Apparatus and method for automatically filling and weighing containers
AssigneeI.M.A. Industria Macchine Automatiche S.P.A.
InventorGabriele Stefanelli
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An apparatus for automatically filling and weighing containers supported by a carrier member includes a first station for feeding the carrier member sequentially, a second station configured to fill and weigh the containers; a first robotic arm configured to selectively move one carrier member at a time, a second and a third robotic arm configured to receive respectively at least a first and a second carrier member from the first robotic arm and to move them between one or more operative positions.
Claims15
Method for automatically filling and weighing containers supported by a carrier member which is fed to a first feeding station of a filling and weighing apparatus, said apparatus further comprising a second filling and weighing station, said method comprising at least a first and a second feeding step, wherein a first carrier member of said carrier members configured to support filled and weighted containers and a second carrier member of said carrier members configured to support to-be-filled and to-be-weighted containers are fed to said first station to then be moved one at a time by a first robotic arm towards said second station;
- one or more picking up and weighing steps, wherein one or more to-be-filled containers are picked up from said second carrier member;
- and one or more inserting and weighing steps, wherein one or more filled containers are inserted into said first carrier member, wherein said one or more picking up and weighing steps and in said one or more inserting and weighing steps, a second and a third robotic arm alternately and cyclically move respectively said first and second carrier member in a picking up and inserting zone of said second station, and in that said first robotic arm picks up one or more containers, to-be-filled and to-be-weighed, from said second carrier member by means of a first gripping member and inserts said one or more containers, filled and weighed, into said first carrier member, said picking up and inserting steps taking place by means of said first gripping member in a common reference position located in said picking up and inserting zone.
Apparatus for automatically filling and weighing containers supported by corresponding carrier members, wherein said apparatus at least comprises:
- a first station for feeding said carrier members sequentially;
- a second station comprising a picking up and inserting zone of said containers, and arranged for filling and weighing said containers;
- a first robotic arm configured to selectively move one at a time said carrier members from said first station to said second station;
- said apparatus being further comprising a second and a third robotic arm placed in said second station and configured to receive respectively at least a first and a second carrier member of said carrier members from said first robotic arm and to move them between one or more respective operative positions, wherein said first carrier member is configured to support filled and weighed containers and said second carrier member is configured to support to-be-filled and to-be-weighed containers;
- and said second and third robotic arm are configured to alternately and cyclically move respectively said first and second carrier member in said picking up and inserting zone, and said first robotic arm comprises a first gripping member configured to pick up one or more to-be-filled and to-be-weighed containers from said second carrier member and to insert one or more filled and weighed containers into said first carrier member, said pick-up and insertion taking place at a common reference position located in said picking up and inserting zone.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.