Animal skin feeding device in production line for treating or processing animal skins

Abstract

The present invention relates to the field of animal skin treatment or processing lines, in particular but not exclusively to tanning handling. In particular, the invention relates to an automatic device for feeding animal skins into an input on one of such production lines, this device being equipped with a system for arranging individual animal skins spread on a transport surface in a sequential manner.

Description

Field of the Invention

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of production lines or facilities for processing or machining flexible laminated elements.

[0002] Flexible laminated elements are defined as natural hides, synthetic leathers, fabrics, non-woven fabrics, flexible plastic materials, and related or similar materials, where the thickness is much lower than the other two dimensions (length and width).

[0003] In particular, but not exclusively, the present invention is particularly applicable to use in the tanning industry for picking up, transporting, and unloading hides or synthetic leathers from one station to another along a hide processing or machining production line. In particular, the present invention relates to equipment that tends to be automatic or semi-automatic for loading incoming hides onto one of these production lines. Background Art

[0004] In tanning operations, and more generally in cases where hides of relatively large dimensions must be handled, correctly loading these sheets onto processing and machining production lines, and in particular onto the transport surfaces equipped on these production lines, is a very tricky problem. In fact, the sequential loading of the individual sheets must ensure their positioning in an orderly manner, and most importantly, it must satisfy the condition that the hide is fully unfolded on this surface, generally without reversed flaps, folds, wrinkles, or irregularities. Machines that require this absolutely flat condition to ensure the quality of the operation particularly include machines for spray-applying finishing liquids (resins or dyes).

[0005] Various (partial or total) automated solutions have been experimented with, but their success has been hindered by the size, weight, irregular profile, and nature of the material of the hides themselves.

[0006] The present invention is suitable for such a situation and provides another solution that, due to an original combination of features, is capable of ensuring almost perfect flatness, understood as being without folds, wrinkles, raised flaps, etc., in the case of fully automatically feeding individual hides onto a processing surface, such as (but not necessarily) the inlet conveyor of a spray production line. Summary of the Invention

[0007] The basic features of the hide feeding device in a production line for processing or machining hides according to the present invention are defined by the first of the appended claims. Other additional features are the subject of the other claims. Brief Description of the Drawings

[0008] The features and advantages of the hide feeding device in a production line for processing or machining hides according to the present invention will become apparent from the following description of one of its embodiments, which is given by way of non-limiting example and with reference to the drawings, in which:

[0009] - Figure 1 Is an axonometric view of the device according to the present invention, and also schematically depicts a manipulator device functionally associated with the device, wherein the movable gripping tool for the hide is in the closed position;

[0010] - Figure 2 Is Figure 1 The top plane depiction of the group of;

[0011] - Figure 3 Is similar to the Figure 1 Device of the device, but isolated and enlarged, and wherein the movable tool is moved towards the open position;

[0012] - Figure 4 Is Figure 3 Side view of the device of;

[0013] - Figure 5 Is the rear view, partial and further enlarged view of the device of the previous figure;

[0014] - Figure 6 And 7 Are top views of different embodiments of the present invention, wherein the movable tools are in the closed position and moved towards the open position respectively, Figure 6a And Figure 7a Are by Figure 6 And Figure 7 The enlarged view of the part enclosed by the circle A of:

[0015] - Figure 8 Is an axonometric view of the device in another variant embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Description

[0016] Referring to the above drawings, and particularly referring temporarily to Figures 1 to 7a , the device according to the present invention comprises: a transport surface ST, which is typically the upper surface of a conveyor belt 11; a part of the frame 1, which has its own support base 12 and is arranged upstream of the machine to which the hides have to be supplied; the belt can also be integrated with the aforementioned machine, i.e., as its inlet belt.

[0017] The first forward direction X and the transverse direction Y of the hides are defined (and on the conveyor belt) by the conveyor belt 11, such that the transport surface ST is in fact the materialization of the geometric plane XY (see in particular Figure 4 ). The third Cartesian direction Z is represented by a plane perpendicular to the XY plane.

[0018] Handling device 2 for lifting individual hides, moving them and releasing them onto a transport surface ST (for example, in this case - but not necessarily - picking them up from a stack on platform C) generally may be characterized by a combination of a separating device 21 and a robotic handling arm 22. For example, the separating device 21 provides a steerable and movable beam 21a having a plurality of suction openings, each suction opening applying, for example, a vacuum pressure to a flap of a hide arranged higher in the stack and thus applying its relative gripping force. The thus separated hides can thus be engaged, lifted and moved by the arm 22, which is then responsible for releasing the hides. For this purpose, the arm 22 can provide a gripping head 22a having a movable belt to easily allow control of the hide release rate. In any case, the construction of the handling device just briefly described does not fall within the scope of the present invention, as it generally can be the subject of alternative solutions, and for the purposes of the present invention, it is sufficient that the device ensures the gradual release of individual hides onto the belt 11. The device according to the present invention can also be designed as an integral part of a handling system and / or a downstream processing production line, or as a structurally and functionally independent unit.

[0019] The present invention precisely focuses on the belt 11 and relates to the aspect of the effective planar unfolding of hides on its transport surface ST. For this purpose, a movable capture tool 3 for capturing hides is provided, the movable capture tool including, for example, one or more pairs of rods 31 movable in a plane parallel to the plane XY, for example, hinged at a first end 31a arranged on the respective sides of the belt and thus the transport surface ST about a hinge axis orthogonal to such surface (i.e., parallel to the direction Z), and also having a longitudinal extension, for example, approximately half or slightly less than half of the extension of the surface ST in the transverse direction Y. Thus, the pivoting of the rods controlled by the respective actuators occurs between an open position and a closed position. In the open position, the rods tend to be arranged along the sides of the belt 11, almost completely clearing the space above, and in the closed position, the rods hang above the plane in an arrangement aligned with the transverse direction Y. In this case, in both positions, the rods each cover an angle of 90° ( Figure 2 arrow F1 in), substantially affecting the entire belt in width and a specific area downstream of the inlet edge 11a of the belt 11 (or generally the surface ST) in length (advancing direction X), along or near such edge, the rods being aligned according to the direction Y in the closed position. More generally, the two limit switch positions can be different, and thus the pivoting between them covers different angles.

[0020] As mentioned above, several pairs or stages of rods can also be used, with even partial or complete overlap of their operating ranges, speeds and rotation directions being the same or different, all for the purpose of unfolding any folds not effectively processed by the first (single) drive.

[0021] For example, in the particularly preferred embodiments illustrated in Figure 6 , Figure 6a and Figure 7 , Figure 7a , a movable capture tool 3 for capturing hides can be provided, the movable capture tool including two pairs of rods 31', 31", the two pairs of rods always being movable in a plane parallel to the plane XY, wherein, always by way of example, a first pair of rods 31' having a reduced length here pivots from a closed position ( Figure 6 and Figure 6a ) in a direction such as to reach an open position, guiding the free ends towards the inlet edge of the belt ( Figure 7 and Figure 7a ), and a second pair of rods 31" is arranged further downstream in the forward direction, is longer and pivots in a direction opposite to that of the first pair of rods, that is, towards the outlet edge of the belt (likewise Figure 7 and Figure 7a ). The first pair of rods 31' can also start to act with more or less significant delay relative to the movement of the second pair of rods 31".

[0022] Generally speaking, the movable capture tool 3 for hides can have any useful form that allows the hide to be unfolded; it will also be understood that the term "rod" includes rods in the strict sense of the word, as described above and depicted in the drawings, as well as slender elements of other cross-sections, such as paddles, blades or shaped elements, even if not necessarily straight, and in any case having a length that can vary according to the circumstances (as shown by the embodiments in Figure 6 and Figure 7 ).

[0023] The movable tools 3 combine their actions with the actions of a first air jet tool 4, the first air jet tool being, for example and preferably, in the form of at least one tubular rod 41, which is easy to distribute the pneumatic flow, the tubular rod extending above the transport surface ST along the transverse direction Y, and a plurality of jet nozzles 42 being provided on the tubular rod.

[0024] Relative to the forward direction X, and for example along the rear edge or the outlet edge 11b of the belt 11, the rods and nozzles that tend to be arranged downstream of the movable tool 3 are configured to direct one or more air jets or air knives against the transport surface ST on the laminated element ( Figure 2 and Figure 5 's arrow F2), at a point that can be optimized based on the nature and shape of the hide (for this purpose, the nozzles can preferably also be directed and adjusted with respect to the power of the jet), but in any case, the result is to assist and complete the actions of the movable tool 3, ensuring that the unfolding promoted by them is as successful as possible, especially by flipping the folds that have already formed upwards.

[0025] The nozzle configuration can be such that the angle α of the pneumatic jet F2 with respect to the direction Z ( Figure 5 ) is between two end limits equal to approximately 5° and 85° respectively, tends to and preferably points outwards from the belt 11 (i.e., towards the lateral sides parallel to the advancing direction X), without excluding different orientations. In general, each nozzle can assume various orientations in space (for example, also by pivoting the nozzle on the plane XZ).

[0026] Preferably, the angle α can be included between about 20° and 60°, and even more preferably it is about 45°. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, when the width of the transport surface ST (along the direction Y) is about 3400 mm, the number of nozzles 42 is two, each nozzle being positioned at a distance of about 25 cm from the midpoint of the rod 41 and being inclined at 45° with respect to the direction Z, each nozzle facing the adjacent lateral side of the belt 11.

[0027] In fact, with such a number of nozzles, positioned at such a distance and oriented at such an angle towards the transport surface ST, it is possible to achieve high performance in the unfolding and folding, especially the upward flipping folding, with a very small number of nozzles, thus simplifying and optimizing the structural complexity and cost.

[0028] In another embodiment of the present invention, which corresponds to the example shown in the drawings, the number of nozzles is four, spaced apart in pairs by about 50 cm and equidistant from the midpoint of the rod 41; this arrangement is particularly effective, for example, when the hides to be transported are particularly large and occupy the entire belt in the transverse direction, or when pairs of hides transported side by side also occupy the entire belt in the transverse direction.

[0029] After the hides are positioned, the first jetting tool is driven simultaneously, earlier or later with respect to the rod member. In this regard, a programmable control function (typically of digital microprocessor nature) not shown can be responsible for automatically managing the device based on preset instructions in order to coordinate the operation of the two mechanical and pneumatic systems. Such a function / control will have features known per se or features that are clearly implementable in the context of industrial automation, which do not require detailed description for a person skilled in the art. Similarly, for the same reason, the features of the electrical, electronic and pneumatic circuits, the sensors, and the specifications of the motorization and actuation, as well as generally the specific construction methods of the mechanical connections, are not illustrated or described.

[0030] In operation, by causing the hide to fall onto the transport surface ST, the hide enters the action range of the rod 31, which initially captures the hide in the closed position (i.e., aligned along the transverse direction Y) and then opens, such that the hide unfolds in all directions due to the aforementioned opening by pivoting, eliminating any improper folding, particularly but not exclusively on the front part of the hide. Then, pneumatic jets also intervene to prevent the rod from creating unwanted folds or overlaps on the material and / or to complete the process of flattening any residual creases.

[0031] According to an embodiment variant, the rod 31 can also be equipped with a second air jet tool, thus integrating two functions in a single component (while also retaining the presence of the first external jet tool). Thus, the use of a hollow rod that acts as an air distributor and is equipped with nozzles or an integrated air knife can be provided, particularly using the return movement towards the closed position to also emit a stable jet of material.

[0032] Furthermore, in order to avoid the single rod, such as those described above, from catching on the holes of the hide, as in Figure 8 the example, a double rod can be provided at least at its final elongated portion 131. As an alternative, the rectification or shaping can be carried out on one or more rods such that the said final portion is shaped according to the configuration of the claws.

[0033] In addition, a crease control sensor (a thickness sensor, such as a barrier, profiler or other sensor) can be provided to verify the presence of creases and to evaluate the effectiveness of the action of the (mechanical and pneumatic) unfolding tools in order to carry out subsequent actions, such as repeating the drive itself or stopping the production line to avoid damage or process problems.

[0034] Instead of a belt conveyor, a two-way ball conveyor can also be used. This conveyor allows feeding in a first direction X and in a second advancing direction orthogonal to the first direction. In this sense, the two inlet and outlet edges of the conveyor will be continuous rather than opposed to each other. This variant of the conveyor can be suitable for performing automatic feeding using the sides of the production line or equipment, without the straight-line obstacle of the conveyor as in the previous embodiments.

[0035] The advantages of the device according to the present invention are obvious from the above description. A system is provided that ensures that the hide load for subsequent disposal has an arrangement that is substantially free of folds or creases, wrinkles or any significant flatness defects, with a performance level unprecedented in this field and actually requiring no labor. This is also the case if the hides being processed are very irregular, heavy or have different degrees of porosity.

[0036] The described device can be part of a facility for processing or machining flexible layered elements; generally, examples of production lines that can include such a device can include all production lines that use various types of conveyor belts or machinery that introduce belts / blankets.

[0037] Thus far, the present invention has been described with reference to preferred embodiments of the invention. It is intended that there may be other embodiments that relate to the core of the same invention, and all such embodiments fall within the scope of the claims indicated below.

Claims

1. An apparatus for supplying a flexible layered element to a processing production line of the flexible layered element, the apparatus comprising a transport surface (ST) adapted to transport the element according to at least one first forward direction (X), and a spreading tool for spreading individual flexible layered elements to assist their planar arrangement on the transport surface (ST), the apparatus being associated with or adapted to be associated with a feeding and releasing tool (2) for feeding and releasing individual flexible layered elements onto the transport surface (ST), and characterized in that, The deployment tool includes: a movable capture tool (3) for capturing the flexible layered element released from the feeding and releasing tool, the movable capture tool being operatively arranged at a certain height above the transport surface (ST) and having at least one movement component parallel to the transport surface (ST); the deployment tool further includes a first air jetting tool (4) configured to direct one or more air jets or air knives onto the flexible layered element against the transport surface (ST).

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, comprising a programmable control tool configured to drive at least the movable gripping tool (3) and the first air jet tool (4) in a coordinated manner.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, The movable capture tool (3) has at least one movement component in a transverse direction (Y) orthogonal to the first forward direction (X).

4. The apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein, The movable capture tool (3) includes one or more movable members (31) moving in a plane (XY) parallel to the transport surface (ST).

5. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein, The movable capture tool (3) includes one or more pivot members (31) pivoting about a hinge axis orthogonal to the transport surface (ST).

6. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein, The pivot members include one or more pairs of rods (31) arranged along the transport surface (ST), in each pair, the rods being hinged at their ends at the respective sides of the transport surface (ST) and being movable between a closed position and an open position, the closed position being aligned with each other according to the transverse direction (Y), for example along the inlet edge of the transport surface (ST) or near the inlet edge, in the open position, the rods rotating towards a parallel position relative to the forward direction (X), at least partially clearing the space above the transport surface (ST).

7. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein, The control tool is configured to drive the one or more pairs of rods in a coordinated manner.

8. The apparatus according to claim 6 or 7, wherein, Two or more pairs of rods are provided, the rods having different, partially or fully interfering processing ranges, and mutually consistent or different rotation speeds and directions.

9. The apparatus according to claim 8, comprising a first pair of rods and a second pair of rods (31’, 31”) arranged in sequence along the forward direction (X), wherein the first pair of rods (31’) is configured to rotate in one direction starting from the closed position such that the free ends reach the open position by pointing towards the inlet edge of the transport surface (ST), and the second pair of rods (31”) rotates in a direction opposite to the rotation direction of the first pair of rods, i.e., by making their free ends face the outlet edge of the transport surface (ST).

10. The apparatus according to any one of claims 6 to 9, wherein the rod has a double structure at least along its final part (131), or the final part is shaped according to a claw-like configuration.

11. The apparatus according to any one of claims 4 to 10, wherein the pivoting member (31) includes a second air jet tool.

12. The apparatus according to any one of claims 4 to 11, wherein, The first air jetting tool includes at least one tubular rod (41) and a plurality of jet nozzles (42) opened along the rod, the at least one tubular rod being adapted to distribute pneumatic flow and extending above the transport surface (ST).

13. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein,The rod (41) is arranged along the transverse direction downstream of the movable capture tool along the forward direction (X), for example along the outlet edge of the transport surface (ST).

14. The device according to claim 12 or 13, wherein, The nozzles (42) are configured to direct the pneumatic flow at an angle (α) included between about 5° and 85° relative to the direction (Z) orthogonal to the transport surface (ST).

15. The device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the transport surface (ST) is the upper surface of a conveyor belt (11).

16. The device according to claim 14 or 15, wherein the nozzle is adjustable and / or orientable at least in a plane defined by the forward direction (X) and the direction (Z) orthogonal to the transport surface (ST).

17. The device according to any one of claims 12 to 16, wherein, The number of the nozzles (42) is two, each nozzle being arranged at a distance of about 25 cm from the midpoint of the rod (41), each nozzle being configured to direct the pneumatic flow towards the adjacent side surface of the transport surface (ST), the side surface being parallel to the forward direction (X).

18. The device according to any one of claims 12 to 16, wherein the number of nozzles (42) is four, spaced approximately 50 cm apart from each other, and are paired at the same distance from the midpoint of the rod (41).

19. The device according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising a control sensor system that is adapted to detect folding of the flexible layered element on the transport surface (ST).

20. A processing or treatment facility or production line for processing or treating flexible layered elements, comprising the device according to any one of the preceding claims.

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