Gripper head and method for gripping and manipulating piece goods

Abstract

The invention relates to a gripper head (1) for gripping piece goods (3). The gripper head (1) has a first gripper bar (7) and a second gripper bar (8) which can carry out an advancing movement in order to receive at least one piece good (3) in a clamping manner and which are secured to a gripper base (5) of the gripper head (1). The gripper head (1) additionally comprises at least one support bar (9) for piece goods (3), said support bar being located between the first gripper bar (7) and the second gripper bar (8) and being held against the gripper base (5) via at least one bearing (4). The at least one support bar (9) is movably held relative to the gripper base (5) via the at least one bearing (4) such that the range (R2) of the at least one support bar (9) can be adaped by moving relative to the gripper base (5), said range starting from the gripper base (5).

Description

[0001] Gripper head and method for gripping and manipulating piece goods

[0002] The present invention relates to a gripper head for gripping piece goods, a turning and distribution system for piece goods with such a gripper head and a method for gripping and manipulating piece goods.

[0003] In order to arrange piece goods in the field of packing and palletizing technology in a relative arrangement suitable for forming a palletizable layer, grippers are already known from the prior art. These grippers have several bars designed to clamp piece goods. In previously known grippers, these bars or clamping bars can perform a feed movement, whereby piece goods are held between the bars under force, and the gripper can then rotate the held piece goods and / or shift them relative to other piece goods. After rotation and / or shifting, the bars can be opened or their relative distance from one another can be increased, thereby releasing the previously clamped piece goods.

[0004] The piece goods can, for example, be bundles with multiple beverage containers, so that a corresponding gripper can receive such bundles and then rotate or move them as needed. For example, bundles are known in which multiple beverage containers are held together by means of strapping and / or a banderol. In addition, there are bundles in which articles are held together by a so-called tray on which multiple beverage containers stand and which tray has side flaps that have been converted into an upright orientation. For some time now, bundles have also been known in which beverage containers are held together by a flat packaging blank that is clipped onto the respective beverage containers from above. Such packaging blanks, known in practice as top clips, can be made of cardboard and / or paperboard.

[0005] Grippers are already known from the prior art that can clamp one or more containers that have been moved one after the other into the gripper's working area. Furthermore, grippers are known that can clamp containers that reach the gripper's working area next to one another. In such embodiments, the containers that are arranged next to one another are brought together during an infeed movement of the gripper bars. Practice has shown that subsequent manipulation of containers often leads to the containers held clamped by the gripper shifting, which can be particularly the case when the containers rotate via the gripper.

[0006] To avoid such problems, grippers are known that have at least one separating or supporting plate arranged between the gripper bars. If several adjacent containers are grasped by a gripper, each container comes into surface contact with the separating or supporting plate, which can prevent the containers from accidentally detaching from the gripper during subsequent handling. Such a gripper is known from EP 4 067 271 A1.

[0007] Thus, depending on the particular manipulation to be performed, at least one corresponding separator or support plate is either necessary or useful, or can be completely omitted if the particular manipulation does not require such a separator or support plate. If a gripper is to be used for different manipulation tasks, the gripper must therefore be adapted to the respective manipulation task. This may require attaching at least one separator or support plate to the gripper or removing at least one separator or support plate from the gripper.

[0008] Options that could shorten changeover times for a gripper or even eliminate the need for such changeover work entirely would be desirable. Grippers that offer greater flexibility in receiving piece goods than current grippers would also be desirable.

[0009] It is also the case that the gripper cannot be adjusted or converted within a work program, as this would require manual operator intervention. If, within the respective work program, piece goods that are provided via a single-lane feed are to be gripped and, immediately following this, piece goods that are provided via a two-lane feed are to be gripped, grippers known from the state of the art cannot fulfill this task. However, such gripping can be useful or even necessary in order to be able to transfer piece goods through manipulation into an arrangement that is coordinated with a palletizable layer to be formed from the piece goods. Grippers that can fulfill this task would be desirable.

[0010] For this reason, one object of the invention can be seen in providing a way to further increase flexibility in different manipulation tasks. Another object of the invention can be seen in providing a way to at least shorten or even completely eliminate changeover times for a gripper when switching between different manipulation tasks.

[0011] The above objects are achieved by the subject matter comprising the features in the independent claims. Further advantageous embodiments are described in the subclaims.

[0012] The invention relates to a gripper head for gripping piece goods. The gripper head has a first gripper bar and a second gripper bar, which can perform a feed movement for clamping the receipt of at least one piece of goods and are attached to a gripper base of the gripper head.

[0013] In this case, the first gripper bar and the second gripper bar may each perform a linear movement during the feed movement, or the first gripper bar and the second gripper bar may each be moved in a linear direction during the feed movement. Alternatively, the first gripper bar and the second gripper bar may each be pivoted during the feed movement.

[0014] In such embodiments, a first pivot axis provided for the first gripper bar and a second pivot axis provided for the second gripper bar can be oriented parallel to each other. If the gripper head is designed as part of a rotating and distributing system, as described below, the pivot axes can run parallel to the transport direction of at least one horizontal conveyor device of the rotating and distributing system.

[0015] The first gripper bar and the second gripper bar can, for example, be a gripper jaw, a pincer-shaped gripper arm, a sheet metal part, or another gripping structure. Alternatively or additionally, the first gripper bar and / or the second gripper bar can each have a profile and / or reversibly elastically deformable elements that are designed for surface contact with the respective piece goods to be clamped.

[0016] In such embodiments, the risk of the respective at least one piece of goods being clamped being damaged by contact with a gripper bar is reduced. If the first gripper bar and / or the second gripper bar have a profile, the static friction between the first gripper bar and / or the second gripper bar and the at least one piece of goods being clamped is increased, thereby reducing the risk of the at least one piece of goods being clamped by the first gripper bar and the second gripper bar becoming inadvertently detached from the gripper head.

[0017] The feature of the first gripper bar and the second gripper bar is therefore to be understood broadly in this case and includes any construction that is suitable for the clamped acceptance of piece goods.

[0018] Furthermore, the gripper head comprises at least one support bar for piece goods, which is located between the first gripper bar and the second gripper bar and is held on the gripper base by at least one bearing. It can be provided that

[0019] - the at least one support bar is held movable relative to the gripper base via the at least one bearing, so that the at least one support bar can adjust or change its range emanating from the gripper base by a movement relative to the gripper base and / or that

[0020] - the at least one support bar is held movable relative to the gripper base via the at least one bearing, so that the at least one support bar is moved away from a region between the two gripper bars by a movement relative to the gripper base.

[0021] The movement of the at least one support bar relative to the gripper base can be rotational or linear.

[0022] Alternatively or additionally, the at least one support bar may comprise at least two telescopic parts or be formed from at least two telescopic parts to adjust its reach extending from the gripper base. When at least two telescopic parts are described in the context of this patent application, this refers to at least two parts that can be pushed into and pulled apart from one another in order to adjust or change their reach extending from the gripper base.

[0023] The first gripper bar and / or the second gripper bar may also comprise at least one suction element, via which a vacuum can be created for the respective at least one piece of goods being clamped. This can minimize the risk of a respective piece of goods unintentionally detaching from the gripper head during manipulation via the gripper head. Embodiments in which the first gripper bar and / or the second gripper bar each comprise several suction elements, via which a vacuum can be created for the respective at least one piece of goods being clamped, have proven successful.

[0024] By adjusting the reach, the at least one support bar can provide a contact surface for several piece goods to be received in a clamped manner and can insert itself between adjacent piece goods to be received in a clamped manner if the at least one support bar extends away from the gripper base with a first reach. In addition, with an adjusted second reach that is reduced compared to the first reach, the at least one support bar cannot reach the respective at least one piece goods to be received in a clamped manner and can be located exclusively above the respective piece goods to be received in a clamped manner when the first gripper bar and the second gripper bar execute their feed movement. The gripper head according to the invention therefore has a high degree of flexibility with regard to the respective at least one piece goods to be received.

[0025] It may be that the at least one bearing is designed such that the at least one support bar is movable over a piece of goods relative to the gripper base by placing a free end region of the at least one support bar on a piece of goods.

[0026] It has proven useful in embodiments in which a reversibly elastically deformable contact element, particularly made of rubber or foam, is assigned to a free end region of the at least one support strip, which is intended for placement on a piece of goods. This can counteract damage to the respective piece of goods. Furthermore, the gripper head can comprise at least one actuator, via which the at least one support strip can be moved relative to the gripper base to adjust its reach extending from the gripper base. The at least one actuator can be attached to the gripper base.

[0027] In various embodiments, the gripper head can be designed to grasp unit loads, which are beverage containers. Such a beverage container can comprise several beverage bottles and / or several beverage cans, which are held together by at least one packaging means.

[0028] The bearing can also provide a linear guide for the movement of at least one support bar.

[0029] Alternatively or additionally, the at least one bearing may comprise at least one scissor mechanism, via which the at least one support bar is held movable relative to the gripper base via the at least one bearing, so that the at least one support bar can adjust its range emanating from the gripper base by a movement relative to the gripper base effected via the at least one scissor mechanism.

[0030] The scissor mechanism can comprise a plurality of scissor levers or exactly two scissor levers which are connected to one another in an articulated manner, so that the at least one support bar can adjust its reach emanating from the gripper base by a movement caused by the at least one scissor mechanism relative to the gripper base.

[0031] The gripper head may comprise exactly one support bar, with the exact one support bar being held on the gripper base via a bearing in such a way that the exact one support bar is movable only along its longitudinal direction relative to the gripper base. In particular, the exact one support bar may be held on the gripper base via a bearing in such a way that the exact one support bar has an identical distance from the first gripper bar and the second gripper bar. It is thus conceivable that the exact one support bar is held on the gripper base via a bearing with a degree of freedom f=1.

[0032] In further embodiments, the gripper head can comprise at least two support bars for piece goods, which are held on the gripper base via a respective bearing between the first gripper bar and the second gripper bar and are located between the first gripper bar and the second gripper bar. The bearings of the at least two support bars can be designed such that the at least two support bars can each be moved perpendicular to their longitudinal extent in a linear direction along the gripper base and can each adjust their reach emanating from the gripper base by a movement relative to the gripper base. The at least two support bars can each be held on the gripper base via a respective bearing with a degree of freedom f=2.

[0033] The invention also relates to a turning and distribution system for piece goods with at least one gripper head according to at least one of the previously described embodiments.

[0034] The rotation and distribution system can comprise at least one industrial robot on which the at least one gripper head is arranged, wherein the at least one industrial robot is a gantry robot and / or a delta kinematic robot.

[0035] Furthermore, the rotating and distributing system can comprise at least one horizontal conveyor, via which piece goods can be moved into a working area of ​​the at least one gripper head. The rotating and distributing system can be configured and equipped to handle the at least one gripper head in such a way that the at least one piece of goods maintains surface contact with the at least one horizontal conveyor during clamped receipt and manipulation via the at least one gripper head.

[0036] The turning and distribution system can also be configured and equipped to form an arrangement or a specific arrangement from a multitude of piece goods. The arrangement or the specific arrangement can be adapted to a palletizable layer to be formed from the multitude of piece goods.

[0037] The invention also relates to a method for gripping and manipulating piece goods using at least one gripper head according to at least one exemplary embodiment of the preceding description. In the method, piece goods are moved via at least one horizontal conveyor into a working area of ​​the at least one gripper head. The at least one gripper head then clamps at least one piece of goods by an advancing movement of its first gripper bar and its second gripper bar and manipulates the clamped at least one piece of goods.

[0038] It is provided that a range of the at least one support bar for clamping receipt of the respective at least one piece goods is adapted as required, so that the at least one support bar is either located with a first range emanating from the gripper base between several piece goods to be received together in a clamping manner or is located with a second range emanating from the gripper base, which is reduced compared to the first range, exclusively above the at least one piece goods to be received in a clamping manner.

[0039] The gripper head can comprise a scissor mechanism, via which the range of the at least one support bar for clamping the respective at least one piece of goods is adjusted as required.

[0040] It may be that a free end region of the at least one support bar is placed on a piece of goods to be received in a clamped manner, whereby the at least one support bar is moved relative to the gripper base and the previously formed first range of the at least one support bar is reduced to the second range of the at least one support bar.

[0041] In this process, the items can also be beverage containers.

[0042] It is conceivable that the at least one piece of goods received in a clamped manner is rotated and / or displaced diagonally to the transport direction of the at least one horizontal conveyor during the manipulation process. In this case, surface contact between the respective at least one piece of goods received in a clamped manner and the at least one horizontal conveyor may be maintained throughout the manipulation process.

[0043] Furthermore, it may be that the at least one gripper head forms a respective arrangement from a respective plurality of piece goods, which respective arrangement is matched to a palletizable layer to be formed from the respective plurality of piece goods, wherein the gripper head repeatedly clamps and manipulates at least one piece of goods moved into its working area to form the respective arrangement.

[0044] The arrangement can be designed such that a palletizable layer can be formed from the arrangement by pushing together the plurality of piece goods that form the respective arrangement. Accordingly, the respective arrangement can be formed by a plurality of piece goods that can be transferred into a respective palletizable layer by pushing them together.

[0045] It is conceivable that the at least one gripper head receives and manipulates piece goods from a first horizontal conveyor device and a second horizontal conveyor device in a clamping manner to form a respective arrangement, wherein the at least one support bar of the at least one gripper head is arranged exclusively with its first reach emanating from the gripper base between a plurality of piece goods to be received together in a clamping manner, when these plurality of piece goods to be received together are located on the first horizontal conveyor device.

[0046] Furthermore, it may be the case that the at least one support bar of the at least one gripper head is arranged exclusively with its second reach extending from the gripper base above piece goods to be received in a clamped manner, if these piece goods to be received in a clamped manner are located on the second horizontal conveyor device.

[0047] It may also be that at least one gripper head

[0048] - initially forms a first arrangement from a first plurality of piece goods, which first arrangement is adapted to a first palletizable layer to be formed from the first plurality of piece goods, wherein the gripper head, to form the first arrangement, repeatedly clamps and manipulates a plurality of piece goods moved into its working area, and arranges the at least one support strip between adjacent piece goods upon clamping receipt of the respective plurality of piece goods, each with a first reach emanating from the gripper base, so that piece goods clamped by the gripper head are in surface contact with the at least one support strip. It may be that the same gripper head then forms a second arrangement from a second plurality of piece goods, which second arrangement is adapted to a second palletizable layer to be formed from the second plurality of piece goods,wherein, to form the second arrangement, the gripper head repeatedly clamps and manipulates a single piece of goods moved into its working area or several piece of goods moved one after the other along only a single row into its working area, and shortens the previously formed first range for the at least one support bar to a second range for the clamping reception, in which second range the at least one support bar is located above the single piece of goods or above the several piece of goods moved one after the other along only a single row into its working area, when the gripper head clamps the single piece of goods moved into its working area or the several piece of goods of the one single row moved into its working area. Furthermore, it can be that,

[0049] - the plurality of piece goods of the formed first arrangement and the plurality of piece goods of the formed second arrangement are each pushed together, as a result of which a first palletizable layer is formed from the first plurality of piece goods and a second palletizable layer is formed from the second plurality of piece goods, which first palletizable layer and which second palletizable layer are placed on a common pallet via a palletizer.

[0050] This allows mixed pallets to be produced easily and with high throughput.

[0051] At this point, it should be emphasized that features previously mentioned in relation to embodiments of the gripper head according to the invention or to embodiments of the rotating and distributing system according to the invention equally relate to or can be partial aspects of the method according to the invention. Therefore, if at any point in the description or in the claim definitions an embodiment of the gripper head according to the invention or of the rotating and distributing system according to the invention is mentioned, this equally applies to the embodiments of the method according to the invention. The same applies conversely, so that all aspects and embodiment variants explained in connection with embodiments of the method according to the invention equally relate to or can be partial aspects of the gripper head according to the invention or of the rotating and distributing system according to the invention.Therefore, if certain aspects or effects are mentioned at any point in the description or in the claim definitions of the method, this applies equally to the gripper head according to the invention and the rotating and distributing system according to the invention. It is also possible that various embodiments of the method according to the invention are implemented or carried out using an embodiment of the rotating and distributing system according to the invention.

[0052] In the following, exemplary embodiments will explain the invention and its advantages in more detail with reference to the accompanying figures. The relative sizes of the individual elements in the figures do not always correspond to the actual sizes, as some shapes are simplified and others are enlarged relative to other elements for better illustration.

[0053] Figures 1 and 2 show schematic views of a first embodiment of a gripper head according to the invention and a first embodiment of a rotating and distributing system according to the invention.

[0054] Figures 3 and 4 show schematic views of a second embodiment of a gripper head according to the invention and a second embodiment of a rotating and distributing system according to the invention.

[0055] Figures 5 and 6 show a schematic perspective view of another embodiment of a gripper head according to the invention.

[0056] Fig. 7 shows in the flowchart steps as they can be provided individually or according to the combination shown in various embodiments of the method according to the invention.

[0057] Identical reference numerals are used for identical or equivalently functioning elements of the invention. Furthermore, for the sake of clarity, only those reference numerals are shown in the individual figures that are necessary for the description of the respective figure. The illustrated embodiments merely represent examples of how the invention can be configured and do not constitute an exhaustive limitation.

[0058] Figures 1 and 2 show schematic views of a first embodiment of a gripper head 1 according to the invention and a first embodiment of a rotating and distributing system 10 according to the invention. In the embodiment according to Figures 1 and 2, the rotating and distributing system 10 comprises the gripper head 1 and a horizontal conveyor device 14. In Fig. 1, piece goods 3, which are designed as beverage container bundles 6, are moved into a working area of ​​the gripper head 1 via the horizontal conveyor device 14. Such beverage container bundles 6 can comprise several beverage bottles or several beverage cans, which are held together by a packaging material.

[0059] The packaging material can, for example, be strapping. It can also be a flat packaging blank made of cellulose-containing material into which the beverage containers, bottles, or cans are inserted.

[0060] Furthermore, the beverage container packages 6 can comprise multiple beverage containers that are connected to one another via adhesive joints. Other packaging materials and / or connections are also conceivable for combining beverage containers into a beverage container package 6 in this way.

[0061] In Fig. 1, the transport direction of the horizontal conveyor 14 is oriented toward the image plane. In this case, additional piece goods 3 are transported in the direction of the image plane, which are aligned with the two piece goods 3 visible in Fig. 1. Since these additional piece goods 3 are concealed by the two piece goods 3, they are not visible in Fig. 1. The two piece goods 3 shown in Fig. 1 are arranged next to one another perpendicular to the transport direction of the horizontal conveyor 14.

[0062] The gripper head 1 comprises a first gripper bar 7 and a second gripper bar 8, which were only shown schematically in Fig. 1. In practice, the gripper bars 7 and 8 can be formed, for example, by gripper jaws, by pincer-shaped arms, or by metal sheets. Thus, a gripper head 1 can, for example, comprise gripper bars 7 and 8, as shown in Figures 5 and 6. On a respective broad side surface, which faces the piece goods 3 to be received, the gripper bars 7 and 8 can each have a profiling and / or a defined shape that corresponds to the respective piece goods 3 to be received, so that the piece goods 3 to be received engage positively in the gripper bars 7 and 8 and / or so that static friction between the gripper bars 7 and 8 and the piece goods 3 is increased due to the profiling.This can reduce the risk that a piece of goods 3 received in a clamped manner by the gripper head 1 will unintentionally detach from the gripper head 1 during manipulation by the gripper head 1.

[0063] In order to clamp the piece goods 3 or the beverage containers 6 via the gripper bars 7 and 8, the gripper bars 7 and 8 perform an infeed movement in which the gripper bars 7 and 8 reduce their relative distance from one another and move along the gripper base 5, to which the gripper bars 7 and 8 are respectively attached, in a linear direction and perpendicular to the transport direction of the horizontal conveyor device 14. The movement is indicated in Fig. 1 by means of an arrow.

[0064] During an infeed movement of the gripper bars 7 and 8, the piece goods 3 or the beverage container packs 6 are pushed together via the gripper bars 7 and 8 until the piece goods 3 or the beverage container packs 6 strike the support bar 9 of the gripper head 1. The support bar 9 is a separating plate which lies flat against the piece goods 3 or the beverage container packs 6 when the respective piece goods 3 or the respective beverage container packs 6 are clamped between the gripper bars 7 and 8. Such a support bar 9 is necessary or useful in practice in order to prevent the piece goods 3 from accidentally becoming detached from the gripper head 1 when the piece goods 3 held clamped by the gripper head 1 are manipulated via the gripper head 1.

[0065] The separating plate or the support strip 9 therefore ensures both sufficient fixation of the piece goods 3 on the gripper head 1 and also prevents piece goods 3 from shifting against one another when the piece goods 3 are manipulated via the gripper head 1. If the piece goods 3 are designed as beverage container bundles 6, practice has shown that beverage containers of a first beverage container bundle 6 can dip between several beverage containers of an adjacent beverage container bundle 6 if adjacent piece goods 3 are held clamped by gripper strips 7 and 8 and a support strip 9 is missing.

[0066] Such a nested arrangement of beverage container packs 6 is undesirable and is generally unsuitable for further processing of the beverage container packs 6 already manipulated by the gripper head 1. In addition, beverage container packs 6 frequently detach from the gripper head 1 when they have been gripped by the gripper head 1 and are in a nested arrangement. A support bar 9 is therefore always required for the clamped receipt of piece goods 3 when several piece goods 3 adjacent perpendicular to the transport direction of the horizontal conveyor device 14 are to be clamped together by the gripper head 1.

[0067] The gripper head 1 is connected to the control device S. After the gripper head 1 has clamped and received piece goods 3, the piece goods 3 are manipulated via the gripper head 1 and thereby displaced at an angle to the transport direction of the horizontal conveyor and / or rotated about a vertical axis. The movement of the gripper head 1 at the instigation of the control device S occurs in such a way that, after manipulation via the gripper head 1, several piece goods 3 are arranged in an arrangement that is coordinated with a palletizable layer to be formed from the respective several piece goods 3.

[0068] For this purpose, it may be necessary for piece goods 3 to be rotated via the gripper head 1 without these piece goods 3 being offset obliquely to the transport direction of the horizontal conveyor 14 during the manipulation. It may also be necessary to form such an arrangement for piece goods 3 to be offset obliquely to the transport direction of the horizontal conveyor 14 via the gripper head 1 without these piece goods 3 being rotated about a vertical axis.

[0069] For some piece goods 3, it may also be necessary to form such an arrangement during manipulation for them to be displaced obliquely to the transport direction of the horizontal conveyor 14 and also rotated about a vertical axis. If individual piece goods 3 intended for the respective arrangement are already in a position and orientation suitable for the respective arrangement, they can also be moved through the working area of ​​the gripper head 1 without the gripper head 1 grasping and manipulating these individual piece goods 3.

[0070] As can be seen from Fig. 1, the clamping force required to hold the piece goods 3 on the gripper head 1 is applied via the gripper bars 7 and 8. The frictional connection is thus achieved by the gripper bars 7 and 8 jointly applying the clamping force required to hold the piece goods 3 and the clamping force from one of the two piece goods 3 being introduced via the support bar 9 to the other piece goods 3. In Fig. 1, the clamping force is indicated by the arrow F. In practice, the support bar 9 must be designed with a low thickness so that a single piece of goods 3 received via the gripper head 1 cannot be gripped by a gripper bar 7 or 8 and a support bar 9 without this leading to damage or unwanted deformation of the support bar 9. The clamping force of a gripper bar 7 or 88 is too large in gripper heads known from the prior art, so that the support bar 9 cannot withstand the clamping force. In practice, therefore, multiple gripper heads are used when both multiple piece goods 3 adjacent perpendicular to the transport direction of the horizontal conveyor 14 and only individual piece goods 3 or only multiple piece goods 3 arranged one behind the other in the transport direction of the horizontal conveyor 14 must be manipulated in order to produce a corresponding arrangement from a plurality of piece goods 3 that is coordinated with a palletizable layer.

[0071] The gripper head 1 of the exemplary embodiment shown in Figures 1 and 2, on the other hand, can perform a multitude of different manipulation tasks, both receiving multiple adjacent piece goods 3 perpendicular to the transport direction of the horizontal conveyor 14 and grasping individual piece goods 3. For this reason, the rotating and distributing system 10 can have a very compact design, since no additional gripper head 1 is required for the described manipulation tasks. Furthermore, the rotating and distributing system 10 can operate at high throughput.

[0072] As can be seen from a comparison of Fig. 1 and Fig. 2, the support bar 9 is held on the gripper base 5 via a bearing 4. The bearing 4 is designed such that the support bar 9 can execute an evasive movement or is movable in the direction of the gripper base 5 when a free end region 19 of the support bar 9 rests on a piece of goods 3 and the gripper base 5 is subsequently lowered further in the direction of the piece of goods 3.

[0073] If several piece goods 3 are adjacent perpendicular to the transport direction of the horizontal conveyor 14, the support bar 9 can hereby extend away from the gripper base 5 with a first reach R1, so that the support bar 9 is located between these piece goods 3 adjacent perpendicular to the transport direction of the horizontal conveyor 14 when these piece goods 3 are clamped by an infeed movement of the gripper bars 7 and 8. If only one piece of goods 3 or piece goods 3 moved along only one row via the horizontal conveyor 14 are to be received via the gripper head 1, this is not possible using the gripper head 1 if the support bar 9, starting from the gripper base 5, has the first reach R1 shown in Fig. 1. In gripper heads known from the prior art, the support bar 9 is therefore removed from the gripper head.As a result, known gripper heads have little flexibility when receiving piece goods 3 in a clamped manner. In addition, the adaptation of the gripper head 1 to different provisioning of piece goods 3 is time-consuming.

[0074] The support bar 9 is movably arranged on the gripper base 5 via the previously mentioned bearing 4 and can thus be moved upwards or perpendicular to the transport direction of the horizontal conveyor if only a single piece of goods 3 or piece goods 3 moved one after the other along only one row via the horizontal conveyor 14 are to be grasped by the gripper head 1. In order to receive a single piece of goods 3 or several piece goods 3 in one row, the support bar 9 is placed on the individual piece of goods 3 or on the piece goods in one row and the gripper head 5 is then lowered further so that the gripper head 1 approaches the horizontal conveyor 14.

[0075] The individual piece goods 3 or the piece goods 3 of one row push the support bar 9 relative to the gripper base 5, whereupon the support bar 9 extends away from the gripper base 5 only with the second reach R2 shown in Fig. 2. The first gripper bar 7 and the second gripper bar 8 then perform a feed movement, whereby the individual piece goods 3 or the piece goods 3 of one row are clamped by the first gripper bar 7 and the second gripper bar 8.

[0076] By rotating and / or lateral offsetting relative to the transport direction, the clamped piece goods 3 or the piece goods 3 of one row are then manipulated via the gripper head 1. A free end region 19 of the support bar 9 remains in surface contact with the individual piece goods 3 held clamped via the gripper head 1 or with the clamped piece goods of one row. After the individual piece goods 3 or the piece goods 3 of one row have been manipulated via the gripper head 1, the clamped connection formed up to that point between the individual piece goods 3 or the piece goods 3 of one row and the gripper bars 7 and 8 is removed, for which purpose the gripper bars 7 and 8 are moved apart and their relative distance from one another increases.

[0077] The entire gripper head 1 is then raised relative to the horizontal conveyor 14. Due to its mass, the support bar 9 moves relative to the gripper base 5, increases its previously formed second reach R2 relative to the gripper base 5 and finally reaches a position in which the support bar 9, starting from the gripper base 5, has the first reach R1 already shown in Fig. 1. The gripper head 1 can then optionally receive several adjacent piece goods 3 according to Fig. 1 perpendicular to the transport direction of the horizontal conveyor 14 or again a single piece goods 3, for which purpose the support bar 9 is again placed onto the individual piece goods 3 via its free end region 19.

[0078] Figures 3 and 4 show schematic views of a second embodiment of a gripper head 1 according to the invention and a second embodiment of a rotation and distribution system 10 according to the invention. The embodiment of a gripper head 1 according to Figures 3 and 4 differs from the embodiment of a gripper head 1 according to Figures 1 and 2 in that in the embodiment according to Figures 3 and 4, instead of exactly one support strip 9, two support strips 9 are arranged between the gripper strips 7 and 8.

[0079] By means of such an embodiment, according to Fig. 3, three piece goods 3 can be received that are adjacent perpendicular to the transport direction of the horizontal conveyor 14. For this purpose, a support bar 9 is inserted between each two piece goods 3 that are adjacent perpendicular to the transport direction of the horizontal conveyor 14.

[0080] For the clamped receipt of three piece goods 3 that are adjacent perpendicular to the transport direction of the horizontal conveyor 14, the gripper bars 7 and 8 perform an infeed movement in which the three piece goods 3 are pushed together via the gripper bars 7 and 8 and in doing so come into surface contact with the support bars 9. The piece goods 3 shown in the middle in Fig. 3 then lies flat against the two support bars 9 when the piece goods 3 are received in a clamped manner via the gripper head 1. The two outer piece goods 3 each lie flat against a support bar 9 and against a gripper bar 7 or 8 when the piece goods 3 are held in a clamped manner via the gripper head 1.

[0081] In the exemplary embodiment shown in Figures 3 and 4, the bearings 4 are designed such that the bearings 4, together with the support strips 9, can be moved along the gripper base 5 in a direction oriented perpendicular to the transport direction of the horizontal conveyor 14. This movement is indicated in Figure 3 by an arrow. The support strips are held to the gripper base via the bearings 4 with a degree of freedom f=2.

[0082] The support bars 9 are thus pushed together with the piece goods 3 when the gripper bars 7 and 8 execute a feed movement. It is conceivable that the support bars 9 interact with a respective spring, which pushes the respective support bar 9 back to its initial position when the piece goods 3 have been released by the gripper head 1.

[0083] In the illustration in Fig. 4, the gripper head 1 again receives only a single piece of goods 3 or multiple piece of goods from only a single row. If a single piece of goods 3 or multiple piece of goods 3 arranged one behind the other in the transport direction of the horizontal conveyor 14 are to be clamped by the gripper head 1, the gripper bars 7 and 8 are moved towards each other until both support bars 9 are located above the respective individual piece of goods 3 to be received or above the respective multiple piece of goods 3 arranged one behind the other in the transport direction of the horizontal conveyor 14 in one row.

[0084] Following this, the gripper head 1 is lowered in the direction of the horizontal conveyor 14, whereby the support bars 9 rest on the respective individual piece goods 3 or on the multiple piece goods 3 of one row via their free end region 19. By a further lowering movement of the gripper head 1, the support bars 9 are then pushed relative to the gripper base 5 and perpendicular to the transport direction of the horizontal conveyor 14 until the support bars 9 have a reduced reach R2 starting from the gripper base 5. Subsequently, the distance between the gripper bars 7 and 8 is further reduced, whereby the gripper bars 7 and 8 clampingly grasp the respective individual piece goods 3 or the respective multiple piece goods 3 of one row arranged one behind the other in the transport direction of the horizontal conveyor 14.

[0085] By rotating and / or by an oblique offset to the transport direction of the horizontal conveyor device 14, the gripper head 1 then manipulates the respective individual piece goods 3 that are clamped or the respective plurality of piece goods 3 that are clamped in one row.

[0086] Figures 5 and 6 each show schematic perspective views of a further embodiment of a gripper head 1 according to the invention. In particular, a view of Figures 5 and 6 together clearly shows the functioning of a further embodiment of a bearing 4, as can be provided in various embodiments of a gripper head 1 according to the invention.

[0087] The gripper head 1 or the bearing 4 comprises a scissor mechanism 21, from which the support bar 9 is suspended. In the present case, the scissor mechanism 21 is formed from exactly two scissor levers 23 and 23' and a joint 24, via which the exactly two scissor levers 23 and 23' are rotatably connected to one another. The range R1 or R2 for the support bar 9, extending from the gripper base 5, is adjusted with the aid of the scissor mechanism 21, as shown in Figures 5 and 6. For this purpose, the scissor levers 23 and 23' are rotated relative to one another about a horizontal axis of rotation provided by the joint 24.

[0088] Fig. 7 shows a flowchart of steps as they can be provided individually or in the combination shown in Fig. 7 in various embodiments of the method 100 according to the invention.

[0089] In step 110, a gripper head 1 is positioned above a single piece of goods 3 to be received. A support bar 9 formed as a component of the gripper head 1 has a first reach R1 starting from a gripper base 5 of the gripper head 1.

[0090] In step 120, the gripper head 1 is then lowered towards the individual piece of goods 3, whereby a free end region 19 of the support bar 9 initially rests on the individual piece of goods 3. By a further lowering movement of the gripper head 1, the support bar 9 is pushed over the respective individual piece of goods 3 relative to the gripper base 5, whereby the support bar 9 shortens its previous range R1 emanating from the gripper base 5 to a reduced range R2. In step 130, which follows step 120, gripper bars 7 and 8 of the gripper head 1 perform a feed movement, whereby the individual piece of goods 3 is gripped in a clamping manner. The support bar 9 is still in contact with the individual piece of goods 3 via its free end region 19. In step 140, the piece of goods 3 received in a clamping manner is

[0091] Gripper head 1 is manipulated and rotated and / or offset at an angle to the transport direction of a horizontal conveyor 14 on which the individual piece goods 3 rests. The manipulation is carried out in order to form an arrangement from the individual piece goods 3 and other piece goods 3, which arrangement is adapted to a palletizable layer to be produced from the individual piece goods 3 and the other piece goods 3.

[0092] The invention has been described with reference to a preferred embodiment. However, it is conceivable for a person skilled in the art that modifications or variations of the invention can be made without departing from the scope of the following claims.

[0093] List of reference symbols

[0094] 1 gripper head

[0095] 3 general cargo

[0096] 4 camps

[0097] 5 Gripper base

[0098] 6 beverage containers

[0099] 7 Gripper bar, first gripper bar

[0100] 8 Gripper bar, second gripper bar

[0101] 9 Support bar

[0102] 10 Turning and distribution system

[0103] 14 Horizontal conveyor device

[0104] 19 free end area

[0105] 21 Scissor mechanism

[0106] 23 scissor levers

[0107] 23' scissor lever

[0108] 100 procedures

[0109] 110 Process step, first process step

[0110] 120 process step, second process step

[0111] 130 procedural step, third procedural step

[0112] 140 procedural step, fourth procedural step

[0113] R1 first range

[0114] R2 second range

[0115] S control device

Claims

Claims Gripper head (1) for gripping piece goods (3), comprising - a first gripper bar (7) and a second gripper bar (8) which can carry out a feed movement for the clamping acceptance of at least one piece of goods (3) and are fastened to a gripper base (5) of the gripper head (1) and - at least one support bar (9) for piece goods (3), which is located between the first gripper bar (7) and the second gripper bar (8) and is held on the gripper base (5) via at least one bearing (4), characterized in that the at least one support bar (9) is held movable relative to the gripper base (5) via the at least one bearing (4), so that the at least one support bar (9) can adapt its range (R1, R2) emanating from the gripper base (5) by a movement relative to the gripper base (5) and / or that the at least one support bar (9) comprises at least two telescopic parts or is formed from at least two telescopic parts in order to adapt its range (R1, R2) emanating from the gripper base (5).Gripper head (1) according to claim 1, in which the at least one bearing (4) is designed such that the at least one support strip (9) can be moved over a piece of goods (3) relative to the gripper base (5) by placing a free end region (19) of the at least one support strip (9) on a piece of goods (3). Gripper head (1) according to claim 2, in which a free end region (19) of the at least one support strip (9), which is predetermined for placement on a piece of goods (3), is assigned a reversibly elastically deformable contact element, which is made in particular of rubber or foam. Gripper head according to claim 1, comprising at least one actuator, via which the at least one support strip (9) can be moved relative to the gripper base (5) to adjust its range (R1, R2) emanating from the gripper base (5). Gripper head (1) according to one of claims 1 to 4, designed to grip piece goods (3) which are beverage container packs (6).Gripper head (1) according to one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the bearing (4) provides a linear guide for the movement of the at least one support bar (9). Gripper head (1) according to one of the preceding claims, with exactly one support bar (9), wherein the exactly one support bar (9) is held on the gripper base (5) via a bearing (4) in such a way that the exactly one support bar (9) is movable only along its longitudinal direction relative to the gripper base (5).Gripper head according to one of claims 1 to 7, comprising at least two support bars (9) for piece goods (3), which are held on the gripper base (5) via a respective bearing (4) between the first gripper bar (7) and the second gripper bar (8) and are located between the first gripper bar (7) and the second gripper bar (8), wherein the bearings (4) of the at least two support bars (9) are designed such that the at least two support bars (9) are each movable perpendicular to their longitudinal extent in a linear direction along the gripper base (5) and can each adapt their range (R1, R2) emanating from the gripper base (5) by a movement relative to the gripper base (5).Gripper head according to one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the at least one bearing (4) comprises at least one scissor mechanism (21), via which the at least one support bar (9) is held movable relative to the gripper base (5) via the at least one bearing (4), so that the at least one support bar (9) can adjust its range (R1, R2) emanating from the gripper base (5) by a movement relative to the gripper base (5) effected via the at least one scissor mechanism (21). Rotation and distribution system (10) for piece goods (3) with at least one gripper head (1) according to one of claims 1 to 9. Rotation and distribution system (10) for piece goods (3) according to claim 10, with at least one industrial robot on which the at least one gripper head (1) is arranged, wherein the at least one industrial robot is a gantry robot and / or a delta kinematic robot.Turning and distribution system (10) according to claim 10 or claim 11, with at least one horizontal conveyor device (14), via which piece goods (3) can be moved into a working area of ​​the at least one gripper head (1), wherein the turning and distribution system (10) is designed for such handling of the at least one. Gripper head (1) is configured and equipped such that the at least one piece goods (3) maintains surface contact with the at least one horizontal conveyor device (14) during a clamping acceptance and manipulation via the at least one gripper head (1).

13. Turning and distribution system according to one of claims 10 to 12, configured and equipped to form an arrangement from a plurality of piece goods (3), which arrangement is adapted to a palletizable layer to be formed from the plurality of piece goods (3).

14. A method (100) for gripping and manipulating piece goods (3) via at least one gripper head (1) according to one of claims 1 to 9, in which method (100) piece goods (3) are moved via at least one horizontal conveyor device (14) into a working area of ​​the at least one gripper head (1), and the at least one gripper head (1) then receives at least one piece goods (3) in a clamped manner by an advancing movement of its first gripper bar (7) and its second gripper bar (8) and manipulates the at least one piece goods (3) received in a clamped manner, and in which method (100) it is provided that a range (R1, R2) of the at least one support bar (9) for the clamped reception of the respective at least one piece goods (3) is adjusted as required,so that the at least one support strip (9) is located either with a first range (R1) emanating from the gripper base (5) between several piece goods (3) to be received in a clamped manner or with a second range (R2) emanating from the gripper base (5), which is reduced compared to the first range (R1), exclusively above the at least one piece goods (3) to be received in a clamped manner.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein a free end region (19) of the at least one support strip (9) is placed on a piece of goods (3) to be received in a clamped manner, whereby the at least one support strip (9) is moved relative to the gripper base (5) and the previously formed first range (R1) of the at least one support strip (9) is reduced to the second range (R2) of the at least one support strip (9).

16. Method according to claim 15, in which a) a bearing (4) is provided, via which the at least one support strip (9) is movably held on the gripper base (5) for relative movement with respect to the gripper base (5) and / or in which method b) the at least one support bar (9) comprises at least two telescopic parts or is formed from at least two telescopic parts which are pushed together to shorten the first range (R1) to the second range (R2).

17. Method according to one of claims 14 to 16, in which the articles (3) are beverage containers (6).

18. Method according to one of claims 14 to 17, in which the at least one piece of goods (3) received in a clamped manner is rotated and / or displaced obliquely to the transport direction of the at least one horizontal conveyor device (14) during the manipulation and wherein a surface contact between the respective at least one piece of goods (3) received in a clamped manner and the at least one horizontal conveyor device (14) is continuously maintained during the manipulation.

19. Method (100) according to one of the preceding claims 14 to 18, in which the at least one gripper head (1) forms a respective arrangement from a respective plurality of piece goods (3), which respective arrangement is matched to a palletizable layer to be formed from the respective plurality of piece goods (3), wherein the gripper head (1) repeatedly receives and manipulates at least one piece goods (3) moved into its working area in a clamping manner to form the respective arrangement.

20. Method according to claim 19, wherein the at least one gripper head (1) receives and manipulates piece goods (3) from a first horizontal conveyor and a second horizontal conveyor in a clamping manner to form a respective arrangement, wherein the at least one support bar (9) of the at least one gripper head (1) is arranged exclusively with its first reach (R1) extending from the gripper base (5) between a plurality of piece goods (3) to be received in a clamping manner when these several piece goods (3) to be received in a clamping manner are located on the first horizontal conveyor, and wherein the at least one support bar (9) of the at least one gripper head (1) is arranged exclusively with its second reach (R2) extending from the gripper base (5) above piece goods (3) to be received in a clamping manner,if these piece goods (3) to be received in a clamped manner are located on the second horizontal conveyor. Method according to claim 19, wherein the at least one gripper head (1) - initially forms a first arrangement from a first plurality of piece goods (3), which first arrangement is matched to a first palletizable layer to be formed from the first plurality of piece goods (3), wherein the gripper head (1) repeatedly receives and manipulates a plurality of piece goods (3) moved into its working area in a clamped manner to form the first arrangement and arranges the at least one support strip (9) between adjacent piece goods (3) during a clamped reception of the respective plurality of piece goods (3), each with a first range (R1) emanating from the gripper base (5), so that piece goods (3) received in a clamped manner via the gripper head (1) are in surface contact with the at least one support strip (9), whereupon the same gripper head (1) - forms a second arrangement from a second plurality of piece goods (3), which second arrangement is adapted to a second palletizable layer to be formed from the second plurality of piece goods (3), wherein the gripper head (1), to form the second arrangement, repeatedly clamps and manipulates a single piece goods (3) moved into its working area or several piece goods (3) moved one after the other along only a single row into its working area, and shortens the previously formed first range (R1) for the at least one support strip (9) to a second range (R2) for the clamping reception, in which second range (R2) the at least one support strip (9) is located above the single piece goods (3) or above the several piece goods (3) moved one after the other along only a single row into its working area,when the gripper head (1) clamps the individual piece goods (3) moved into its working area or the several piece goods (3) of a single row moved into its working area and wherein, - the plurality of piece goods (3) of the formed first arrangement and the plurality of piece goods (3) of the formed second arrangement are each pushed together, as a result of which a first palletizable layer is formed from the first plurality of piece goods (3) and a second palletizable layer is formed from the second plurality of piece goods (3), which first palletizable layer and which second palletizable layer are deposited on a common pallet via a palletizer.

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