flexible loading surface ( 5 ) from the fastening means ( 50 ) at the end of the transferring step.

4. The process as claimed in claim 3 , wherein the disconnecting substep is carried out by an operation of the apparatus ( 1 ) itself.

5. The process as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the pickup apparatus ( 1 ) is handled by a robotized means ( 2 ) whereto said pickup apparatus ( 1 ) is anchored.

6. The process as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the fastening means ( 50 ) is integral with the stationary platform.

7. A pickup apparatus ( 1 ) for picking up, transferring and depositing a layer of products to be palletized, comprising:

a handling robot, including a handling arm;

a palletisation head, including a support anchored to the handling arm, and a casing ( 4 ) surrounding and connected to said framework and also connected to the support;

two guide means ( 16 ) provided opposite each other and secured to the sides of the framework;

a flexible loading surface ( 5 ) movable within the two guide means ( 16 ) between a wound first position defining a bottom opening in the palletisation head and a deployed second position that closes said opening to define a loading surface of the palletisation head;

a deployment device for moving the flexible loading surface ( 5 ) from the first position to the second position, the deployment device comprising a first pulley at ( 7 ) a first end of the palletisation head and a second pulley ( 23 ) at a second end of the palletisation head, the first and second pulleys ( 7 , 23 ) driven by a first belt ( 6 ) connected to both the first and second pulleys ( 7 , 23 ), the first belt ( 6 ) being connected to the flexible loading surface ( 5 ) by a fastener block ( 11 );

centering means ( 8 , 9 ) provided inside the casing ( 4 ) for centering the layer to be picked up; and

control means configured to operate a movement of the handling arm of the handling robot,

wherein the control means is configured to cause the handling arm to, in a first step, position the palletisation head upon the stationary platform such that i) the centering means encloses and holds the layer, and ii) an end section of the flexible loading surface in the first position is aligned with an end of the stationary platform,

wherein the control means is further configured to cause the handling arm to, in a second step, impart a translational motion upon the palletisation head to retract the palletisation head away from the stationary platform, and

wherein, during the second step, the deployment device causes the flexible loading surface ( 5 ) to be drawn from the first position to the second position in synchronization with the retraction of the palletisation head, thereby to at least partially occlude the opening and support said layer upon the loading surface.

8. The pickup apparatus of claim 7 ,

wherein the deployment device is a coupler at the end section of the flexible loading surface configured to couple with a fastening means affixed to the stationary platform,

wherein the palletisation head, in the first step, is positioned upon the stationary platform such that the coupler at the end section of the flexible loading surface anchors to the fastening means of the stationary platform, and

wherein the translational motion of the second step retracts the palletisation head away from the stationary platform such that the flexible loading surface anchored to the fastening means is drawn from the first position to the second position.

9. The pickup apparatus of claim 7 ,

wherein the deployment device is a motor unit ( 17 ) configured to drive the flexible loading surface between the first position and the second position,

wherein the control means is configured to synchronize an operation of the motor unit with the translational motion of the palletisation head by the handling arm.

10. The pickup apparatus of claim 9 , further comprising:

a drive modulation member ( 25 ) configured to disconnect transmission of motion between the motor unit and the flexible loading surface.

11. The pickup apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the second pulley ( 23 ) is in mechanical connection with a third pulley ( 22 ) of the motor unit ( 17 ).

12. The pickup apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the support anchoring the palletisation head to the handling arm is mounted at a top of the palletisation head.

13. A process for picking up, transferring and depositing a whole layer of products to be palletized, comprising:

providing a pickup apparatus ( 1 ) that comprises a flexible loading surface ( 5 ) which is movable between i) a wound position for defining a bottom opening, and ii) a deployed position for closing said opening to thereby define the loading surface, said motion being driven by an associated motor unit ( 17 );

reaching a layer of containers ( 3 ) with the flexible loading surface ( 5 ) in the wound position;

centering the layer of containers ( 3 ) between centering means ( 8 , 9 ), the centering means ( 8 , 9 ) provided inside a casing ( 4 ) of the pickup apparatus ( 1 ); and

transferring the layer of containers ( 3 ) onto the loading surface ( 5 ), said transfer including the substeps of retracting the pickup apparatus ( 1 ) and simultaneously deploying the flexible loading surface ( 5 ) to slide within a corresponding guide means ( 16 ),

wherein the flexible loading surface is driven by a belt wound and tightened between a first pulley ( 7 ) and a second pulley ( 23 ), the flexible loading surface and the belt connected by a fastener block, and the first and second pulleys are configured to draw the flexible loading surface in any of a first and an opposite second direction by said motor unit ( 17 ), and

wherein the flexible loading surface ( 5 ) is deployed by means of the motor unit ( 17 ), an actuation of the motor unit ( 17 ) being synchronized with an axial handling of a robot ( 2 ) for driving the pickup apparatus ( 1 ), the motor unit ( 17 ) becoming an additional arm for the robot ( 2 ).

14. The process as claimed in claim 13 , wherein a computer, comprising a microprocessor, is used for matching the retracting translational motion imparted to the robot ( 2 ) with a rotation of the motor unit ( 17 ) to deploy the flexible loading surface ( 5 ).

15. The process as claimed in claim 13 , wherein the pickup apparatus ( 1 ) is handled by a robotized means ( 2 ) whereto said pickup apparatus ( 1 ) is anchored.