PACKING GRIPPER SYSTEM

Abstract

In order to be able to grip, clamp and lift stacks of plates and sheets, which consist of vertically oriented individual plates and individual sheets lying on and pressed flat against one another and which have different dimensions, in carrying and handling stations without having to reconfigure them, a load-bearing device is needed which has a simple structure, can be infinitely adjusted, is equipped with an appropriate drive and possesses large clamping and frictional forces, and can be used as an outer gripper on vertical clamping faces. A drive module (2) in the form of an electromotively driven linear drive (4), three angle- and scissor-joint lever assemblies (5) which are arranged symmetrically one below the other, and a gripping finger load-bearing device (8), which can be adjusted and readjusted by means of said lever assemblies and has opposing, clamping, rod-shaped and rigid gripping fingers (10), are mounted on a frame (1). The invention can be used in particular for packing battery modules provided in stack form into battery containers.

Claims

1. Packing gripper system as a carrying and handling station for gripping, clamping, lifting as well as vertically directed depositing of individual plate and sheet packages (12), held on its outer surfaces by means of frictional forces, wherein vertically directed flatly contacting and pressed together bending-resistant individual plates and individual sheets, for example designed as battery plates of a battery module, are placed in the box-like holding and storage container (13) arranged underneath, for example in the form of battery containers with suitably sized and only slightly larger container openings for the battery modules to be accommodated, and after opening and releasing in the opposite direction and subsequent lifting on and off of the plate and sheet package (12), the filled and closed holding and storage container (13) is transported out of the carrying and handling station by means of conveyor systems, characterized in that said system comprises a frame rack (1) to which upper side a drive module (3) is attached, said drive module being designed in the form of an electric cylinder and comprises a vertically directed movable finitely designed linear drive (4) powered by an electric motor, said linear drive on the front side of the frame rack, being motionally connected via scissor joint lever assemblies (5) arranged symmetrically and below each other in a gripper finger load carrying device (8), and on the frame rack underside, the gripper finger load carrying device (8) is equipped with two horizontally directed movable gripper finger carriers (9) which are horizontally directed arranged projecting over a holding and storage container (13) and which are movable in the horizontal direction and which each carry at least three slat- or rod-shaped bend-resistant gripper fingers (10) which are arranged on both sides, vertically oriented and attached to them, wherein an individual plate and sheet package (12), resting flat against and between the gripper fingers (10), is clamped between them at the retaining and pressing force exerted by the drive module (3), held movable vertically and horizontally oriented and accurately lowered into position and secured in the holding and storage container (13).

2. Packing gripper system according to patent claim 1, characterized in that the scissor joint lever assemblies (5), which are mounted centrally and one below the other on the frame rack (1), are designed in the form of two angular opening and closing joints arranged in the middle of the linear drive (4) on drive module (3), one joint located at the lower end of the linear drive (4), and one universal joint pivoting to and fro arranged between two vertical retaining and guide rods (2), and are provided with scissor joint links (6).

3. Packing gripper system according to patent claim 1, characterized in that the distance between oppositely arranged gripper fingers (10) is determined and adjustable by means of the gripper finger carriers (9) of the gripper finger load carrying device (8), by means of upper and connecting parts (11) with two retaining and guide rods (2) located in a parallel vertical arrangement with respect to one another on the frame rack (1), by means of spacing-variable joint pins (7) and adjusting screws arranged in the slotted holes thereof and by means of the scissor joint links (6) pivotable around these joint pins (7).

4. Packing gripper system according to patent claim 1, characterized in that a dimension-changing adjustment of the spacing dimension of the gripper finger carriers (9) and gripper fingers (10) as it may be required for a plate and sheet package (12) of different size can be brought about by means of a repositioning of the joint pins (7) and adjusting screws along the slotted holes provided in the retaining and guide rods (2).

Description

[0031] The proposed invention is elucidated via an embodiment example in the figures and explained in more detail in the following description, with

[0032] FIG. 1: showing a 3D partial view of a load carrying device of a packing gripper system,

[0033] FIG. 2: depicting a front side view of the load carrying device according to FIG. 1 and

[0034] FIG. 3: showing a front side view of the angle and scissor joint lever assemblies of the packing gripper system illustrated in FIG. 1.

[0035] The load carrying device illustrated in FIG. 1, which forms part of a packing gripper system, essentially consists of a frame rack 1. Drive module 3 is attached to the upper side of the frame rack 1, said drive module being designed in the form of an electric cylinder and comprises a vertically movable linear drive 4 which is powered by an electric motor. The scissor joint lever assemblies 5 are mounted symmetrically below one another on the front side of the frame rack; by means of these assemblies the vertical movements of the linear drive 4 are transmitted as horizontally and vertically directed movements to the gripper fingers 10 of the gripper finger load carrying device 8 located on the underside of the frame. Via the parallel two retaining and guide rods 2, which are also arranged on the front side of the frame rack, the clamping width as well as the clamping position and opening width of the gripper fingers 10 in the raised and in the lowered packing position are set and adjusted by the scissor joint lever assemblies 5 in a way that varies the distance/clearance. The two gripper finger carriers 9, each for three arranged gripper fingers 10, are supported on the retaining and guide rods 2 by means of an upper and connecting part each 11.

[0036] In FIG. 2 the load carrying device of the packing gripper system is shown in lowered position. A plate and sheet package 12, clamped on both sides by the gripper fingers 10 arranged on gripper finger carriers 9, is lowered into the slightly larger container opening of the holding and storage container 13, set down and thus boxed up. After the vertical lowering movement of the retaining and guide rods 2 caused by the movement of the linear drive 4 and the pivoting movements of the scissor joint lever assemblies 5, the gripper fingers 10 located on the gripper finger carriers 9 are in a lower clamping position with the plate and sheet package 12.

[0037] Additionally illustrated in FIG. 3 is the structure of the four scissor joint lever assemblies 5, by means of which, driven by the linear drive 4, the gripper fingers 10 are lowered in a vertically directed manner and adjusted so as to be spaced at a clamping width 14. Connected to the linear drive 4 by means of joint pin 7 [0038] two angularly opening and closing pivoting joints and [0039] two joints pivoting back and forth in a universal joint,

[0040] each equipped with two scissor joint links 6 and each equipped with [0041] a joint pin 7 in symmetrical central position and [0042] a joint pin 7 on both sides in the slotted holes arranged in the two parallel retaining and guide rods 2

[0043] are arranged one below the other so as to be pivotally movable and guided longitudinally movable in a vertically directed manner and movably connected with the gripper fingers 10. [0044] Not shown in the figures are further modules of the packing gripper system with a load carrying device as part of a complex carrying and handling station, by means of which the joining, boxing and transporting of, for example, machined battery modules comprising individual plates as packages/stacks in battery containers of suitably sized design can be accomplished.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS

[0045] 1 Frame rack [0046] 2 Retaining and guide rods on 1 [0047] 3 Drive module [0048] 4 Linear drive of 3 [0049] 5 Scissor joint lever assembly [0050] 6 Scissor joint links of 5 [0051] 7 Joint pins for 5 [0052] 8 Gripper finger load carrying device [0053] 9 Gripper finger carrier on 8 [0054] 10 Gripper fingers on 8 [0055] 11 Upper and connecting parts between 9 and 2 [0056] 12 Plate and sheet package [0057] 13 Holding and storage container for 12 [0058] 14 (adjustable) clamping width between 10