palletizing system

Abstract

Packaging system for processing outer packaging (K) to arrange it ready for shipment on a transport base (P), with a feeder station (10) for the delivery of outer packaging (K) containing shipping items, a discharge station (30) for the removal of outer packaging (K) arranged ready for shipment on a transport base (P), a control device (28) by which a positioning arrangement of the outer packagings (K) on the base (P) for a transport group (K1-K6) can be specified in advance, a robotic device (20) designed to remove individual outer packagings (K) one after the other from the feed station (10) and to place them on the base (P) at the discharge station (30) according to the positioning arrangement specified by the control device (28), and a labeling device (40) for printing or affixing a transport label to outer packaging (K), wherein the labeling device (40) is designed to print or label at least one of the outer packagings (K) on a side surface before it reaches the feed station (10). characterized in that the labeling device (40) is designed to maintain the positioning arrangement of the outer packagings (K) on the substrate (P) specified by the control device (28), and to print or label the at least one outer packaging (K) on a side surface which, in the transport group (K1-K6), according to the specified positioning arrangement of the outer packagings (K) on the substrate (P), represents an outwardly visible side surface of the transport group (K1-K6) as a whole.

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a palletizing system, i.e., a system that arranges outer packaging (especially empty cartons) filled with shipping items (in particular paper or cardboard blanks for folding boxes) ready for shipment on a transport surface (in particular a Euro pallet or an industrial pallet made of wood or plastic). A robotic device is typically used that can grip the outer packaging, rotate it freely in space, and place it precisely on the surface – optionally stacked in several layers. The palletizing system selects the most space-saving positioning arrangement of the outer packaging on the transport surface so that as many outer packages as possible can be transported efficiently on a single transport surface.

[0002] Once the transport tray is fully assembled, the resulting group of outer packaging, as determined by the positioning arrangement, is labeled with a transport label using a labeling device. The transport label typically contains important information for the onward transport of the outer packaging group, such as sender, recipient, contents, weight, etc. Before or after the transport label is applied, the outer packaging group is usually wrapped in plastic film to protect it from moisture and increase transport safety. Transport labels (also called pallet labels) are generally much larger (e.g., A4 or A5) than the standard labels of approximately 6 cm x 12 cm that are already affixed to individual outer packaging cartons for informational purposes.

[0003] In conventional palletizing systems, the shipping label is only applied once the entire outer packaging group is placed on the transport surface according to the positioning arrangement. This is disadvantageous because the required labeling device must first be adjusted in height, length, and width to precisely print or affix the shipping label to the desired side of the outer packaging (the side facing outwards in the entire transport group). The adjustment and printing process can be time-consuming because the required xyz coordinates vary depending on the packaging shape and the selected positioning arrangement. This is particularly significant when—as some suppliers require—all four outward-facing sides of the outer packaging group must be labeled with at least one shipping label.

[0004] CN 109 850 291 A discloses a packaging system with the features in the preamble of claim 1. Further conventional packaging systems are described in DE 198 20 537 A, DE 10 2019 113 129 B4 and DE 10 2007 016 727 B4.

[0005] The object of the present invention is to overcome these disadvantages and to create a palletizing system with labeling device that is as economical and space-saving as possible, whereby the system should be superior to or at least equivalent to conventional systems in terms of processing speed.

[0006] The present invention solves this problem through the system with the features of claim 1. The remaining claims relate to preferred embodiments.

[0007] According to the present invention, the labeling device is not operated at the end of the palletizing process, as previously, but rather before the outer packaging reaches a feed station of the robotic device. This utilizes the fact that the positioning arrangement of the individual outer packagings on the substrate can be precisely defined by the control device of the robotic device. Thus, even before the packaging reaches the feed station, the spatial position and orientation of each individual outer packaging within the ready-to-ship transport group are known. According to the invention, this knowledge is used to print or label the side surface of at least one outer packaging that will face outwards and therefore be visible, based on the positioning arrangement of the individual outer packagings on the substrate, which can be defined by the control device of the robotic device.Because the xyz coordinates for printing or labeling individual outer packaging vary less than for a transport group composed of many outer packaging in three dimensions, the labeling process can be significantly simplified and accelerated.

[0008] The labeling device is configured to receive or store the positioning arrangement of the outer packaging on the base specified by the control device. It then uses this information to print or label the outer packaging on precisely the side surface that will be visible from the outside of the entire transport group, based on the specified positioning arrangement of the outer packaging on the base. The labeling device can receive the positioning arrangement information via a direct communication link to the control device, or it can be entered manually or via a data carrier at the labeling device.

[0009] It is possible, and particularly preferred, that the control device is connected to the labeling device via a wireless and / or wired communication means. In this case, the labeling device can not only receive the specified positioning arrangement via the communication means, but also inform the control device via the communication means which side surface of the outer packaging has actually been printed or labeled. The control device can then check whether this side surface, according to the specified positioning arrangement of the outer packaging on the substrate, represents an externally visible side surface of the entire transport group. If the result of the check by the control device is negative, it can automatically or by prompting a user to change the positioning arrangement of the outer packaging on the substrate so that the side surface represents an externally visible side surface of the entire transport group.In this way, the labeling device can print or affix labels to the outer packaging on the side surface that is most accessible at the labeling device's location. The control device then adjusts the positioning of the outer packaging on the base so that the printed side is not an outward-facing side of the entire packaging group, visible during transport. This makes the labeling process more flexible and therefore more time-efficient, because otherwise necessary rotation of the outer packaging at so-called rotary stations on the conveyor line can be eliminated.

[0010] According to one embodiment, the feed station is part (preferably the end) of an automated conveyor line for the sequential transport of outer packaging, in particular a roller conveyor, and the labeling device is arranged next to the conveyor line in such a way that it can label or print on at least one side of the outer packaging being conveyed. This positioning of the labeling device is advantageous because the outer packaging is conveyed at a precisely defined height and speed along the conveyor line, making the adjustment required for the labeling process particularly easy. Several labeling devices can also be arranged next to the conveyor line, in particular on the right and left sides, but also above the conveyed outer packaging, in order to label or print on different side surfaces of the conveyed outer packaging simultaneously or sequentially.This allows the labeling process to be accelerated by parallelization, or the labeling device suitable for a desired side surface to be controlled without having to rotate or otherwise align the outer packaging beforehand.

[0011] Preferably, the palletizing system according to the invention includes a rotary station for rotating individual outer packagings conveyed on the conveyor about a vertical axis, particularly in 90° increments. The labeling device can then apply labels or prints to the outer packagings conveyed on the conveyor before and / or after they have been rotated about the vertical axis on the rotary station. In this way, plant costs can be minimized because all four horizontal sides of the outer packagings can be reached by a single labeling device, thus eliminating the acquisition and operating costs of additional labeling devices.

[0012] A robotic device particularly suitable for the present invention is one that can pivot about a vertical axis and has at least one robot arm, at the end of which a working head is provided. By adjusting the robot arm to different rotational positions around a stationary robot base, the working head can reach the feed station, a storage location for new documents (i.e., in particular empty pallets), a storage stack for protective elements (in particular interleaves) for insertion between outer packaging, a storage stack for empty documents, and / or the target pallet at the discharge station. The lifting device for outer packaging and a gripping device for the empty pallets can then be arranged particularly efficiently on the working head of the robot arm.The robot is preferably also capable of placing the outer packaging on the target pallet in several layers and positioning a protective element between each layer, in particular an intermediate sheet made of paper, cardboard, or plastic. In the lowest and / or top layer, the protective element can also be a panel, in particular a wooden board.

[0013] A conventional palletizing system and exemplary embodiments of the invention are described in more detail below with reference to the figures. These show: Fig. 1. A schematic top view of a conventional palletizing system, Fig. 2 a schematic top view of a transport base with a group of goods consisting of six outer packages arranged on it in a positioning arrangement, ready for transport, Fig. 3 a schematic top view of a palletizing system according to a first embodiment of the invention, and Fig. 4 A schematic top view of a palletizing system according to a second embodiment of the invention.

[0014] The one in Fig. The conventional palletizing system shown in Figure 1 is located in an area secured by wire mesh, also known as a robot cell. In the embodiment shown here, to which the invention is not limited, the robot cell is delimited by a safety cage 1, which has several secured access points. These include, firstly, an inlet gate 2 for full (i.e., containing ready-to-ship items) outer packaging cartons K and an outlet gate 3 for full (i.e., loaded with multiple outer packaging cartons K) pallets P, and secondly, access points for operating personnel; in the example shown, a sliding gate 4 near the stack 50 for the intermediate arches serving as protective elements and another access door 5 at the stack 60 containing empty pallets. Empty pallets P are placed on the stack 60, for example, using a pallet truck through the access door 5. The protective elements are also placed on the stack 50 through the sliding gate 4.The spot on the ground where the stack of 60 is to be piled up can be specified, for example, by two angles dowelled into the ground.

[0015] The outer packaging units K are loaded with the ready-to-ship folding carton blanks at the output end or filling station of a folding carton gluing machine (not shown) and then transported in the direction 12 on the roller conveyor 11 through the feed gate 2 to the feed station 10 in the safety cage 1. The feed station 10 is also referred to as the "pick-up point" and, in this example, represents the end section of the conveyor system from the folding carton gluing machine to the palletizing station, already located within the safety cage 1. The robotic device 20 for palletizing the individual outer packaging units K is located in the safety cage 1.

[0016] The robotic device 20 is implemented by a robot whose base 22 rests on a raised plinth 24 with four legs. A swiveling robot arm 21 is articulated to the base 22, the working head 23 of which (hereinafter also referred to as gripper) is rotatable about the longitudinal axis of the robot arm 21 and, by rotating movements of the robot arm 21 about the stationary base 22, can reach the feed station 10 (also referred to as pick-up point), as well as the stack of protective elements 50, the stack of empty pallets 60 and the target pallet at the discharge station 30.

[0017] A lifting device is attached to the working head 23, also referred to as a gripper, to remove an empty pallet P from the stack of empty pallets 60 and place it at the discharge station 30. The working head 23 then successively grasps individual packaging cartons K at the feed station 10 and places them in a specific arrangement on the target pallet P at the discharge station 30, an arrangement defined by the control device 28. In one example, this arrangement consists of six packaging cartons K1-K6. Fig. Figure 2 shows that the working head 23 has a gripping device that can lift individual outer packaging units K, transport them through the air in all three spatial dimensions by rotating the robot arm 21 around the stationary robot base 22 resting on the plinth 24, and then place them with positional and orientation accuracy at the discharge station 30 defined by the control device 28. However, this is only to be understood as a particularly preferred embodiment. A robotic device 20 that can only move in an xy-axis system is also sufficient for certain applications and is included within the scope of the present invention as a cost-effective alternative.

[0018] In the example shown, as in Fig. Figure 2 shows four outer cartons K1-K4 arranged transversely and two outer cartons K5 and K6 arranged lengthwise along the pallet P. This specific grid-like arrangement is only an example. Depending on the size of the outer cartons K and the available loading space on the pallet P, other arrangements on the pallet P may be advantageous and are preset accordingly by the control device 28.

[0019] Once all outer packaging K of a level has been placed at the discharge station 30 by the robot 20, it removes an intermediate sheet from the stack 50, provided that another level of outer packaging K is to be placed on top of it. For this purpose, the work head 23 has an additional device, e.g., operating with negative pressure, by means of which it can lift the intermediate sheet upwards, move it over the discharge station 30 by means of a pivoting motion, and place it there. Now, if necessary, another level of outer cartons K can be placed on the first level – preferably in a positioning arrangement rotated by 90° to improve the stability of the outer carton stack.

[0020] Once all levels of outer cartons K are placed on the pallet P at the discharge station, the ready-to-ship transport group K1-K6 is brought out of the safety cage through the discharge gate 3 in order to be transported away (e.g. by means of a pallet truck) and then labelled or printed by one or more labeling devices 40.

[0021] Disadvantages of the conventional system according to Fig. 1. The labeling process is time-consuming and space-intensive. Due to the varying sizes of the palletized, ready-to-ship outer packaging groups at the discharge station 30, the printhead of the labeling device 40 must first be adjusted to the desired xyz position on a side of the transport group K1-K6 before printing or applying the shipping label. This is particularly time-consuming if the transport group K1-K6 is to be labeled with at least one shipping label on each of its four sides. While the process can be parallelized if—as in Fig. Figure 1 shows four labeling devices (40) or at least two labeling devices in conjunction with a 90° rotation capability for the transport unit. However, this requires correspondingly higher acquisition and operating costs.

[0022] These problems are eliminated by the present invention, which will be explained below using two exemplary embodiments. Fig. 3 and Fig. 4 is shown. These are already included in the Fig. The elements described in section 1 are provided with the same reference symbols and fulfill the same function as in the conventional system of Fig. 1. To avoid unnecessary repetition, only the differences to the conventional system or between the individual implementation examples will be explained below.

[0023] In the first embodiment of the Fig. 3 the four labeling devices 40 are no longer as in the Fig. 1 after the discharge station 30, but rather on the roller conveyor 11 – specifically at a position upstream of the feed station 10 in the direction of travel 12. In the example shown, not only is a labeling device 40 arranged to the left and right of the roller conveyor 11, but (schematically in Fig. 3 (marked only by an arrow each) also in the direction of travel 12, a labeling device 40 is positioned upstream and downstream. These two further labeling devices 40 are located above or below the transport path of the outer packagings P in such a way that they do not impede their transport on the conveyor line 11.

[0024] The four labeling devices 40 allow each outer packaging carton K transported on the roller conveyor 11 to be labelled or printed with a transport label on all four of its horizontally facing outwards. Furthermore, the labeling device 40 can position the transport label (also known as a pallet label) almost freely on the four possible sides. This means that the height and lateral orientation can vary – even on each side. As can be seen from the in Fig. As can be seen in the positioning arrangement shown in 2, in a typical grouping of the outer packaging cartons K1-K6, only 1-2 side surfaces of each carton K point outwards in the transport group K1-K6 as a whole.

[0025] The present invention takes advantage of the fact that the subsequent positioning arrangement of the cartons K on the pallet P is already known when the individual cartons K are conveyed on the conveyor line 11 to the feed station 10. This is because the positioning arrangement can be predefined in the control device 28 of the robot 20. For example, it is known in advance that carton K2 will be positioned transversely to the longitudinal direction of the pallet P and between cartons K1 and K3. Therefore, the labeling device 40 is controlled so that – when carton K2 is to be labeled – it only applies the label to the carton in the pallet P. Fig. The top side of the carton is labelled. For carton K5, it would be the bottom long side or the left-hand side, etc.

[0026] The positioning arrangement can be transmitted directly from the control device 28 to the labeling devices 40 (e.g., via wireless or wired communication). This allows even short-term changes to the positioning arrangement to be communicated promptly. However, it is also conceivable, for example, to provide fixed control modes for both the control device 28 and the labeling devices 40, each with specific predefined positioning arrangements. If the control device 28 and the labeling devices 40 are operated in the same control mode, they will operate from the same positioning arrangement and thus be coordinated.

[0027] In the second embodiment of the Fig. Only one labeling device 40 is provided on conveyor line 11. For this purpose, conveyor line 11 has a rotary station 13 at which a carton K positioned in front of the labeling device 40 can be rotated in 90° increments around its vertical axis. In this way, all four horizontally outward-facing sides of a carton K can be printed or labeled with only one labeling device 40 (with only a slight reduction in the conveying speed on the roller conveyor 11). This eliminates, for example, the need for multiple labeling devices compared to the one described in [reference missing]. Fig. 1. The plant shown represents 3 / 4 of the acquisition and operating costs for the labeling devices 40, with only slightly higher costs due to the additional rotary station 13.

[0028] To increase speed, an additional rotary station can be provided at the feed station 10 (according to a variant not specifically shown in the figures), or rotations can be performed there by the robotic device 20. This allows the orientation to be changed, if necessary, during a short waiting phase that occurs anyway at the feed station 10, without the outer packaging carton K having to remain at the rotary station 13 and thus without affecting the overall conveying speed of the conveyor system. A rotation step can also be deliberately omitted, and instead, the control device 28 can be informed (e.g., via communication devices connecting the control device 28 to the labeling device) of the need for a corresponding adjustment of the positioning arrangement. Thus, if, for reasons of efficiency, the labeling device 40 does not want to rotate the carton K6 and instead of on the in Fig. 2. The lower long side is on the side in Fig. If the transport label is printed or affixed to the upper longitudinal side of the carton, the labeling device 40 communicates this to the control device 28, which then adjusts the positioning arrangement so that the carton K6 is positioned in an orientation opposite the one shown in the diagram. Fig. The arrangement shown in 2 is rotated 180° around the vertical axis.

[0029] According to another variant of the invention, not specifically shown in the figures, the rotary station 13 can also be omitted entirely. Instead, in addition to the one described in Fig.In addition to the labeling device 40 shown in Figure 4, a further labeling device is provided, which is arranged offset by 90° (i.e., above or below the conveyor line 11). The two labeling devices then each reach one long side and one short side of each carton K. If the printed or labeled side surface does not face outwards according to the positioning arrangement specified by the control device 28 in the transport group K1-K6, the robotic device 20 in cell 1 takes over the rotation of the carton K that would otherwise be performed by the rotary station 13.

[0030] Another optimization possibility is that the control device 28 monitors the labeling carried out by the labeling device 40 (e.g. by reading the labeling control data or by cameras) and then adjusts the positioning arrangement of the cartons K so that the side surfaces of the cartons K bearing the transport label also face outwards in the transport group K1-K6 and thus remain visible.

[0031] In summary, the present invention relates to a packaging system for arranging outer packaging K on a transport base P. A robotic device 20 arranges the individual outer packaging K, and its control device 28 specifies the positioning arrangement of the outer packaging K on the base P. According to the invention, the outer packaging K is printed or labeled with a transport label by means of a labeling device 40 before the outer packaging K reaches a feed station 10 of the robotic device 20. Thus, the labeling device 40 can only print or label the outer packaging K precisely on those side surfaces that, in the transport group K1-K6, represent the outwardly visible side surfaces of the transport group K1-K6 as a whole, according to the positioning arrangement of the outer packaging K on the base P specified by the control device 28. Reference symbol list 1 safety cage 2 feeder locks for full outer packaging 3 discharge gates for full pallets 4 sliding gate 5 doors 10 Feed station or pick-up point in the end area of ​​the conveyor system 11 Conveyor road / roller track to the feeder station 12 Direction of travel 13 Rotating Station 20 robotic device 21 robot arm 22 robot base 23 Working head or gripper 24 sockets 28 Control device 30 Exit Station 40 label printers 50 stacks of protective elements 60 stacks of empty pallets K, K1-K6 Outer packaging / cardboard P Base / Pallet

Claims

[1] Packaging system for processing outer packaging (K) to arrange it ready for shipment on a transport base (P), with a feeder station (10) for the delivery of outer packaging (K) containing shipping items, a discharge station (30) for the removal of outer packaging (K) arranged ready for shipment on a transport base (P), a control device (28) by which a positioning arrangement of the outer packagings (K) on the base (P) for a transport group (K1-K6) can be specified in advance, a robotic device (20) designed to remove individual outer packagings (K) one after the other from the feed station (10) and to place them on the base (P) at the discharge station (30) according to the positioning arrangement specified by the control device (28), and a labeling device (40) for printing or affixing a transport label to outer packaging (K), wherein the labeling device (40) is designed to print or label at least one of the outer packagings (K) on a side surface before it reaches the feed station (10). characterized by , that the labeling device (40) is designed to maintain the positioning arrangement of the outer packagings (K) on the substrate (P) specified by the control device (28), and to print or label at least one outer packaging (K) on a side surface which, in the transport group (K1-K6), represents an outwardly visible side surface of the transport group (K1-K6) as a whole, according to the specified positioning arrangement of the outer packagings (K) on the substrate (P). [2] System according to claim 1, wherein the control device (28) is connected to the labeling device (40) via a wireless and / or wired communication means, and the labeling device (40) is designed to communicate to the control device (28) via the means of communication which side surface of the at least one outer packaging (K) it has printed or labelled. [3] System according to claim 2, wherein the control device (28) is designed to to check whether the side surface communicated by the labeling device (40) via the communication means, in accordance with the specified positioning arrangement of the outer packaging (K) on the base (P), represents an externally visible side surface of the transport group (K1-K6) as a whole, and If the result of the check by the control device (28) is negative, the positioning arrangement of the outer packagings (K) on the base (P) is changed automatically or by prompting a user input so that the communicated side surface represents an externally visible side surface of the transport group (K1-K6) as a whole. [4] System according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the feed station (10) is part of an automatic conveyor line (11) for the sequential conveying of the outer packaging (K), in particular a roller conveyor, and the labeling device (40) is arranged next to the conveyor line (11) in such a way that it can label or print on at least one side surface of the outer packaging (K) conveyed on it. [5] System according to claim 4, wherein several labeling devices (40) are arranged next to the conveyor line (11) to label or print on different side surfaces of outer packagings (K) conveyed thereon simultaneously or successively. [6] System according to claim 4 or 5, further comprising a rotary station (13) for rotating individual outer packagings (K) conveyed on the conveyor line (11) about a vertical axis, preferably in steps of 90°, wherein the labeling device (40) is designed to label or print on outer packagings (K) conveyed on the conveyor line (11) before and / or after their rotation about the vertical axis on the rotary station (13). [7] System according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the robotic device (20) is designed to place the outer packaging (K) on the base (P) in several levels and to arrange a protective element between each level, in particular an intermediate sheet made of paper, cardboard or plastic. [8] System according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the robotic device (20) comprises a robot arm (21) with a working head (23), and the robotic device (20) preferably comprises a stationary base (22) about which the robot arm (21) is pivotably mounted so that the working head (23) of the robot arm (21) can reach the feed station (10), a storage stack (50) for protective elements, a storage stack (60) for blank documents (P) and / or the discharge station (30) by adjusting different rotational positions about the base (22). [9] System according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the shipping items are paper or cardboard blanks, in particular folding carton blanks from a folding carton gluing machine upstream of the feed station (10), and / or the base (P) is a pallet, in particular a Euro pallet or an industrial pallet made of wood or plastic, and / or the outer packaging (K) are empty cartons.

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