Automated loading system

Abstract

A loading system for loading open-topped containers 200 such as lorries / trucks / tractors / trailers and other vehicles 210, with a bulk material / product is disclosed. The system comprises a loadi

Description

[001] The present invention relates to a loading system for loading open-topped containers with product, specifically to the automated loading of open-topped containers such that the containers are filled. Background of the invention

[002] Top loaded containers are very common in modern society, particularly large top loaded containers such as trailers for articulated lorries, tractors etc. They are used for transporting a large variety of products all over the country and the world. They are essential to the inner workings of modern society, from agriculture to industry and beyond.

[003] Nevertheless, open-topped containers, trailers etc. are often filled in a poor and inefficient manner. Commonly, the containers are loaded unevenly, the product being simply poured or tipped into the container from a single point. This uneven loading can regularly lead to product spilling over the edge of the container and being wasted. Also, even though the total weight of the product loaded may be within the allowable guidelines (e.g. for a HGV traveling on the road), due to the uneven loading of the product within the open top container, individual axles of the transport vehicle can be overloaded causing safety risks. As an existing solution to this problem, it is common practice to move the container back and forth while tipping the product from a single point, in an attempt to more even distribute the load. This is very imprecise, and often means that the container is not loaded optimally, potentially leaving wasted space, or requiring additional labour to redistribute the load.

[004] It is an object of the current invention to provide an automated loading system for open top containers which will fill the containers / trailers to maximum safe capacity by having a actuated loading head with sensors which can track in real time the position of the product in the container and drop the product in desired locations of the container to achieve an optimum fill. Having optimally loaded containers will reduce the number of containers and / or journeys needed, therefore improving efficiency and helping the environment and saving money. The automated system will also reduce the need for labour resulting in further savings. Furthermore, having an evenly loaded container will improve the lifespan of the transport means, because there will not be excessive stress on individual parts of the transport means, which is caused by uneven loading in the prior art.

[005] It is a further object of this invention to provide the automated loading of open-topped containers such that the containers are filled with product loaded to designated areas, such that numerous load heights in various area of the container can be attained or the product can be evenly distributed to the desired level. Statement of invention

[006] A first aspect of the invention provides a loading system for loading open-topped containers with product, comprising: a loading bay in which an open-topped container to be loaded can be positioned lengthwise; a loading unit positioned above the loading bay and movable lengthwise above the loading bay, configured to hold product to be loaded into the open-topped container, and to release the product upon actuation; a sensor configured to monitor, in use, the lengthwise distribution of product already loaded in an open-topped container in the loading bay in real time; a product supply, configured to supply an amount of product to the loading unit; and a controller configured to, in use: control the product supply to supply an amount of product to the loading unit; receive information from the sensor relating to the distribution of product along the length of an open-topped container in the loading bay; identify, using said information, the lengthwise point within the open-topped container with the lowest level of loaded product; control the loading unit to be positioned above the identified lengthwise point; actuate the loading unit to release the product into the open-topped container; and repeat until the open-topped container has been filled to capacity or all of the product has been loaded.

[007] An embodiment of the first aspect wherein there are two parallel lenthwise rails and the loading unit is mounted between them.

[008] An embodiment of the first aspect wherein the loading unit has motorised pinions engage with racks along the rails.

[009] An embodiment of the first aspect wherein the loading unit has an open top for receiving a predetermined amount of product from the product supply; and trap doors at the bottom for dropping the product when actuated.

[010] An embodiment of the first aspect, wherein the trap doors are actuated by pistons.

[011] An embodiment of the first aspect wherein the sensor is a radar sensor.

[012] An embodiment of the first aspect wherein the sensor is an ultrasonic sensor.

[013] An embodiment of the first aspect controlled by a computer processor.

[014] An embodiment of the first aspect wherein the computer processor comprises a programmable logic controller.

[015] An embodiment of the first aspect, wherein the product supply comprises scales to weigh precise amounts of product to be loaded into the loading unit. Brief description of the drawings

[016] The invention will be described in more detail, by way of example, with reference to the following drawings:

[017] Figure 1 depicts a simplified schematic of an embodiment of the invention;

[018] Figure 2 depicts a simplified schematic of an embodiment of the invention;

[019] Figure 3 depicts an embodiment of the loading unit of the invention in a closed position;

[020] Figure 4 depicts an embodiment of the loading unit of the invention in an open position. Detailed description

[021] The present invention will now be described with reference to the Figures. Figure 1 depicts a simplified schematic of the automated loading system of the invention. The system 100 comprises at least one loading unit 110. The loading unit(s) 110 can be a variety of sizes depending on the product to be loaded and the container 200 which is to be loaded. The loading unit 110 is slidably mounted between two rails 115, preferably the loading unit 110 has four wheels (not shown) which run within a channel located along the length of each rail 115. 'The loading unit 110 moves by a motor gearbox and is driven on both sides along each rail 115, to ensure evenness of movement when the loading unit 110 is moving back and forth along the rails 115. The loading unit is filled with product at a loading point 120.

[022] Loading unit 110 is preferably open topped so at loading point 120 a predetermined amount of the product to be loaded is placed in the loading unit 110 at loading point 120. Loading point 120 is at a fixed position in relation to rails 115, but this exact position can vary depending of the, location of loading, product to be loaded, where the product is initially stored etc.

[023] The container 200 to be loaded (in Figure 1, the container is the open-topped trailer of HGV 210, although any open-topped container is appropriate) is positioned below the rails 115 with the longitudinal axis of the container 200 aligned with the longitudinal axis of the rails 115.

[024] Located on the loading unit 110 is a sensor 130. Sensor 130 is preferably a radar or ultrasonic sensor, although any suitable sensor known to the skilled person can be used. Sensor 130 scans container 200 in real time and can give an accurate image of the inside of container 200, particularly with respect to the location of any product already located within container 200, and its height.

[025] The automated loading system 100 is controlled by a programable logic controller (PLC) which receives relevant information, such as from the loading point 120 about the amount of product ready to be supplied to the loading unit 110, from the loading unit 110 about its position along the rails 115 and the state (open or closed) of its doors, and from the sensor 130 about the real time distribution of product in the container 200. The information received by the controller may vary across embodiments. Based on this information, the controller controls the loading point 120 to supply the correct amount of product to the loading unit 110 at the correct times, and it controls the loading unit 110 to move back and forth along the rails 115, and to open and close its trap doors 140 at the correct times.

[026] The controller is preferably connected to a communication network, such as a local intranet, or the Internet, so that it can be accessed remotely by technicians wishing, for example, to configure it by setting parameters for its next intended operation. Such connectedness may confer additional advantages to the system, such as the ability to provide automatic reporting to technicians and customers. [0271 In an exemplary embodiment, the system using the information from sensor 130 separates the space within the container 200 into a user defined plurality of “drop points” 220. The sensor 130 monitors the drop points 220 in real time to track the height of the product loaded at each.

[028] In use, once the loading unit 110 is filled with the predetermined amount of product at loading point 120, loading unit 110 then travels along rails 115 and scans the interior of container 200, identifying the drop points 220 which have no, or the least amount of product at that location. The loading unit 110 then drops the product into the container at this selected drop point 220. Preferably the bottom of loading unit 110 is made from trap doors 140 which open when at the chosen drop point 220, releasing the held product and depositing it at the chosen drop point 220. Once the product has been deposited, trap doors 140 close and loading unit 110 returns to loading point 120 to be filled with the predetermined amount of product, and the process is repeated. This process means that the product is loaded to the desired level required by the user or evenly into container 200. There will be a predetermined maximum level / height for all of the drop points to reach, determined according to the capacity limits of the container 200. The system 100 will not fill any drop point 220 over this maximum level and once all drop points 220 have received product up to this level, and a signal or alarm may activate indicating that the container 200 is full, and that loading is complete or that the container 200 needs to be moved and a new container brought in for filling.

[029] Preferably, the trap doors 140 will be actuated by pistons 150 which are controlled by the PLC. The pistons 150 can be pneumatically, electronically or hydraulically driven. In a preferred embodiment the four wheels of the loading unit 110 are pinion wheels and the channels of the rails 115 in which they sit form the rack of a rack and pinion. This allows for more precise control of the position of the loading unit 110 on the rails 115.

[030] In a preferred embodiment, the loading point 120 and loading unit 110 are constructed from materials approved for handling food and meeting the specifications and standards required to be able to handle foodstuffs in the food industry, among other industries.

[031] In some embodiments, including that depicted in Figures 3 and 4, the rails 115 and loading point 120 may be supported by a support frame 160, which may, for example, be suspended from a warehouse ceiling, and may be formed of galvanised mild steel I-beams or other suitable materials.

[032] As stated above, the rails 115 and the wheels of the loading unit 110 preferably engage as parallel racks and pinions. It will be appreciated, therefore, that the rails 115 are toothed where they engage with the wheels (which are also toothed). The rails 115 may be formed of hardened steel.

[033] The drive motor may be manufactured from mild steel, stainless steel or other suitable materials. 1034] The loading unit 110 is typically manufactured from SAE 304 stainless steel lined with food-approved nylon since the product being loaded may be food. However, can be manufactured from mild steel or other suitable materials for other industries.

[035] It is envisaged that, for some purposes, the product to be transported may need dyeing, or may otherwise need to have liquid added before it is loaded to a transport vessel. The invention can facilitate this by providing a spray bar (not shown) directed via a plurality of nozzles towards the contents of the loading unit 110. The spray bar may be fed via a feed pipe along the power track from a suitable container secured somewhere in the apparatus. The spray bar can be controlled to apply liquid each cycle, or using any suitable control method, timed or otherwise, depending on the requirements, by the controller, or by a separate logic system.

[036] A similar arrangement can be provided for self-cleaning. For example, pneumatically driven rotatable spray bars (not shown) may be fitted, fed with suitable cleaning solutions and temperature controls, and controlled to provide pre-wash, main wash and rinse operations.

[037] Although the invention has been described above with reference to certain preferred embodiments, the invention is not limited to those embodiments. The scope of the invention is limited only by the claims.

Claims

1. A loading system for loading open-topped containers with product, comprising: a loading bay in which an open-topped container to be loaded can be positioned lengthwise; a loading unit positioned above the loading bay and movable lengthwise above the loading bay, configured to hold product to be loaded into the open-topped container, and to release the product upon actuation;a sensor configured to monitor, in use, the lengthwise distribution of product already loaded in an open-topped container in the loading bay in real time; a product supply, configured to supply an amount of product to the loading unit; and a controller configured to, in use: control the product supply to supply an amount of product to the loading unit; receive information from the sensor relating to the distribution of product along the length of an open-topped container in the loading bay; identify, using said information, the lengthwise point within the open-topped container with the lowest level of loaded product; control the loading unit to be positioned above the identified lengthwise point; actuate the loading unit to release the product into the open-topped container; and repeat until the open-topped container has been filled to capacity or all of the product has been loaded.

2. A loading system according to claim 1 further comprising two parallel lengthwise rails, wherein the loading unit is mounted between the rails.

3. A loading system according to any preceding claim wherein the loading unit has motorised pinions which engage with racks along the rails.

4. A loading system according to any preceding claim wherein the loading unit has an open top for receiving a predetermined amount of product from the product supply, and trap doors at the bottom for dropping the product when actuated.

5. A loading system according to claim 4, wherein the trap doors are actuated by pistons.

6. A loading system according to any preceding claim wherein the sensor is a radar sensor.5 7. A loading system according to any one of claims 1 to 5 wherein the sensor isan ultrasonic sensor.

8. A system according to any preceding claim controlled by a computer processor.

9. A system according to claim 8 wherein the computer processor comprises a 10 programmable logic controller.

10. A system according to any preceding claim, wherein the product supply comprises scales to weigh precise amounts of product to be loaded into the loading unit.

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