US 11,078,039 B2Granted

Pile preparation unit with pile turner

AssigneeSchur Technology A/S

InventorsJonas Andersson, Niklas Grandin, Stefan Gustavsson

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Abstract

Provided is a pile preparation unit for changing a pallet support of a pile of sheets with a first end and a second end where the pallet has a support side supporting the pile of sheets at the first end. The pile preparation unit may include a rotation unit configured with an infeed opening for receiving a pallet with a pile of sheets, the rotation unit configured with a rotating structure to rotate a lift unit about a rotational axis. The lift unit is configured with a lift structure fixed to the rotating structure and has a lift plate movable along the lift structure to engage with the second end of the pile of sheets and to move and position the pile of sheets transverse, relative to the rotational axis, providing a portal for changing a pallet.

A pile preparation unit for changing a pallet support of a pile of sheets with a first end and a second end, wherein the pallet has a support side supporting the pile of sheets at the first end, the pile preparation unit comprising:

a rotation unit configured with an infeed opening for receiving a pallet with a pile of sheets, the rotation unit configured with a rotating structure to rotate a lift unit about a rotational axis, wherein the rotating structure comprises a cylindrical body supporting the lift unit, wherein the cylindrical body is supported on two sets of rollers adapted for rotating the cylindrical body;
wherein the lift unit comprises a first lift plate and a second lift plate, each configured to move and position in the lift structure to engage to the respective first end and second end of the pile of sheets;
wherein the lift unit is configured with a lift structure fixed to the rotating structure and has the second lift plate movable along the lift structure to engage with the second end of the pile of sheets and to move and position the pile of sheets transverse, relative to the rotational axis providing a portal for changing a pallet, wherein the rotation unit comprises a first conveyor configured as the first lift plate configured to rotate with the rotating structure,
wherein the pile preparation unit is further configured with a pallet change module including a pallet portal with movable pallet engagement forks for engaging with a pallet for extraction from and insertion into a portal formed in an upper section of the rotation unit,
wherein the pallet change module is at least one of:
adapted for exchanging a first pallet with a second pallet, wherein the pallet change module includes
a first pallet portal with movable first pallet engagement forks arranged to extend to an extraction position in the rotation unit;
and
a second pallet portal with movable second pallet engagement forks arranged to extend to a delivery position in the rotation unit;
wherein the first pallet portal and the second pallet portal are vertically separated;
and
wherein the lift unit is configured to move and position the respective lift plate for the respective pallet end of the pile of sheets to be positioned at the respective extraction position and delivery position, and
adapted for supporting the second end of the pile of sheets on the same pallet, wherein the lift unit includes a second conveyor configured as a second lift plate, wherein the pallet engagement forks are inserted in a feed direction parallel to the rotational axis for extraction of the pallet from the first end and for delivery of the same pallet to the second end of the pile of sheets after rotation of the rotating structure.

10 more elements

Facts

Application

16/305,404Filed 29 May 2017

Priority

DK PA 2016 7037730 May 2016

Published

US 2021/0016981 A121 Jan 2021

Granted

3 Aug 2021

Term ends

Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification15 codes

B65G 1/00
Storing articles, individually or in orderly arrangement, in warehouses or magazines
B65G 59/06
De-stacking of articles: de-stacking from the bottom of the stack
B65H 15/008
Overturning articles: employing belts
B65H 15/016
Overturning articles: employing rotary or reciprocating elements supporting transport means

Abstract

Claims6