Apparatus for handling metal sheets and operation method thereof

{
  "publication_number": "US11186450B2",
  "country": "US",
  "kind": "B2",
  "title": "Apparatus for handling metal sheets and operation method thereof",
  "abstract": "An apparatus for handling sheets and the operating method thereof is disclosed, the apparatus including: a handling unit for gripping and transferring sheets to and from a sheet change support with a substantially horizontal attitude; and a receiving-transmitting electromagnetic beam unit which generate electromagnetic beams arranged on a plane which is intercepted by the sheets when they take up an attitude at least partially different from the horizontal one. The receiving-transmitting electromagnetic beam unit is fixedly arranged on at least a couple of linear bars arranged at the same height for generating a horizontal-mesh barrier, consisting of intersecting, stationary electromagnetic beams, generated by the receiving-transmitting unit, the barrier being defined above an area occupied by the sheet change support.",
  "claims": [
    "1. A handling sheet apparatus comprising: a gripper configured to grip and transfer sheets to and from a sheet change support with a substantially horizontal attitude; and an electromagnetic beam receiver and transmitter configured to generate electromagnetic beams arranged on a plane which is intercepted by said sheets when the sheets take up an attitude at least partially different from the substantially horizontal attitude, said electromagnetic beam receiver and transmitter being fixedly disposed on at least a pair of linear bars disposed at the same height and provided with a plurality of photodiodes disposed side-by-side with a first preset pitch, the pair of linear bars with the photodiodes being configured to generate a horizontal-mesh electromagnetic beam barrier comprising intersecting, stationary electromagnetic beams oriented toward different angles with respect to a bar axis to form a plurality of stationary horizontal beam patterns of a specific width around a line perpendicular to the pair of bars, wherein said horizontal-mesh electromagnetic beam barrier is defined above an area occupied by said sheet change support, and said horizontal-mesh electromagnetic beam barrier comprises electromagnetic beams mutually arranged in a triangular fan pattern, determining a crossing of said stationary electromagnetic beams with a second preset pitch between each other that is closer than said first preset pitch, thereby increasing a spatial resolution of the beam pattern in a central area of said horizontal-mesh electromagnetic beam barrier with respect to a spatial resolution of the beam pattern outside of the central area.",
    "2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said horizontal-mesh electromagnetic-beam barrier is determined by the at least one pair of bars of receiving transmitting photodiodes, arranged opposite one another on two opposite sides of said sheet change support and of a greater width than a width of said sheets.",
    "3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein said photodiode bars are disposed at a height above a resting plane of said sheets on said sheet change support.",
    "4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein said photodiodes have a mutual pitch of about 2 to 8 mm.",
    "5. An operating method of the handling apparatus of claim 3, the method comprising: defining the horizontal-mesh electromagnetic beam barrier with the stationary electromagnetic beams which intersect each other by the at least one pair of bars provided with the photodiodes, arranged mutually opposite on two opposite sides of the sheet change support for the sheet; detecting a signal of the photodiodes to identify any intercepting of said stationary electromagnetic beams upon said sheets being removed from said sheet change support, said detecting being performed during a lifting of said sheet or of a part thereof from a first preset height equal to or greater than the height of said sheet change support to a second preset height greater than said first preset height, upon a lifting of gripping heads of the handling apparatus from a movement start until a preset subsequent movement.",
    "6. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein said photodiodes have a mutual pitch of about 2 to 8 mm.",
    "7. An operating method of the handling apparatus of claim 6, the method comprising: defining the horizontal-mesh electromagnetic beam barrier with the stationary electromagnetic beams which intersect each other by the at least one pair of bars provided with the photodiodes, arranged mutually opposite on two opposite sides of the sheet change support for the sheet; and detecting a signal of the photodiodes to identify any intercepting of said stationary electromagnetic beams upon said sheets being removed from said sheet change support, said detecting being performed during a lifting of said sheet or of a part thereof from a first preset height equal to or greater than the height of said sheet change support to a second preset height greater than said first preset height, upon a lifting of gripping heads of the handling apparatus from a movement start until a preset subsequent movement.",
    "8. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein said photodiode bars are disposed a height of about 80 mm above a resting plane of said sheets on said sheet change support.",
    "9. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein said photodiodes have a mutual pitch of 4 mm.",
    "10. An operating method of the handling apparatus of claim 2, the method comprising: defining the horizontal-mesh electromagnetic beam barrier with the stationary electromagnetic beams which intersect each other by the at least one pair of bars provided with the photodiodes, arranged mutually opposite on two opposite sides of the sheet change support for the sheet; and detecting a signal of the photodiodes to identify any intercepting of said stationary electromagnetic beams upon said sheets being removed from said sheet change support, said detecting being performed during a lifting of said sheet or of a part thereof from a first preset height equal to or greater than the height of said sheet change support to a second preset height greater than said first preset height, upon a lifting of gripping heads of the handling apparatus from a movement start until a preset subsequent movement.",
    "11. An operating method of the handling apparatus of claim 1, the method comprising: defining the horizontal-mesh electromagnetic beam barrier with the stationary electromagnetic beams which intersect each other by the at least one pair of bars provided with the photodiodes, arranged mutually opposite on two opposite sides of the sheet change support for the sheet; and detecting a signal of the photodiodes to identify any intercepting of said stationary electromagnetic beams upon said sheets being removed from said sheet change support, said detecting being performed during a lifting of said sheet or of a part thereof from a first preset height equal to or greater than the height of said sheet change support to a second preset height greater than said first preset height, upon a lifting of gripping heads of the handling apparatus from a movement start until a preset subsequent movement.",
    "12. The operating method of claim 11, wherein, when any intercepting of said electromagnetic beams is detected, said sheet or part thereof is lowered again onto said sheet change support and the detecting and the lifting are repeated at least twice before halting the operation and emitting a warning signal.",
    "13. The operating method of claim 12, wherein the difference between said first preset height and said second preset height is about 150 mm.",
    "14. The operating method of claim 12, wherein the difference between said first preset height and said second preset height is greater than 80 mm.",
    "15. The operating method of claim 11, wherein the difference between said first preset height and said second preset height is greater than 80 mm.",
    "16. The operating method of claim 11, wherein the difference between said first preset height and said preset second height is about 150 mm."
  ],
  "description_excerpt": "The present invention relates to an improved apparatus for the handling of metal sheets, in particular to such an apparatus cooperating with metal sheet cutting centres/stations, as well as an operation method thereof.\n\nAs known, in metal sheet processing and handling the need exists to transfer and handle the metal sheets between one workstation and the other. In particular, the metal sheets are taken from stored stacks and then transferred to the desired locations by means of handling arms of various kinds.\n\nA particularly effective handling system is the one described in WO2008/139409 in the same Applicant's name, which is here recomprised as reference.\n\nSince metal sheets are usually rather thin (for example from 0.5 to 25 mm), but long (for example 1500×3000 mm) and rather heavy, the need exists to guarantee that they are correctly retained in the desired attitude (typically horizontally) by the handling arms, without a metal sheet portion deviating from the provided attitude and hence ending up colliding against equipment during transfer.\n\nA particularly critical condition, from this point of view, occurs in handling apparatuses for cutting stations (precisely the one described in WO2008/139409). As a matter of fact, in cutting stations sheets are cut into a plurality of shaped pieces, sometimes with a highly complex perimeter. The cut is performed with various techniques, also based on the composition of the sheet material: for example, there are machines employing laser cutting, oxygen lance cutting, water jet cutting, plasma cutting and so on.",
  "cpc": [
    "B65G 47/92",
    "B21D 43/003",
    "B21D 43/025",
    "B21D 43/20",
    "B21D 43/28",
    "B21D 43/287",
    "B23K 26/38",
    "B23K 26/702",
    "B65G 47/90"
  ],
  "ipc": [
    "B65G 47/90",
    "B65G 47/92"
  ],
  "assignees": [
    "Astes4 SA"
  ],
  "inventors": [
    "Roberto ZAFFARONI"
  ],
  "filing_date": "2019-10-04",
  "publication_date": "2021-11-30",
  "grant_date": "2021-11-30",
  "priority_date": "2018-10-04",
  "application_number": "US-201916593345-A",
  "family_id": "64755612",
  "cited_by_count": 0,
  "citations": [
    "US4480824A",
    "EP1222975A2",
    "US20080173831A1",
    "WO2008139409A2"
  ]
}