Surface grabber

Abstract

Surface gripper for gripping wooden boards, with a suction box (10) which has an opening (11) for connection to a vacuum source, a suction plate (16) which is arranged on the underside of the suction box (10) has suction openings and carries on its underside a foam mat (16b) which has an opening in the area of ​​each individual suction opening, and Valves (15) which are each assigned to an intake opening and which close this opening in a first state and release it in a second state, characterized in that the intake openings in a plate body (16a) of the suction plate (16) are designed as bores which are provided with an internal thread, and the valves (15) have a valve housing with an external thread which is screwed into the internal thread.

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a surface gripper. A surface gripper with the features specified in the preamble of claim 1 is known from DE 20 2011 050 443 U1.

[0002] Area grippers for the wood industry have a suction box that is connected to a vacuum source, such as a suction pump, and on its underside has a suction plate with suction openings. Each of these suction openings is assigned a valve in the suction box, which closes the corresponding suction opening in a first state and opens the corresponding suction opening in a second state. If the suction opening is not closed by being placed against a board to be gripped, the valve changes to its first state and closes to prevent unnecessary suction of air. If the suction opening is closed by a board to be gripped, the valve changes to its second state and opens, so that negative pressure is applied to the gripped board and it can thus be sucked in, i.e. gripped and lifted.The suction plate of the area gripper has a foam mat on its underside, each with an opening in the area of ​​the individual suction ports. The foam mat compensates for unevenness when the suction plate is placed against the sheet to be gripped and ensures that no unnecessary air is sucked in through the suction ports.

[0003] Area grippers in the wood industry are subject to considerable stress, particularly from the rough surfaces of the boards to be gripped, as well as from contamination such as dust, sawdust, resin, and the like. Area grippers therefore require frequent maintenance. The object of the present invention is to demonstrate a way to facilitate maintenance and reduce maintenance-related failures of suction boxes.

[0004] This object is achieved by a surface gripper having the features specified in claim 1. Advantageous developments of the invention are the subject of subclaims.

[0005] In a vacuum gripper according to the invention, the valves are attached to the suction plate and can be removed from the suction box together with the suction plate. Maintenance can be made significantly easier by removing the suction plate from the suction box and replacing it with another suction plate with attached valves. The removed suction plate can then be serviced in a workshop, while the vacuum gripper can continue working with a different suction plate. To maintain a suction plate, the foam mat can be removed from the sheet metal of the suction plate, and valves that are no longer functional due to contamination, especially dust, sawdust, or resin, can be cleaned and restored to working order.

[0006] The intake openings are formed as holes in the plate body of the suction plate, each provided with an internal thread. The valves have a valve housing with an external thread that is screwed into the internal thread. This allows valves to be easily removed from the suction plate for maintenance purposes and replaced as needed. Furthermore, a screw connection can easily create an airtight connection between the valve housings and the suction plate, thus avoiding unnecessary pressure loss during operation. The plate body can be made of plastic, especially hard plastic, or sheet metal, for example.

[0007] The suction plate can form a base of the suction box. However, it is preferable for the suction plate to be arranged on the underside of a base of the suction box provided with suction openings. A suction box with a base is more mechanically resilient and facilitates the attachment and removal of a suction plate.

[0008] An advantageous development of the invention provides that, during operation, negative pressure is applied to the entire interior of the suction box. The suction openings of the suction plate are thus connected across the entire interior of the suction box to the opening provided in the suction box for connection to a negative pressure source. This is a significant difference from the area gripper known from DE 20 2011 050 443 U1, whose suction box contains hoses via which valves in the suction openings of the suction plate are pneumatically coupled to the connection opening through which the suction box is connected to a negative pressure source during operation.

[0009] A further advantageous development of the invention provides that the suction plate has an intermediate plate which is arranged between the plate body and the foam mat. This intermediate plate preferably has suction openings whose diameter is smaller than the diameter of the suction openings of the plate body and in particular also smaller than the diameter of a closing body of the respective valve which is movable in the valve housing. If the plate body is connected to the intermediate plate, for example by means of screws, the intermediate plate holds the closing body in the valve housing. If the intermediate plate is separated from the plate body, the closing body falls out of the valve housing, which facilitates cleaning of the components of the valve. The intermediate plate is preferably made of sheet metal, but can also be made of plastic, for example.

[0010] The plate body is preferably thicker than the intermediate plate. This makes it easier to cut internal threads into the intake openings of the plate body, which hold the valves. Plastic is a preferred material for the intermediate plate due to its relatively low weight. For the intermediate plate, however, a thinner thickness is sufficient. For mechanical reasons, the intermediate plate is preferably made of sheet metal.

[0011] A further advantageous development of the invention provides that the suction plate is attached to the suction box with locking clamps. For example, the suction plate can have a raised edge that rests against an outer side of the suction box and has a projection that forms part of a closure. The raised edge is preferably formed as part of the intermediate plate.

[0012] Further details and advantages of the invention are explained using an exemplary embodiment with reference to the accompanying drawings. They show: Fig. 1 a sectional view of a surface gripper; and Fig. 2 a view to Fig. 1 when removing the suction plate.;

[0013] Fig. Figure 1 shows a sectional view of a surface gripper 1 for gripping wooden boards. The surface gripper 1 has a suction box 10, which has an opening 11 for connection to a vacuum source, such as a suction pump. A suction plate 16 is arranged on the underside of the suction box 10. The suction plate has a raised edge 13 that rests against an outer side of the suction box 10 and is secured there to the suction box 10 by means of locking clamps 14, in particular by means of U-clamps. Fig. 2 shows in a view according to Fig.1 the area gripper 1 with open locking clamps 14 when removing the suction plate 16 from the suction box 10.

[0014] The suction box 10 has a base 10a, on the underside of which the suction plate 16 is arranged. The suction plate 10 has suction openings, each of which is assigned a valve 15 that closes the respective suction opening in a first state and opens it in a second state. The valves 15 protrude through openings in the base 10a of the suction box 10 into the interior of the suction box 10. The base 10a increases the mechanical stability of the suction box 10. The openings in the base 10a of the suction box 10 can each be provided for a group of valves 15, for example, 2 to 8 valves each, or for only a single valve 15 each.

[0015] The suction plate 16 comprises a plate body 16a, on the underside of which a foam mat 16b is arranged, each of which has an opening, for example in the form of a slot, in the area of ​​the individual suction openings. In the illustrated embodiment, an intermediate plate 16c is arranged between the foam mat 16b and the plate body 16a. However, the foam mat 16b can also be glued directly to the underside of the plate body.

[0016] The intermediate plate 16c can be attached to the plate body 16a by means of screws. The intake openings of the suction plate 16 are smaller in the intermediate plate 16c than in the plate body 16a. The closing bodies of the valves 15, which are movable in the respective valve housings, do not fit through the intake openings of the intermediate plate 16c and are therefore held in the valve housing by the latter. When the intermediate plate 16c is separated from the plate body 16a, the closing bodies can slide out of the valve housing and can then be easily cleaned, just like the valve housing 15a.

[0017] By opening the locking clamps 14, the suction plate 16 can be easily removed from the suction box 10 for maintenance purposes. During maintenance of the valves 15 or the replacement of the foam mat 16b, another suction plate 16 can be attached to the suction box 10, allowing the area gripper 1 to continue operating. List of reference symbols 1 area gripper 10 suction box 10a Floor 11 Connection opening 13 raised edge 14 locking clamps 15 Valve 16 suction plate 16a plate body 16b foam mat 16c intermediate plate QUOTES CONTAINED IN THE DESCRIPTION

[0000] This list of documents submitted by the applicant was generated automatically and is included solely for the convenience of the reader. This list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA assumes no liability for any errors or omissions. Cited patent literature

[0000] DE 20 2011 050 443 U1 [0001, 0008]

Claims

[1] Surface gripper for gripping wooden boards, with a suction box (10) having an opening (11) for connection to a vacuum source, a suction plate (16) which is arranged on an underside of the suction box (10), has suction openings, and carries on its underside a foam mat (16b) which has an opening in the area of ​​each individual suction opening, and valves (15) each associated with a suction opening and closing it in a first state and releasing it in a second state, characterized by , that the suction openings in a plate body (16a) of the suction plate (16) are designed as bores provided with an internal thread, and the valves (15) have a valve housing with an external thread that is screwed into the internal thread [2] Surface gripper according to claim 1, characterized bythat the suction plate (16) has an intermediate plate (16c) which is arranged between the plate body (16a) and the foam mat (16b), wherein the suction openings of the intermediate plate (16b) have a smaller width than the suction openings of the plate body (16a) and a smaller width than a closing body (15b) movable in the valve housing (15a) of the valve assigned to the respective suction opening. [3] Surface gripper according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the suction plate (16) is fastened to the suction box (10) with locking clamps. [4] Surface gripper according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the suction plate (16) has a raised edge (13) which rests against an outer side of the suction box (10). [5] Surface gripper according to claim 4, characterized by that the raised edge (13) is part of the intermediate plate (16b). [6] Surface gripper according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the plate body (16a) of the suction plate (16) has no openings apart from the suction openings. [7] Surface gripper according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the suction box (10) has a base (10a) which has openings through which the valves (15) protrude, and on the underside of which the suction plate (16) is arranged. [8] Surface gripper according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the suction openings are pneumatically coupled over the entire interior of the suction box (10) to the opening (11) for connection to a vacuum source. [9] Surface gripper according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the entire interior of the suction box (10) can be connected to a vacuum source via the opening (11) for connection to a vacuum source.

Images