System for handling and processing yarn
AssigneeShaw Industries Group, Inc.
InventorWesley Moore
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An apparatus for servicing a twisting machine. The apparatus includes an automated guided vehicle (AGV), a robotic arm having an end effector coupled to the AGV, and a rack carried by the AGV. The rack is configured to hold a plurality of empty tubes and a plurality of yarn packages. A controller that is configured to cause the robotic arm to grip, by the end effector, a handle of a row of the twisting machine, lower a receptacle of the twisting machine to a loading position, remove an empty tube from a first receptacle of the at least one receptacle, place the empty tube on the rack, lift a yarn package from the rack, place the yarn package on the first receptacle, grip the handle of the row of the plurality of rows of the twisting machine, and raise the at least one receptacle to the operational position.
Claims23
An apparatus for servicing a twisting machine having a plurality of rows, each row having at least one receptacle for receiving a yarn package and a handle for moving the at least one receptacle about and between a loading position and an operational position, the apparatus comprising:
- an automated guided vehicle (AGV);
- a robotic arm coupled to the AGV, wherein the robotic arm comprises an end effector, wherein the end effector comprises first and second grippers that are configured to move radially outwardly from each other along a gripping axis to bias against inner surfaces of a tube of a yarn package or an empty tube, wherein the first and second grippers define therebetween a channel, wherein the first and second grippers are configured to move toward each other along the gripping axis to at least partly enclose a handle of a row of the plurality of rows;
- a rack carried by the AGV, wherein the rack is configured to hold a plurality of empty tubes and a plurality of yarn packages;
- and
- at least one controller that is configured to cause the robotic arm to:
- grip, by the end effector, the handle of the row of the plurality of rows of the twisting machine;
- lower, by the handle, the at least one receptacle to the loading position;
- remove, by the end effector, an empty tube from a first receptacle of the at least one receptacle;
- place the empty tube on the rack;
- lift, by the end effector, a yarn package from the rack;
- place the yarn package on the first receptacle;
- grip, by the end effector, the handle of the row of the plurality of rows of the twisting machine;
- and
- raise, by the handle, the at least one receptacle to the operational position.
An apparatus for servicing a twisting machine having a plurality of rows, each row having at least one receptacle for receiving a yarn package and a handle for moving the at least one receptacle about and between a loading position and an operational position, the apparatus comprising:
- an automated guided vehicle (AGV);
- a robotic arm coupled to the AGV, wherein the robotic arm comprises an end effector;
- a rack carried by the AGV, wherein the rack is configured to hold a plurality of empty tubes and a plurality of yarn packages;
- and
- at least one controller that is configured to cause the robotic arm to:
- grip, by the end effector, the handle of a row of the plurality of rows of the twisting machine;
- lower, by the handle, the at least one receptacle to the loading position by moving the end effector along an arcuate path having a constant radius;
- remove, by the end effector, an empty tube from a first receptacle of the at least one receptacle;
- place the empty tube on the rack;
- lift, by the end effector, a yarn package from the rack;
- place the yarn package on the first receptacle;
- grip, by the end effector, the handle of the row of the plurality of rows of the twisting machine;
- and
- raise, by the handle, the at least one receptacle to the operational position.
An apparatus for servicing a twisting machine having a plurality of rows, each row having at least one receptacle for receiving a yarn package and a handle for moving the at least one receptacle about and between a loading position and an operational position, the apparatus comprising:
- an automated guided vehicle (AGV);
- a robotic arm coupled to the AGV, wherein the robotic arm comprises an end effector;
- a rack carried by the AGV, wherein the rack is configured to hold a plurality of empty tubes and a plurality of yarn packages;
- and
- at least one controller that is configured to cause the robotic arm to:
- grip, by the end effector, the handle of a row of the plurality of rows of the twisting machine;
- lower, by the handle, the at least one receptacle to the loading position;
- remove, by the end effector, an empty tube from a first receptacle of the at least one receptacle;
- place the empty tube on the rack;
- lift, by the end effector, a yarn package from the rack;
- place the yarn package on the first receptacle;
- grip, by the end effector, the handle of the row of the plurality of rows of the twisting machine;
- and
- raise, by the handle, the at least one receptacle to the operational position,
- wherein the at least one controller stores a plurality of movement patterns that correspond to respective travel paths for a plurality of different yarn twisting machines, wherein the respective travel paths correspond to a movement of the handle of each row of a respective yarn twisting machine when moving the at least one receptacle about and between the loading position and the operational position, wherein the at least one controller permits selection between movement patterns of the plurality of movement patterns.
An apparatus for servicing a twisting machine having a plurality of rows, each row having at least one receptacle for receiving a yarn package and a handle for moving the at least one receptacle about and between a loading position and an operational position, the apparatus comprising:
- an automated guided vehicle (AGV);
- a robotic arm coupled to the AGV, wherein the robotic arm comprises an end effector;
- a rack carried by the AGV, wherein the rack is configured to hold a plurality of empty tubes and a plurality of yarn packages;
- and
- at least one controller that is configured to cause the robotic arm to:
- grip, by the end effector, the handle of a row of the plurality of rows of the twisting machine;
- lower, by the handle, the at least one receptacle to the loading position;
- remove, by the end effector, an empty tube from a first receptacle of the at least one receptacle;
- place the empty tube on the rack;
- lift, by the end effector, a yarn package from the rack;
- place the yarn package on the first receptacle;
- grip, by the end effector, the handle of the row of the plurality of rows of the twisting machine;
- and
- raise, by the handle, the at least one receptacle to the operational position
- wherein the rack comprises a plurality of vertically extending guides that are configured to receive packages thereon,
- wherein each vertically extending guide of the plurality of vertically extending guide is configured to receive a plurality of yarn packages thereon in a stacked configuration, wherein the rack comprises a platform that is configured to lift packages upwardly along the vertically extending guides so that at least a portion of tubes of the packages of a top layer of stacked yarn packages extend above the respective vertically extending guides, wherein the rack comprises a scissor lift that is configured to move the platform upwardly and downwardly, wherein the scissor lift comprises an actuation arm, wherein movement of the actuation arm along a horizontal axis causes vertical movement of the platform, wherein the AGV is configured to move the actuation arm.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.