Abstract
A feeding system for feeding workpieces to a device by means of a robot comprises a feeding station and at least one transport carriage, wherein the feeding station comprises a robot fastening section and is designed that a workpiece holder can be held in the feeding station in a holding position defined in relation to the robot fastening section from which a robot attached to the robot fastening section can grasp the workpieces. The transport carriage also has at least one holding device for holding a workpiece holder in a first holding position. The feed system comprises a coupling section wherein the transport carriage can be coupled to the feeding station using a coupling device in such a way that a workpiece holder held in the transport carriage in the first holding position is brought into the receiving position after the transport carriage has been coupled with the coupling section. A method for feeding workpieces to a device and the use of a feed system is provided.
Claims
1-20. (canceled)
21. A feed system for feeding a device with workpieces by means of a robot, wherein the feed system comprises a feeding station and at least one transport carriage, wherein the feeding station comprises a robot fastening section and is designed in such a way that a workpiece holder can be reproducibly held in it unmovably in a receiving position defined relative to the robot fastening section from which a robot mounted to the robot fastening section can grasp the workpieces, wherein the transport carriage comprises at least one holding device for holding a workpiece holder in a first holding position, wherein the feeding station comprises a loading device with which a workpiece holder can be brought indirectly from a holding position into the receiving position in the feeding station, wherein the loading device is designed such that it can raise, lower, push and/or pull a workpiece holder and the feeding station comprises a coupling section through which the transport carriage can be coupled with the aid of a coupling device with the feeding station such that a workpiece holder held in the transport carriage in the first holding position after the coupling of the transport carriage with the coupling section has been brought into the receiving position with a horizontal and/or vertical movement of the workpiece holder.
22. The feed system according to claim 21, wherein the coupling section comprises at least one lateral guide, preferably two lateral guides for the transport carriage.
23. The feed system according to claim 21, wherein the coupling section comprises at least one end-side stop.
24. The feed system according to claim 22, wherein the at least one lateral guide comprises at least one lateral guide rail and/or at least one lateral guide roller.
25. The feed system according to claim 21, wherein the coupling device is provided on the coupling section of the feeding station and/or on the transport carriage.
26. The feed system according to claim 21, wherein the transport carriage comprises a plurality of holding devices arranged at different heights of the transport carriage for holding workpiece holders in different holding positions in the transport carriage.
27. The feed system according to claim 21, wherein the loading device is designed as an independent load module that can be mounted on the feeding station, preferably directly on the coupling section of the feeding station.
28. The feed system according to claim 21, wherein the load module comprises a coupling section, preferably corresponding to the coupling section of the feeding station, for coupling of a transport carriage.
29. The feed system according to claim 21, wherein the feeding station comprises a plurality of coupling sections.
30. The feed system according to claim 21, wherein the feeding station comprises at least one more robot fastening section, each suitable for fastening another robot.
31. The feed system according to claim 21, wherein the coupling section comprises an insertion device for workpiece holders.
32. A method for feeding a device with workpieces by means of a robot, by means of the feed system according to claim 21, the method comprising the following procedural steps: a) loading the transport carriage with at least one workpiece holder and with at least one workpiece, b) moving the transport carriage to the feeding station, c) coupling the transport carriage with the coupling section of the feeding station, and d) after the coupling in procedural step c) the at least one workpiece is removed by the robot and the device is thereby fed by the robot, wherein the method takes place with interposition of a movement of at least one workpiece holder from the holding position to the receiving position by a loading device.
33. The method according to claim 22, wherein the procedural step a) in a further feeding station is done by a robot and/or manually.
34. A method according to claim 22, wherein the method is performed in the reverse order to the feeding of a transport carriage.
35. Use of a feed system according to claim 21 for feeding a device.
Description
[0039] The invention will be explained in more detail based on embodiments described in the drawings. Schematically shown here are:
[0040] FIG. 1 a first embodiment of a feed system before the coupling of a transport carriage with a coupling section;
[0041] FIG. 2 the first embodiment of the feed system with a transport carriage coupled in the coupling section;
[0042] FIG. 3 a second embodiment of the feed system with integrated loading device;
[0043] FIG. 4 a third embodiment of the feed system with a retrofittable load module, before the retrofit;
[0044] FIG. 5 the third embodiment of the feed system with the retrofitted load module, before the coupling of the transport carriage;
[0045] FIG. 6 the third embodiment of the feed system with the retrofitted load module and with a coupled transport carriage;
[0046] FIG. 7 the third embodiment of the feed system with manual loading through the insertion device;
[0047] FIG. 8 the third embodiment of the feed system in an alternative form for use;
[0048] FIG. 9 a fourth embodiment of the feed system with two coupling sections;
[0049] FIG. 10 a fifth embodiment of the feed system with four coupling sections and two robot fastening sections;
[0050] FIG. 11 a perspective view of a feeding station of a feed system according to the first embodiment but without robots;
[0051] FIG. 12 a detailed view of the lateral guide the feeding station shown in FIG. 11.
[0052] FIG. 1 shows a feed system 1 according to the invention, consisting of a feeding station 5 and a transport carriage 6. The feeding station 5 comprises a robot fastening section 7. Feeding station 5 further has a coupling section 12 and two lateral guides 14, as well as an end-side stop 15. A robot 4 is also mounted on the robot fastening section 7. Further, in FIG. 1 the transport carriage 6 is shown before it is coupled with the coupling section 12. The transport carriage 6 has a holding device 10 in which a workpiece holder 8 is in a holding position 11. A plurality of workpieces 3 are arranged on the workpiece holder 8. The feed system 1 is further positioned next to a device 2 in the form of a production machine.
[0053] In FIG. 2 is shown the feed system 1 depicted in FIG. 1, where in contrast to FIG. 1 the transport carriage 6 is coupled with the coupling section 12 of the feeding station 5. In addition, the workpiece holder 8 fixed in the holding device 10 of the transport carriage 6 with a plurality of workpieces 3 located on it is in a receiving position 9 relative to the robot fastening section 7 and the robot 4 mounted on it.
[0054] A second embodiment of the feed system is illustrated in FIG. 3. This shows a feeding station 5 with a loading device 16. The transport carriage 6 is also coupled with the coupling section 12. The coupling portion 12 of the feeding station 5 is formed by two lateral guides 14 and one end-side stop 15. A robot 4 is mounted on the robot fastening section 7, where the robot fastening section 7 corresponds to that of the first embodiment. The transport carriage 6 coupled with the coupling section 12 has a plurality of holding devices 10, arranged in the form of support rails horizontally at different heights on the transport carriage 6. In three of the holding devices 10 are three workpiece holders 8 at different heights each in a holding position 11 in the transport carriage 6. Another workpiece holder 8 is positioned by the loading device 16 in a receiving position 9 relative to the robot fastening section 7, so that the robot 4 can receive the workpieces 3 arranged on the other workpiece holder 8. The feed system 1 is further positioned next to a device 2 in the form of a production machine.
[0055] In FIG. 4 a feed system 1 is shown as a third embodiment consisting of a feeding station 5, a transport carriage 6, and a load module 17. FIG. 4 shows the load module 17 and the feeding station 5 before these are joined into one unit. The feeding station 5 corresponds to the feeding station according to the first embodiment. The load module 17 consists of two lateral guides 14. The loading device 16 is arranged between the lateral guides 14. To illustrate the operating principle of the loading device 16, a workpiece holder 8 with workpieces 3 is set on the loading device 16. The load module 17 also has on the lateral guides 14 a coupling device 13 and one insertion device 18 each. The transport carriage 6 depicted has multiple holding devices 10, distributed over the height of the transport carriage 6 mounted on the transport carriage 6. Three workpiece holders 8 are arranged in a holding position 11 in the transport carriage 6. The feed system 1 is further positioned next to a device 2 in the form of a production machine.
[0056] In FIG. 5 is shown the feed system 1 in the variant shown as the third embodiment, consisting of a feeding station 5, load module 7, and transport carriage 6. In contrast to FIG. 4, in FIG. 5 the feeding station 5 and load module 17 are already assembled to form a functional unit, i.e. the feeding station 5 is retrofitted with a loading device 16. The feed system 1 shown in FIG. 5 further shows the transport carriage 6 before it is coupled with the coupling section 12 of the retrofitted feeding station 5. It can be seen that a workpiece holder 8 with multiple workpieces 3 is in a receiving position 9 relative to the robot fastening section 7, so that the robot 4 mounted on the robot fastening section 7 can remove workpieces 3. In addition, two coupling devices 13 are situated in an open position in which the transport carriages 6 can be pushed into the coupling section 12.
[0057] In FIG. 6 is likewise shown the feed system 1 in the variant shown as the third embodiment. In contrast to FIG. 5, in FIG. 6 the transport carriage 6 is coupled with the coupling section 12 of load module 17. For this the two coupling devices 12 are in a closed position that prevents the transport carriage 6 rolling out of the coupling section 12.
[0058] FIG. 7 shows a form of use of the invention's feed system 1 according to the third embodiment. It can be seen that a workpiece holder 8 with workpieces 3 is positioned on the two insertion devices 18. Also shown is a device 2, here a pallet, from which delivered workpieces 3 are removed and on which workpieces 7 held by the two insertion devices 18 are placed. The feed system 1 shown is also positioned next to another device 2 in the form of a production machine.
[0059] In FIG. 8 is shown another example of use of the feed system 1. The feed system 1 shown is positioned next to a device 2, here a pallet. Although the feed system 1 depicted represents a feed system of the third embodiment, the example of use shown can also occur with a feed system 1 according to any of the embodiments shown. In FIG. 8 it is shown how workpieces 3 are removed by workpiece holder 8 from their receiving position 9 by the robot 4 mounted on the robot fastening section 7 and placed in the device 2.
[0060] In FIG. 9, a feed system is shown in a fourth embodiment. In it the feed system 1 has a feeding station 5 with two coupling sections 12. The feeding station 5 also has a robot fastening section 7 on which a robot 4 is mounted. Each of the two coupling sections 12 is coupled with a transport carriage 6 so that the workpiece holders 8 with workpieces 3 located on the holding devices 10 of transport carriage 6 are each in a receiving position 9 relative to the robot fastening section 7. The feed system 1 is also arranged at a device 2, here a processing machine.
[0061] FIG. 10 shows a feed system in a fifth embodiment. In it the feeding station 5 comprises four coupling sections 12, wherein with each of the four coupling sections 12 a transport carriage 6 is coupled with workpiece holders 8 and workpieces 3. Another transport carriage 6 is additionally coupled to a lateral, fifth coupling section 12. The fifth embodiment of the feed system also has two robot fastening sections 7, with a robot 4 mounted on each of the two robot fastening sections 7. The robot fastening sections 7 are each positioned between two coupling sections 12, so that two of the four workpiece holders 8 are in a receiving position 9 relative to one of the two robot fastening sections 7. The feed system 1 is also arranged at a device 2.
[0062] FIG. 11 shows a feeding station 5 of a feed system 1 according to the first embodiment. The feeding station 5 comprises two lateral guides 14 and one end-side stop 15. The lateral guides 14 and the end-side stop 15 surround the coupling section 12 on three sides. Also shown is the robot fastening section 7. In contrast to the feeding station 5 shown in FIG. 1, no robot 4 is mounted on the robot fastening section 7. Furthermore, on each of the two lateral guides 14 is shown a lateral guide rail 19 and several lateral guide rollers 20. The lateral guides 19 and lateral guide rollers 20 are arranged on the side of the lateral guides 14 facing the coupling section 12.
[0063] FIG. 12 is a detailed view of a lateral guide 14 of the feeding station 5 shown in FIG. 11. Seven lateral guide rollers 20 and one lateral guide rail 19 can be seen on it. Furthermore, the coupling device 13 is shown in the form of a locking cylinder. By moving forward, this can prevent the transport carriage 6 (not shown) from rolling out of the coupling section 12.
[0064] In addition, it can be clearly seen in particular in FIG. 12 that the first three guide rollers 20i.e. the guide rollers farthest from the end-side stop 15seen in the vertical direction are offset downward relative to the rear four guide rollers 20. In particular, the first three guide rollers 20 are arranged at a slightly ascending angle of preferably a maximum 10. Through this arrangement the transport carriage 6 is raised from the bottom when it is brought into the coupling section 12. This can guarantee that the workpieces 3 arranged on the transport carriage 6 are always at the same height and an undesired height difference does not occur due to, for example, metal pieces or waste located on the bottom.
REFERENCE NUMERAL LIST
[0065] 1. Feed system [0066] 2. Device [0067] 3. Workpiece [0068] 4. Robot [0069] 5. Feeding station [0070] 6. Transport carriage [0071] 7. Robot fastening section [0072] 8. Workpiece holder [0073] 9. Receiving position [0074] 10. Holding device [0075] 11. Holding position [0076] 12. Coupling section [0077] 13. Coupling device [0078] 14. Lateral guide [0079] 15. End-side stop [0080] 16. Loading device [0081] 17. Load module [0082] 18. Insertion device [0083] 19. Lateral guide rail [0084] 20. Lateral guide roller
