Apparatus for supplying plate-shaped materials

{
  "publication_number": "EP0911283A3",
  "country": "EP",
  "kind": "A3",
  "title": "Apparatus for supplying plate-shaped materials",
  "abstract": "Slidable carriages are combined with a self-propelled plate remover. The plate remover advances to a plate removing position after moving a desired carriage to an unloading position. After sucking a sheet of plate glass on the desired carriage by suction cups, the plate remover withdraws, arms are turned to a horizontal position in a conveyor and suction is released.",
  "claims": [
    "1. An apparatus for supplying plate-shaped materials (80), comprising: a plurality of carriages (8, 18), each of which carries at least one plate-shaped material (80) thereon so as to put the plate-shaped material (80) thereagainst; a carriage transporter (82) for moving a desired carriage (8, 18) among the plural carriages (8, 18) to a certain unloading position; a plate remover including (4) a device for removing a plate-shaped material (80) from the desired carriage (8, 18) and for releasing the removed plate-shaped material (80); and a plate remover transporter (26) which moves the plate remover (4) to a removing position where the plate-shaped material (80) is removed from the desired carriage (8, 18) moved to the unloading position, and which moves the plate remover (4) to a releasing position where the removed plate-shaped material (80) is released.",
    "2. An apparatus for removing plate-shaped materials (80) one by one and supplying the plate-shaped materials (80) to a working table; comprising: a plurality of carriages (8, 18) with wheels (64A, 64B, 67A, 67B), each of which carries at least one plate-shaped material (80) athereon so as to put the plate-shaped material (80) thereagainst; carriage rails (16, 17) which are provided on a floor so as to movably carry the carriages (8, 18) thereon; a carriage transporter (82) for moving a desired carriage (8, 18) among the plural carriages (8, 18) to a certain unloading position; a plate remover (4) which includes an arm (22) provided with a suction device (20) for holding a plate-shaped material (80) on the desired carriage by suction and an arm driving device (28) for turning the arm (22), and which can be traveled by an electric motor (34) for travel; plate remover rails (46, 47) which are provided on the floor so as to guide the plate remover (4) to a removing position where the plate remover (4) confronts the desired carriage (8, 18) on the unloading position and to direct the plate remover (4) to a suction releasing position where the plate remover (4) is withdrawn from the removing position; a conveyor (6) having rollers (98) for transferring the plate-shaped material (80) to a working table by a transferring force of the rollers (98) when the plate remover (4) is withdrawn to the suction releasing position, the arm is turned to a substantially horizontal position and suction by the suction device (20) is released; and a controller which controls the carriage transporter (82), the arm driving device (28) and the electric motor (34) for travel so that the plate remover (4) is advanced to the removing position after the carriage transporter (82) is controlled to locate the desired carriage (8, 18) among the plural carriages (8, 18) to the unloading position, the plate-shaped material (80) on the desired carriage (8, 18) is sucked by the suction device (20) of the arm (22) after the desired carriage (8, 18) is moved to the removing position by the carriage transporter (82), the plate remover (4) with the plate-shaped material (80) held by suction is withdrawn to the suction releasing position, the arm (22) is turned to the substantially horizontal position into the conveyor (6), and suction by the suction device (20) is released to put the plate-shaped material (80) on the rollers (98) of the conveyor (6).",
    "3. An apparatus for supplying plate-shaped materials (80) according to Claim 2, wherein the carriage rails (16, 17) comprise a pair of outer rails (17) provided in parallel with certain spacing and at least one inner rail (16) provided inside and in parallel with the outer rails (17); and wherein each of the carriages (8, 18) is constituted by connecting a rectangular arched frame (54) and a lower receiving member (56) with coupling members (58A, 58B), the rectangular arched frame (54) is provided with outer wheels (64A, 64B) engageable with the outer rails (17), the lower receiving member (56) is provided with inner wheels (67A, 67B) engageable with the inner rail (16), and the lower receiving member (56) has such a width that a carriage (8, 18) can be housed between inner ends of the rectangular arched frame of a preceding carriage (8, 18).",
    "4. An apparatus according to Claims 2 or 3, wherein the conveyor (6) is fixed to a certain position outside the carriage rails (16, 17).",
    "5. An apparatus according to Claims 2-4, wherein the conveyor (6) is integrally coupled with the plate remover (4), and the conveyor (6) and the plate remover (4) are provided so as to be slidable."
  ],
  "description_excerpt": "The present invention relates to an apparatus for supplying plate-shaped materials such as plate glass and, more particularly, to an apparatus for supplying plate-shaped materials which is appropriate to remove a desired kind of plate glass from a plurality of carriages one by one and to supply the plate glass to a working table such as a cutter, many kinds of plate glass being sorted into different kinds of groups and the respective groups of plate glass being put against the respective different carriages.\n\nIn general, plate-shaped materials such as plate glass are sorted depending on thicknesses and applications, and are put against plural carriages for storage (see JP-A-956543). As a method for automatically supplying a plural kinds of plate glass thus sorted to a working device such as a cutter, there has been proposed an apparatus for supplying plate glass wherein rails are provided on a position apart from a floor such as a ceiling, a suction type plate glass plate remover is provided along the rails so as to be movable and the plate glass plate remover is moved lengthwise and crosswise between the carriages orderly arranged with adequate intervals so as to suck and transfer desired plate glass (JP-B-772021).\n\nIn addition, such a plate remover has been known that swings an arm with suction cups between an uprising position and a horizontal position to remove plate glass from a carriage, put the removed plate glass on rollers of a conveyer and supplies the plate glass to a working machine.",
  "cpc": [
    "C03B 11/04",
    "B65G 2249/04",
    "B65G 49/061",
    "B65G 49/067",
    "B65G 49/068",
    "C03B 11/07"
  ],
  "ipc": [
    "B65G 49/06"
  ],
  "assignees": [
    "ASAHI GLASS CO LTD"
  ],
  "inventors": [
    "KANNO RYO",
    "KANEKO SHIZUNORI",
    "OKONOGI YOSHIO",
    "CHOSOKABE HITOSHI",
    "ARITOMI AKIHIKO"
  ],
  "filing_date": "1998-10-26",
  "publication_date": "1999-12-08",
  "priority_date": "1997-10-27",
  "application_number": "EP-98120134-A",
  "family_id": "17806568",
  "citations": [
    "EP0620171A1"
  ]
}