Box erecting apparatus and method
AssigneeTaiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.
InventorsSzu-Chen Huang, Po-Hsien Chiu, Mao-Jung Chiu, Mao-Shun Lien, Fu-Hsien Li
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Abstract
An apparatus and method for expanding a box blank into a box, the apparatus comprising an arm assembly, a controller, a camera and a box blank conveyor. The arm assembly includes a folding arm having a position in a first direction and a rotational angle controlled by the controller based on a position of a feature of the box blank in the field of view of the camera. The camera captures images of the box blank which are used to position the arm assembly and to evaluate the need to reject a box blank.
Claims20
An apparatus for expanding a box blank, comprising:
- an arm assembly, including:
- a base having a surface;
- a first arm coupled to the surface of the base through a rotation joint, the first arm having a box blank contact surface perpendicular to the surface of the base;
- and
- an actuator, including:
- a body, coupled to the surface of the base;
- and
- an actuator arm coupled to the first arm;
- a box blank conveyor, which, in operation, moves the box blank against the box blank contact surface of the first arm of the arm assembly, expanding the box blank;
- a camera having a field of view including a feature of the box blank;
- a controller electrically coupled to the camera, the controller in operation, receives an image from the camera, determines a position of the feature of the box blank in the field of view and moves the arm assembly in a first direction using the actuator based on the position of the feature in the field of view;
- and
- a box blank rejection mechanism, the box blank rejection mechanism including at least one suction cup coupled to a bracket, the bracket coupled to a gantry via a rotor.
An apparatus, comprising:
- a controller;
- a push extension positionable, by the controller during operation, in a first direction;
- a folding extension positionable, by the controller, during operation, the folding extension in operation forming an angle with the push extension the angle determinable by the controller;
- a box blank conveyor, which in operation moves a box blank including a feature in a second direction different from the first direction to contact the folding extension;
- a first linear actuator coupled to the push extension;
- and
- a box blank rejection mechanism, the box blank rejection mechanism including at least one suction cup coupled to a bracket, the bracket coupled to a gantry via a rotor,
- the controller, in operation, sets a rotation angle of the folding extension around a rotation joint based on the position of the feature.
A method for expanding a box blank, including:
- determining a position of a feature of the box blank relative to a reference point;
- moving, based on the position of the feature of the box blank relative to a reference point, a folding arm in a first direction to align the folding arm with a panel of the box blank;
- determining, using the position of the feature of the box blank relative to reference point, a folding arm angle;
- rotating the folding arm to the folding arm angle;
- and
- moving the box blank in a second direction, different from the first direction causing the box blank to contact the folding arm.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.